Inside each puppy’s mouth are a pair of tiny, sharp daggers referred to by the name of “teeth.” Puppies explore all over the globe with their mouths. Because you’re an integral part of the world your puppy is living in, and those incredibly sharp teeth will undoubtedly meet your baby’s skin will when you engage in the behaviour known as “puppy biting.” It can be painful. What should you do if your puppy is biting you or others in the family (including kids)? It is an excellent chance to teach your puppy not to bite.
1. Be friendly. Utilize negative discipline – your dog’s behaviour (biting) can make a bad thing (you) go away. You can say “Oops!” in a peaceful, positive manner, stand up, and then turn your back towards your pet for a few minutes. After that, you can interact with him. Repetition as many times as you need to. (Remember that dogs learn accurately through repetition.) Playing safely ensures that the fun continues. Inappropriate biting can cause the fun to end. As your puppy is about having fun and enjoyment, he’ll be taught to limit his bite to continue playing.
Please don’t believe the old-fashioned advice you get from someone about keeping his mouth shut, pushing his cheeks into the mouth to bite yourself, or pushing your fingers in the throat of your child. You’re not threatening your authority whenever he attempts to bite you. If you react with violence, it could damage your relationship with him and cause him to become violent. The puppy is just playing and doesn’t even know his teeth-power. It’s true that yelling as a dog with pain and attempting to communicate using “his” language causes many puppies to become hyper and snarl more, but not less. I wouldn’t suggest it. Use a jolly “Oops” to get your message through.
2. Accept less painful mouthing. Because puppies have their mouths everywhere, accepting less painful mouthing is possible, and only practising the “Oops!” routine for painful bites is possible. As time passes, you can shape your bites into softer or softer ones or even stop chewing.
3. Allow the kids to play with your puppy in his peaceful periods. Each puppy has an everyday routine. There are times in the day when they’re more excited and aggressive while others are less bitey. Choose the quieter times in your puppy’s life, and let them be your children’s time for playtime with their puppy. To protect yourself, ensure your dog has had a good workout before allowing his attention to children. Monitor all puppy and child play to ensure you can intervene when incidents get out of hand. Ensure you educate your children on behaving appropriately if the puppy bites their paws.
4. Your puppy’s mouth should be directed towards the appropriate bite toys. A strategic location within every space, store an array of soft toys your puppy can bite into as an alternative to your hand. Have a stash of toy-filled Kongs in the freezer so that you can distract your puppy’s teeth with daggers. Be aware of his snarling actions and serve him with toys before he latches onto your sleeves (or your body); however, you shouldn’t hesitate to provide a toy for an alternative, even if the dog has snatched your body.
The flirt pole is the perfect toy for yourself or your children to play with a biting puppy. This is a lengthy solid stick with a rope attached to one end of the stick and toys tied with the rope. When you move the toy around, it draws your puppy’s attention (and their teeth) to play while keeping a safe distance away from your body. If you need to, place your baby safely by a baby gate in a playpen or an exercise pen with a low-holding flirt pole to protect her from wandering puppy’s teeth. (A good source for this training toy is bestdogkennel.com/product/TR-FP. Be sure to ignore this site’s guidelines on teaching “Give.” Just trade the toy with a treat.)
5. Learn to teach “Find them!” This is ideal for the dog that grabs your bathrobe, pants, legs, or ankles when you walk. Rule 1: Always carry snacks in your pockets or on your body. The second rule is to Keep plastic bags filled with tiny but delicious dog treats throughout the home (but far sufficient away from your pet’s reach) to allow you to replenish whenever you’re low.
When you stroll along, be on the lookout for any puppy ambushes. If your puppy approaches you with the “Gotta grab something!” smile, throw the treat onto the ground a couple of steps away and tell him “Find it!” Keep giving “Find it!” treats until you receive an access point to a soft toy or chewable object that you can give him. You can also play “Find it” until he’s fatigued to hold the toy. It’s done.
Remember that it gets more comfortable after your puppy reaches six months and can use all his adult teeth. There are still times when he will put his teeth into you. However, it shouldn’t cause as much pain!