Bringing a puppy home is an exciting and heartwarming experience. Their boundless energy, adorable paws and wagging tails help fill your days with joy.
However, along with the cuteness, there are often some challenges, one of the most common being puppy biting. Puppies use their mouths to explore their surroundings, and if it’s not managed correctly, biting can become a more persistent and problematic behavior.
In this guide, we’ll explore practical strategies for dealing with puppy biting and other challenging behaviors when bringing puppies home so that you and your new furry friend can thrive together.
Understanding Puppy Biting
Biting is a natural part of your puppy’s development. Puppies nip during play, when teething, and when testing their boundaries.
However, Without proper guidance, playful nipping can become a habit that’s challenging to break. Understanding why your puppy is biting is the first step to help address the behavior.
- Teething Discomfort – Puppies begin teething around three weeks old and continue until six months. Similar to babies, dogs have discomfort from growing teeth and chew to help soothe their gums.
- Overstimulation or Boredom – Puppies can often resort to biting to exert energy when overexcited, perhaps during playtime. Lack of playtime can also be a cause for biting out of boredom.
- Exploration – Puppies like to interact with their surroundings and they do it with their mouths. Nipping and biting is a form of social learning and play.
- Seeking Attention – If a puppy gets your attention when biting, it may continue to get the same reaction. Puppies seek attention in different ways, and if they recognize that biting yields results, they will keep doing it.
How to Curb Puppy Biting
Consistency is the best way to help train your puppy to stop biting. It can seem frustrating and be challenging if you don’t have a lot of time to invest, but making the effort is worth it. Here are some effective strategies to try.
- Distract to Redirect: Always keep a chew toy on hand instead of allowing your puppy to bite at you or your clothing and shoes. When they begin to bite, you can quickly redirect their attention to an appropriate chew toy or teether.
- Bite Inhibition: Puppies learn about bite inhibition from their siblings and mothers. When puppies bite too hard during play, the sibling yelps and stops; you can do the same thing when your puppy bites by yelling a sharp “ouch!” and withdrawing your attention for a period.
- Praise Good Behavior: Positive reinforcement is one of the most effective tools for puppies. When your puppy is playing gently without biting, you can reward it with treats and toys, praise, and more attention, helping to reinforce the idea that good behaviors lead to positive outcomes.
- Train Commands: Training your puppy to follow commands such as “leave it” can also help to manage its biting. You can start by offering a treat, saying “leave it,” and only rewarding them with the treat once they obey, and over time, with much repetition, they’ll learn to control impulses.
Addressing Challenging Behaviors
Puppies come with many different behavioral challenges that go beyond just biting. Here are some of the common ones most puppies engage in, according to the vet technicians at an animal clinic in Newton, MA, with tips on how you can address them.
- Jumping on People
Puppies like to jump up to greet people, but this behavior can become more of a problem, especially if they grow into larger dogs.
- Work at ignoring your puppy when they jump and only give them attention when all four paws are on the ground.
- Use the “sit” command to reinforce good behavior.
- Reward them anytime they greet you calmly with praise and treats.
- Chewing
Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs, but not when it happens to your furniture, shoes, or other items. Then, it becomes destructive and can set a precedent for continued bad behavior.
- You can use bitter sprays on things you don’t want the puppy to bite to help deter it.
- Provide appropriate chew toys, teethers, treats, or other dog gear, and ensure you give praise when your puppy uses them.
- Supply mental enrichment and physical stimulation for your puppy.
- Barking
Puppies bark for different reasons, be it boredom, excitement, or to gain attention. There are things you can do to curb excessive barking.
- If they do it out of boredom, ensure they get enough exercise each day.
- Avoid giving them too much attention when they bark, as they may take it as a reaction and continue to bark.
- Train them to know “quiet” and reward their silence.
Seeking Additional or Professional Help
Some puppies can require more guidance or be challenging to train. If your puppy’s biting becomes too problematic or behavior issues persist despite your attempts to train and curb them, you can seek additional help.
Certified dog trainers, online dog courses, or local dog schools can provide more specialized training and behavior modification. They may also provide you with strategies to work on at home with your puppy.
Final Thoughts
Bringing a new puppy home is a wonderful experience, but knowing how to train requires time, patience, and consistency. Setting boundaries early and reinforcing positive behaviors will help your puppy grow into a well-behaved and happy companion.
Whether your puppy likes to bite, bark, or jump, addressing issues early helps build a strong, loving bond. Enjoy the journey of raising your puppy, as each challenge is an opportunity for you to learn and grow together!