How to STOP Puppy Biting

[Doberluv]

LOL. I didn't realize this was such an old thread. When I clicked on this, it went directly to this last post of yours. So, now I see there is already all kinds of good advice and good links posted by Redyre.

[FourPaws]

I have an unusual method to solve this problem almost immediately.

When my pup was going through his biting phase it really hurt. I mean REALLY hurt, but he didnt understand the problem.

As humans, there is little we can do to help a puppy understand WHY we have a problem with biting. Given that, I did the best thing I could do:

I introduced him to an older, wiser dog, that taught him that biting hurts.

As a puppy, he loved to play, and when he played with the older dog, she let him know that biting hard was painful. He soon learned to bite more softly, and ever since, he will NEVER bite hard.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do as a trainer, is to sit back, and let a dog teach a dog how to be a dog.

(note: Don't introduce your pup to a dominant, rough dog to do this! This is the job of a more gentle dog. You dont want to hurt your puppy, or put him in a position where there is a very real danger)

[adojrts]

Originally Posted by FourPaws

I have an unusual method to solve this problem almost immediately.

When my pup was going through his biting phase it really hurt. I mean REALLY hurt, but he didnt understand the problem.

As humans, there is little we can do to help a puppy understand WHY we have a problem with biting. Given that, I did the best thing I could do:

I introduced him to an older, wiser dog, that taught him that biting hurts.

As a puppy, he loved to play, and when he played with the older dog, she let him know that biting hard was painful. He soon learned to bite more softly, and ever since, he will NEVER bite hard.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do as a trainer, is to sit back, and let a dog teach a dog how to be a dog.

(note: Don't introduce your pup to a dominant, rough dog to do this! This is the job of a more gentle dog. You dont want to hurt your puppy, or put him in a position where there is a very real danger)

How experienced of a trainer are you? Because what you are doing is certainly not unusual nor uncommon to use puppy friend dogs help teach them bite inhibition. However it is not fool proof as the pups still need to learn that they also can't bite humans and many pups don't make that connection at first.

Having said all that, before a pup comes home from a breeders is the best time to ensure they have a great bite inhibition. If a breeder notices that a pup in the litter does have poor bite inhibition, then the pup should not move onto it's new home, but should remain with it's dam and other adult dogs.

[FourPaws]

Call me silly, but I had never attempted doing that before, except with my pup Dinky. Most dogs I have trained have learned rather quickly about biting, but not Dinky, he would bite a lot, and it was rather distressing. I couldn't get through to him at all, so a friend of mine recommended the technique, and I love it.

You're right about making the human connection after being taught by another dog. Dinky still bit afterward, but the bites were far more gentle, and it was an easy thing to correct from there.
I'm not saying the technique is foolproof, but, for me at least, it went a long way to solving a major issue.

[Criosphynx]

Personally I had to teach bite inhibition separately for humans. The puppy learned very quickly that dogs and hands were not the same, so I had to teach him the rules were the same for both.

[muzaffar]

It’s important to help your puppy learn to curb his mouthy behavior. There are various ways, some better than others, to teach this lesson. The ultimate goal is to train your puppy to stop mouthing and biting people altogether. However, the first and most important objective is to teach him that people have very sensitive skin, so he must be very gentle when using his mouth.

[Doberluv]

Originally Posted by muzaffar

It’s important to help your puppy learn to curb his mouthy behavior. There are various ways, some better than others, to teach this lesson. The ultimate goal is to train your puppy to stop mouthing and biting people altogether. However, the first and most important objective is to teach him that people have very sensitive skin, so he must be very gentle when using his mouth.

I have a different feeling about that. I allow gentle mouthing at first with young puppies. If it hurts (or anywhere close to hurting) I yelp and walk away....fun time with me over for a minute or so. Then I come back and we have another go at it. Every time it's too rough, the fun and attention goes away. But gentle mouthing keeps me there. That way puppy learns to regulate his mouth on human skin so that if ever there is a time when he bites (sometimes reflexively, like if his tail gets slammed in a car door and you're standing right there or if he redirects accidentally onto you) he has figured out already how to regulate the pressure of his bite and is less apt to bite as hard.

As time goes on, I discourage slobbery mouthing except under invitation so he doesn't become a gross nuisance. I do the same thing I did before...get up and stop playing for a minute and even tell him, "enough." (which is another trick to teach) I use that for other things as well. It means stop doing what you're doing. Then I give him something else to do instead...like chew on a toy. It's important to re-direct. To me, it's not a no no to mouth ever so gently, but I want it under the stimulus of a cue or an invitation to play, once the dog learns bite inhibition.