5 things Not to Do When teaching Your Puppy Not to Bite
Last updated on February 6, 2018 By Puppy Leaks 49 comments
Laika wasn’t easy when it concerned teaching bite inhibition. I heard that Shepherds were supposedly notorious for being bitey faces, but I had no idea…
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I had no idea that a 40 pound puppy could make me, a grown woman, run away screaming for dear life, but she did – and she did it many, lots of times. In those first couple of weeks I learned a lot about how to make the biting stop, but a lot more importantly I learned what not to do when they start coming at you with that mouthful of razor sharp enamel they call puppy teeth.
So why did teaching Laika bite inhibition take so long? because I was sending out a lot of mixed signals by yelping, running around like a madman and having a hard time being consistent. Here’s 5 things NOT to do when teaching your puppy not to bite.
Don’t Run around like a Madman trying to get Away
No one likes being bitten by those sharp little puppy teeth. I know it’s just a puppy and all, but they hurt much a lot more than you’d expect. So naturally, when your puppy starts biting your hand or pants your first instinct is to get away. I indicate if you put your hand on a hot stove you step it, that same principle applies to getting the hell away from whatever the hell is biting you.
But be careful when it pertains to how you decide to step away. remain calm. Don’t flap your hands around in the air, scream and run away like a madman. I know you’ll want to – because it friggin hurts – but try your best to remain calm. You see when you run around like crazy trying to avoid a biting puppy that can send them into frenzy mode – and depend on me you don’t want to get bit when they’re in frenzy mode.
When you run away from a puppy while screaming or flapping around you’re going to look like a incredibly fun toy to your pup. Dogs love to chase things, and that love is even stronger for exciting things – things that scream, flail around and step fast.
Don’t turn yourself into a pet dog toy. When your puppy starts biting you try your best to remain calm. remove yourself from the situation as calmly as possible to avoid stimulating them further.
via sarahfulcher
Don’t “Yelp” and scream Loudly to Startle/Shock Your pet dog Out of It
Conventional wisdom once told us that yelping at a puppy whose biting will make them stop. The yelping method is meant to tell your puppy that ‘ow, that really hurts’ and then they’ll just miraculously cease biting.
Well that doesn’t always work out so well, and can actually make them bite more. It certainly didn’t work for me, and if the comments on my try Yelping They said post are any indication it didn’t work for any of your either.
Are us humans incapable of vocalizing a yelp of pain that resonates with puppy brains? Do our dogs know we’re faking it? My pet dog stops when she hears my real ow noises, but when I try to come up with a yelp she just looks at me like a gigantic chew toy.
Honestly I don’t know why the yelping method doesn’t work for lots of dogs. I assume that the high pitched noise lots of of us making when we try to emulate yelping just excites puppies even more. What I do know is that when I tried it I instantly regretted it because my pet dog started biting me even harder.
via quickmeme
Don’t forget to offer Your pet dog Something other Than Your Arm to Chew On
Puppies need stuff to chew on, and lots of of us do supply our pups with plenty of toys & chew toys to fill that need. but what we often forget to do is have them on hand in any way times.
Now I’m not saying you absolutely need to stash a bunch of toys in your pockets, but you must at least have a toy nearby for when the biting begins. When it pertains to teaching your puppy not to bite it’s crucial to be prepared. and when I say be prepared I indicate be armed with toys in any way times if need be.
I don’t know if Laika was the exception to the policy or if all pups are particularly nasty, but we had hundreds of ‘hurry up and put a toy in her mouth’ moments. After a couple of days I learned that having a toy nearby in any way times really helps.
When you’re playing with your puppy and they start to chew on your fingers (inevitable) hand them a fun toy instead. now not all toys are very exciting to puppies, especially compared to wiggly fingers or toes. Make that toy just as exciting as your flesh by shaking it and moving it around. remember you need to make their redirection target ( the toy ) a lot more exciting than their fun squealing human target ( you ).
via theberry
Quit Roughhousing When Your Puppy gets Over Stimulated and/or Bitey
Playing tug and wrestling with a puppy can be a lot of fun, but they can also result in over stimulation. When puppies get incredibly ecstatic learning goes out the window.
I rough house and play tug with Laika all the time; but when she was a puppy I hnull
