Puppies explore and experience the world with their mouths. This means that everything they come in contact with, including human fingers and toes, will eventually be subjected to mouthing, nipping, or biting.
Just like human babies, puppies go through a teething phase. And, just like babies, they try to soothe their irritated, painful gums by chewing on anything they can fit into their mouths.
Puppies will be puppies, so rule #1 is to make sure they have things to bite, mouth, and chew that are approved by you for that use.
t will be much harder to wean them off your fingers (and favorite shoes) if they don’t have toys of their own they can play with. “Chewing is a natural behavior for a dog, and it’s important to provide puppies with safe ways to chew, to help satiate that behavior,” says Erin Askeland
The following technique can also stop your puppy from biting, according to Jennifer Coates, DVM, an advisory board member for Pup Life Today. “To teach a puppy not to bite, act like another dog would if the puppy had bitten too hard during play,” she advises.
When puppies are born, their littermates function as their first playmates. And it’s in this setting that puppies learn how to mouth appropriately.
In addition to learning the dos of how to stop your puppy from biting, it’s also important to know the don’ts. According to Dr. Mason, these methods will not work—and may even make your puppy fearful and aggressive.
– Never hold your puppy’s mouth shut. – Do not yell at your puppy. – Do not punish your puppy with touch in any way. – Negative reinforcement should not be used in an attempt to stop your puppy from biting.
Remember that puppy biting is not abnormal and that it will resolve itself quickly if you are consistent in your training.