Did your family recently buy a puppy only to find that you just brought home a little furry alligator?
All puppies bite and chew and they need to learn how much pressure is appropriate and if they are allowed to bite other family members or not.
High drive working dog puppies can get truly wild and will snap and bite at anything that moves. Some will even bite when you are simply trying to pet them.
You certainly do not want your puppy to knock down and bite your children, those puppy teeth are sharp and hurt!
So what can you do to teach your puppy what they can bite and keep their little teeth off of your children???
I have the solution for you.
Instructions
1. Puppies, especially high drive puppies from working bloodline dogs tend to be very mouthy. They jump and bite constantly. Those little needle like puppy teeth can do a lot of damage!
In a litter the puppies chew on each other in play as well as chew and bite on Mom. When a puppy gets too rough it screams and either gets agressive and stops the game or runs away and stops the game.
2. When you bring your puppy home it doesnt know it's place in your family. So he will bite you the same as his litter mates in order to determine his place in your family. If he is allowed to get away with rough play with family members and he is in charge of the game then he holds the highest rank and other family members hold a lower rank than he does. This means that as he matures he will in his mind be able to correct you and your children for "mis-behaving". The corrections a dog gives are his body posture, growling and finally a bite. So with this in mind we need to put an end to his mouthy behavior now while he is small to avoid problems in the future.
3. When ever he is biting your ankles don't continue walking. Say NO in a firm gutteral voice and if he still continues say NO again in that same voice but this time you will grab him by the scruf of his neck and remove him from being so close to your ankles.
Truly hard, tough puppies may look at this as a game, in which case you will need to be a bit firmer. When you grab the pup by his scruff you will pick him up off the ground and give him a gentle shake while growling NO at him. If done correctly you will not harm the puppy but he may cry or scream in response to the rough handling. This is exactly what the mother dog would do if he were to bite her like he just did you!
4. When your puppy is being mouthy. for example Misty will try to bite my hands while I am petting her. If I were a child this would result in the child no longer wishing to play with a puppy that hurts her all the time. You can try saying NO in a firm voice and get up and walk away from the puppy. Do not look at the puppy, do not say anything to the puppy, do not touch the puppy! Pretend he isn't even there. The idea here is if he bites, the game stops.
5. Have a toy handy while playing with or petting a wild mouthy puppy. When he tries to bite you, growl NO in a low deep voice and then give him the toy to chew on. Then resume petting the puppy, if he continues to bite tell him NO and re-offer the toy. The idea here is to teach him what he can and can NOT chew on.
6. Redirect the behavior. when he bites or gets excited you can bring out the treats and try to train a bit. Say his name and if he looks at you then you can say YES and give him the treat. If he bites you could ignore the behavior and try to redirect him to the new game of looking at you when you say his name.
You can also begin to teach the "look" command this is where you point to an object to direct his eye in that general direction. You can say Look as you swing your arm gently and release a treat at the end of the swing.
Related posts
Train Puppies Not to Fight Each OtherAs adorable as puppies can be, it is in their nature to fight or bite while playing with their litter mates or other dogs or puppies. It is important to teach...
The handsome and loyal American pit bull terrier.Dogs are referred to as man's best friend, and these best friends require some form of training, including being trained not to bite. While the tra...
Teach your pitbull puppy not to bite.Puppies, including pitbull puppies, bite for several different reasons. The puppy may be teething and the chewing feels good on the puppy's teeth and gums. The...
What to Look for in a Good Lab PuppyPurchasing a puppy is a big decision. If you have a family, look for a family friendly pet. The Labrador retriever, colloquially called a "Lab" is a k...
Playful biting is a natural behavior for puppies.When puppies get carried away and treat you like a chew-toy, there is a right way and a wrong way to let them know it hurts. Yelling, getting mad o...
