Dog Biting and Dog Nipping

Dog Biting and Dog Nipping is fairly common among puppies but may occur in adult dogs that have not been properly taught bite inhibition in the litter by mouthing. Dogs experience the world with their mouths and to the dog their mouth is as important to them as our hands and eyes are to us. Teaching bite inhibition is often the first dog training lesson after potty training.

So why do dogs bite?

Part of the reason for dog biting and dog nipping is because it is a natural part of their instinct. If you’ve ever watched the Discovery channel and seen wild puppies in the den, you’d see that from birth puppies use their mouths to explore the den. When adult dogs return from a hunt, the puppies will excitedly jump and bite the adults; this mouthing behavior causes the adult to regurgitate food in their stomachs to feed their young puppies. No matter how domesticated your dog is, all dogs are descendants of wild animals, and this instinct is deeply embedded in their nature.

At a couple of weeks they start using their mouths to play with their siblings, biting, nipping and mouthing.

If a dog is removed

from the litter to soon he can’t learn important lessons such as bite
Click Here to See This Norman Rockwell Framed! inhibition from his siblings. When puppies play together they learn that if they bite to hard the other puppy yelps and won’t play with him anymore. This teaches the puppy that teeth are weapons, but biting to hard causes isolation. When he gets bit from another sibling he learns what the pain is like; this helps him to associate biting with pain.

Even though puppies learn bite inhibition early in life, they still need to be conditioned again when we bring them home. Puppies can’t do a lot of damage with a bite, but their teeth are razor sharp and unlike other puppies, people are more fragile especially children. In our homes, we need to modify their bite pressure even further. Adult dogs however can do some major damage, and it makes little difference to the one bitten that the dog didn’t mean to do it.

What can I do to stop my dog from biting?

The solution is a dog training method that teaches your dog bite inhibition. The method is the same for puppies or full grown dogs; although with an adult dog results can take a little longer.

When you’re playing with your dog you need to choose the amount of mouthing that you will accept. When you reach that level give a good loud yelp in pain and turn your body away from him. Get up and walk away and don’t even look at him, speak to him, or touch him. Your goal is to isolate him for the next 30 seconds – just long enough for the lesson to sink in, but not long enough for him to forget what caused your response.

Sometimes puppies, and some older dogs, seem to have an innate desire to chew on something when being played with or even petted. Keep the focus off your hands by providing a more appropriate chew toy for this mouthing response. Rawhide bones or rubber squeezes toys should always be nearby. If your dog ever snaps at your hands or face when playing, a quick “NO” should startle him. When he stops, give him praise then give him an appropriate chew. Never use physical force when correcting for chewing or mouthing, this only encourages further nipping and biting.

Your dog instinctively wants to please you always, so the best solution is the cold shoulder technique. If he continues this bad behavior, and nips at you again, then it’s time for a time out. Take him to his crate or lock him in the bathroom for about 5 minutes to chill out a little. What we’re trying to teach the dog is bite inhibition; the lesson learned is that biting cause’s isolation - so don’t leave him confined for to long with this lesson. When you let him out, resume playing, just try to tone it down a little bit, until you’re sure he can be trusted not to nip.

Remember not all doggy games require direct contact; avoid Slap Boxing and Wrestling – try to keep games fun, but also friendly. Frisbee and Fetch     Click Here to See This Beautiful Picture Framed    are good alternatives that not only deliver quality time but provides much needed exercise.

Turning the tables on dog biting and nipping through bite inhibition is a fairly simple task. Most dogs, even adult dogs, learn the lessons rather quickly so you will be able to move on to more enjoyable dog training lessons.

Your experiences with your dog will build a solid bond that will last all the days of your dog’s life. When it comes to dog training it really helps to get it right in the first place. Of all the published material on dog training techniques available, there are only a few that I would ever recommend. I wish that this course was available when I had my very first dog; it would have saved me years of learning the information that this training course imparts. Why don’t you check it out? It will cut your dog training time in half.

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