Tuesday Training Byte: Dealing with biting puppies

This is a common problem that clients have with their pups. And puppy teeth can be very sharp! Bite inhibition is partly taught by mother and litter mates. State laws prohibit people from selling or giving away puppies under 8 weeks of age, but people still do it all the time. Pups really need to stay with their mom and siblings to start learning boundaries and manners.

Puppies will be teething for up to 1 year. Therefore it is important that your pup have ample appropriate chew toys available and an extra one or two in their crate. I like the filled Kong toys and filled femur bones. These are safe and long-lasting. It is natural for puppies to bite during play, especially with young children that tend to get the puppy overly excited. Be aware that a large breed puppy at 4 months may have the mental maturity of a 2 to 3 year old child! If you take the toy away, you may get bitten. Don't play rough with young pups and don't take their toys away or you may have temper fit much like a toddler. Here are some tips:

1. Teach children how to play nicely with a dog in a calm manner.

2. Supervise children under age 10 with the dog. Young children often act like prey animals which encourages the puppy (which is a predator).

3. If the pup makes contact with it's teeth, game over. Put the dog in it's crate or simply walk away. & leave the room for a bit.

4. Yelling or hitting the pup makes matters worse so just don't.

5. Teach the pup a "drop it" command by rewarding the correct response with a high-value treat or toy.

6. Saying "no" does nothing to teach your pup what you want it to do and your dog may continue to do behaviors because it doesn't know what you want.

   Dogs crave attention, so withdrawing any attention when your pup uses his teeth will diminish the behavior.