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How To Stop A Puppy From Biting And Nipping

  • 29/03/2018
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Ow! You’ve been bitten by, you’ve been nipped by a smooth pupperino. Whether it’s your feet or hands, the puppy is constantly gnawing on them and being a real nuisance.

That’s been happening for quite a while and you have no idea how to stop it. You know the puppy means no harm and it’s just playing but you’re starting to feel the hurt.

The same way we instil good manners in children we ought to train our puppies so that they become well-behaved dogs and a pleasant company.

It’s really easy to stop a puppy from biting and nipping when you have expert advice so peruse the list below and enjoy the painless puppy playtime.

1.Tire them out

Puppies are fluffy balls filled with happiness. They get bored just as easily as kids do and the solution is the same – invent an exercise so they can spend all that pent-up energy.

The easiest solution is to get it a playmate such as another puppy. Lacking that, you can tie a puppy toy to a rope and attach it to your belt so the puppy gets distracted.

Remember how you played hide and seek as a kid? This kind of play jogs puppies’ primal hunting instinct, so plop a bed sheet over them and hide behind the door by the time they fight out of it for countless hours of fun.

Your reward for all this exercise is a yawning yipper settling down on your lap, ready to close his weary eyes. Shhh, don’t move even an inch or you’ll ruin the moment.

2. Use non-verbal communication

Have you ever had your puppy stare intensely in your eyes and appear like it’s about to tell you something? Though they don’t use words, puppies can understand our moods, feelings, and intentions.

New dog owners commonly make a mistake of trying to talk to their puppy or call them by their name to correct their behaviour. This never works, you get frustrated because it’s not working and the puppy feels your frustration, becoming anxious.

When two puppies are playing and one of them starts acting toothy, the other will yelp to show that they’re not enjoying that kind of play. You can do the same and simply express your discomfort when the puppy bites and nips you unaware they’re hurting you.

They will back off and soon after return to restart play, this time being a bit gentler so just repeat the exercise until they’ve figured it out. Do you see how easy it is to stop a puppy from biting and nipping?

3.Keep your puppy’s mouth busy

We chew a pencil when we just want the feeling of something being mulled over in our mouth and puppies are exactly the same. Isn’t it wonderful how alike we are and that we get to spend so much time together?

The problem is when a puppy’s chewing turns aggressive and destructive, targeting your shoes, furniture, books, clothes and body parts. They’re not being mean and will often show shame after the fact but it’s your job as a responsible owner to channel their urge onto something more appropriate.

Each puppy breed will have a different preference towards what they enjoy chewing – Cocker Spaniels will ravage tissues since they’re bred to retrieve birds and the two textures match. Be observant and you can easily stop a puppy from biting and nipping.

There are two types of chewable for puppies:

  • inedible toys
  • edible treats

Inedible last longer but don’t clean puppy’s teeth and can chip; edibles can lead to weight gain and food aggression.

4. Use bite deterrents

You know what it’s like to lick a lemon? Rubbing your hands with lemon juice or homemade lemon spray makes the bouncy puppy experience a strong sour shockwave that makes it a perfect bite deterrent.

The taste startles the puppy for just a second, enough to stop them in their tracks. There are commercially available bite deterrents too, such as Bitter Apple.

Because a bite deterrent doesn’t cause pain there’s no danger your puppy will become fearful or resentful. However, always do a follow-up and redirect their attention to another object or activity until they’ve stopped biting and nipping for good.

Conclusion

To understand someone is to love them. Reading this article has given you new insights into how puppies think and how to stop a puppy from biting and nipping.

For a puppy, his owner is the entire world, a source of warmth, food, and comfort. Now you understand that a puppy needs you to be his source of wisdom and guidance as well.

Be patient and gentle with your puppy, stay vigilant, observe its behaviour and you’ll gain a trusty companion that enriches every second of your life beyond imagination.

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