Puppy Teeth are no joke!
If you’re tired of your puppy sinking in those needle-like teeth into your clothes or skin, then worry not because I know exactly what you’re struggling with and, luckily in today’s article, we go over how to stop your puppy from biting!
How To Stop Your Puppy From Biting The Simple Answer:
Puppies bite for a variety of reasons from trying to play, teething, chewing, and more! To stop your puppy from biting simply provide your puppy with an alternative, appropriate object to bite instead.
Why puppies bite in the first place
Puppies bite for a variety of reasons below we will highlight the most common reasons your puppy may bite!
Play
The first reason your puppy may bite is that your puppy is trying to play.
Puppies have no idea what is right and what is wrong. so when puppies want to play they do what comes naturally to them, that means biting!
Puppies bite because that is just how puppies would normally play with other pups or their littermates. So it’s no surprise that your pup may be biting you because he/she wants to play.
Chewing
Another reason why your puppy may bite is that your puppy wants to chew. Chewing in puppies and dogs is a natural behavior!
The equivalent of a puppy chewing would be how we watch TV it’s just plain entertaining.
Teething
Teething in puppies is inevitable, it’s not uncommon for puppies to be extra mouthy when they are teething!
Teething is something every puppy goes through, it’s when their teeth are growing in!
Many times a puppy that is teething may feel minor discomfort resorting to biting and chewing to alleviate that uncomfortable sensation your pup may feel.
Get Attention
One of the most common reasons your puppy may bite is simply because your pup has learned that he/she can get your attention by biting you.
Puppies learn this usually when puppy owners unknowingly reward this behavior making the biting occur more and more!
How To Stop Your Puppy From Biting
Now that we know various reasons why your puppy is biting in the first place we can now dive into how to stop your puppy from biting!
For puppy’s that are biting because they want to; play, chew, or are teething follow the guidelines below!
Puppies have no knowledge of what is right and wrong, it’s our job to teach our puppy this.
How do we teach our puppies that biting us is wrong and what is right instead?
Simple Redirection!
Redirection is essentially about 70% of what raising a puppy is about.
Redirection ultimately is telling your puppy “not this, but that instead”
With redirection, we are providing your puppy with an alternative outlet for the behavior your puppy wants to do anyway.
Think about its this way, if there is a 2-year-old child about to draw on the wall with crayons, instead of punishing the child you’d bring a piece of paper and explain to the child to draw on the paper instead of the wall.
The same is true for puppies!
If your puppy wants to play and begins biting your hands, be sure to provide your puppy with an alternative toy he/she can bite on, then play with your puppy!
Essentially teaching your puppy not my skin but this toy instead.
Play toys Vs Chew Toys
When redirecting a puppy onto a toy there are essentially one of three buckets a toy falls into; interactive play toys, chew toys, and puzzle Toys
Below well dive into what each toy is meant for and which toys we love for each occasion!
Interactive Play Toys
Interactive play toys are essentially toys that your puppy only gets access to when paying with you!
These toys are things such as tugs, ropes, balls, frisbees.
Below are toys we recommend that are great for redirecting a puppy that wants to play
Toys we Recommend to redirect a puppy that wants to play
Puppy Rope Toys: Great set of small rope toys for interactive play with your puppy!
Chuckit! Ultra Tug: This toy is great because it comes with a ball you can toss or tug with your puppy.
Leather Puppy Bite Rag: This Bite rag is great for puppy who love chasing and biting! This is a great option for interactive play especially for ankle bitters!
Chew Toys
Chew toys are completely different then toys we play with, these toys are made specifically for puppies to chew on and come in a variety of different materials.
With teething puppies and puppies that want to chew instead of redirecting your puppy onto a toy, you play with. You want a variety of different materials to satisfy your puppy’s needs
For puppies that love chewing be sure to set your pup with a toy that mimics the same material that your pup wants to chew.
Below are some of our favorite chew toys puppies love
Toys we Recommend to Redirect a Teething Puppy/ Chewing
Nylabone Puppy Chew: This is a soft chew toy for young puppies.
Petstages Dog Chew Toys: This chew toy mimics wood, and works great if you have a puppy that loves to chew on wood!
Benebone Real Bacon Durable Wishbone: A firmer chew toy for harder chewers, and comes flavored.
Puzzle Toys
Puzzle toys are great because they fall in the middle between a play toy and a chew toy!
Puzzle toys provide a puppy with mental stimulation so that your pup has to use his/ her brain to get rewarded.
There great options for puppies that want to chew or want to play.
Below are our favorite puppy puzzle toys!
Puppy Puzzle Toys We Recommend
KONG – Classic Dog Toy: This is our favorite Puzzle toy of them all, you can fill the inside with peanut butter and watch your pup focus on getting the treats out of this toy!
StarMark Bob-A-Lot: Great interactive toy to keep your puppy entertained.
For the best dog treats for small dogs and treats for puzzle toys be sure to check out the link highlighted.
Conclusion
Learning how to stop your puppy from biting isn’t too difficult, it requires patience and the understanding that your puppy doesn’t know any better, and it’s our job to take the time to show our puppy what is right and wrong!
To awaken your dog’s true potential contact us here or Give us a call!
Receive your free dog training consultation and set your pup up for success!