Some puppies will playfully bite
your fingers or your toes. It appears cute and you laugh, but
it will give your puppy the impression that it is alright to bite
skin. Some puppies like to tug socks and puppies look adorable
when they do this. If you just watch your pet with smiling eyes,
your puppy will assume that you approve of it biting anything
that he sees, like clothes and rugs. Puppy biting is always a
bad habit. And all dog trainers agree that the best thing an owner
can do is to prevent such bad habit from forming. In fact, the
general rule in training your dog is to never allow it to do something
that you don’t want it to repeat again.
The best technique to prevent your pet from developing the
biting habit is to give a loud yelp and leave the puppy when
it begins to nip at your toe or your finger. Since puppies are
naturally gregarious, your pet will take your leaving as a form
of punishment. It will realize that it has done something wrong.
And it will remember that the last thing it did was nip at your
toe. Therefore, nipping the toe must be wrong and not allowed
by the master.
To make sure that the puppy will not assume that playing is
wrong, you may return with a toy. You may teach the puppy to
play with the toy. If it goes to nip your toe again, repeat
your reaction – yelp and walk away. You may even glare for a
good measure. But you may expect to do this training technique
for several times before the puppy fully understands what you
were teaching. In the meantime, you need to be patient and persistent.
While you are teaching your puppy not to develop the biting
habit, there are also certain games that you must avoid. Some
examples of these games are tug-of-war, chase and tackle, and
any other games that incite the puppy to bite a person.
If your puppy continues to bite and this is accompanied by
an alarming growling and aggression, then it will be best for
you to contact a behaviorist who can better understand what
is causing this dangerous display. You must also have your puppy
examined by a veterinarian. The biting may be your puppy’s way
of telling you that it does not feel well.
At the same time, educate your children on how to treat the
puppy well. They must never startle any puppy or dog. A scared
puppy will bite. They must not tease or hurt the puppy. Even
the most loyal and tolerant puppy may retaliate if it cannot
stand the abuse anymore.
