Stop Puppies Nipping And Biting Visitors

Mouthing or nipping is a normal puppy behaviour. Watch two dogs playing and they will use their mouths and teeth to interact and play with each other. It is called mouthing when a puppy gnaws or puts his mouth around your hand or some other part of you. Nipping is when a puppy wants to attention and bites a person in a playful way. Neither mouthing nor nipping are aggressive behaviours and your puppy can be easily trained to stop doing them.

When correcting both of these behaviours, every person in the household has to follow these guidelines or they might not work as well or not at all. Dogs don't understand 'maybe' or 'sometimes'. They need to know that their behaviour is unacceptable by everyone

*Mouthing

Puppies love to explore their environment with their teeth and mouth; this includes humans. By the time you are ready to take your puppy home, about 6 to 10 weeks, they have discovered these wonderful sharp things in their mouth too.

Remember: dogs have twice as many teeth as humans and 10 times more power in their ability to bite. So, it is important that you don't allow a little annoying gnawing behaviour grow into hurtful biting as your puppy grows up. If you allow this to happen, your puppy will think that you accept his behaviour. When you try to correct it later on, he will become more confused and it will be a much more difficult task to stop him.

Put your hand into a fist and offer it to your puppy. When he goes to mouth or put his teeth on to your hand; growl in a deep gruff voice or yell very loudly and pull your hand away quickly. Repeat this until your puppy either licks your hand or pulls his head away. When he does, praise him with kind words in a gentle voice. You will have to repeat this every day over a period of one or two weeks and, remember, every person in the house has to this when the puppy attempts to mouth them.With all good training, timing is essential. As soon as your puppy opens his mouth, you should act and act quickly. Always give your puppy the opportunity to correct his behaviour and do the right thing.

*Nipping

Nipping can cause injury to people who have much thinner and softer skin than dogs do. Puppies that nip can also create holes and tears in clothes and it can be expensive repairing or replacing them. Again, timing is essential. As soon as your puppy attempts to nip, you should act and act quickly. Most puppies try to nip people when they are walking or running. If this is the case, stand still and offer your puppy a toy or ball to play with. If he is good at sitting, make him sit and then call him to you for a pat. If he mouths or nips you again, a very loud 'no' and a clap of your hands will stop your puppy in his tracks.

It is important that you redirect your puppy into a behaviour that he knows and one that will earn him a reward or treat. By stopping the puppy from mouthing or nipping, you are only doing one side of the training. If you make it worth his while to do something else, something he will get rewarded for, then he will learn quicker and have more trust in you as a competent pack leader. With all good training, timing is essential. As soon as your puppy opens his mouth, you should act and act quickly.

Remember: always give your puppy the opportunity to correct his behaviour and do the right thing. It is up to you to teach him what is acceptable and what is not. Reward acceptable behaviour; discourage unacceptable behaviour by using loud unpleasant noises, withdrawal of attention or treats or leaving your puppy on its own. Never hit or strike your puppy; you will only be teaching him that violence is an acceptable behaviour in your pack and he may use it on other pack members or friends including children.