Puppies are tender, sweet and curious animals. They're at a very important stage of their life where they need to learn how to behave within the family home. The sooner you begin to influence their behavior, the sooner you'll get to bond with this beautiful and kind animal.
Of the many things they need to learn, it's important to teach your puppy not to bite. Or rather, teach your puppy how to bite right.
This AnimalWised article focuses on your puppies dental habits which will explain why and how you should treat them.
Why Does Your Puppy Bite?
Just like human beings, dogs are born with milk teeth which are later replaced by permanent adult teeth. This process usually takes between 3 and 9 months after birth, and it is here where puppies feel the need to bite. The process usually causes mild discomfort, although they become very painful for the puppy depending on the individual.
In addition, dogs can bite as a result of their natural instincts as they prefer to use their mouth and jaw rather than paws to interact with their environment. There's no need to worry if it bites your hands a little bit when you're playing - all dogs do this when they're puppies.
The Socialization Process as a Main Tool
The puppy should start socialising once it gets vaccinated, since contact with other older dogs will show how it should behave in a society with other dogs and people. Socialization is a slow process, but it is undoubtedly a crucial part of the puppy phase because the behavior of your future adult dog will be shaped by what it learns now.
Don't be afraid of letting your puppy come into contact with bigger dogs. What's important is that you know beforehand that it's a nice, friendly dog which definitely won't attack others. Following a good socialization process helps your puppy learn about animal behavior from other dogs - and who can teach it better than them?
Teach Your Dog to Bite Properly
With the lack of a natural mother figure, you should be the reference point for your puppy's behavior during the socialization period. As such, we recommend that you're relaxed and peaceful at home, that you don't play too roughly and that you always use positive reinforcement. You should want to raise a healthy and happy dog.
It's crucial that you get hold of various toys and chews so that your puppy stops biting hands, shoes and other objects around the house. There is a wide variety of products on the market suitable for this purpose.
- It's essential that the dog positively associates biting these objects, so you should enthusiastically praise it every time you see it chewing on one of these toys.
- If, on the other hand, you come across your dog biting furniture, you should never tell it off - in fact, you should do the opposite. You can say "No", but the best option is simply to bring it one of its toys so that it understands playing with this is the correct behavior. Praise it once it goes back to biting its toys.
It's not a short process. Depending on its intelligence, how often you reinforce the lesson and the degree of positivity you provide when it behaves correctly, your dog will sooner or later realize what it should bite and what it shouldn't. The most important thing is that you are patient and that you offer your new pet lots of love and attention.
If you want to learn more about how you should treat your puppy, read our articles here on When to Start Training a Puppy and When to Start Bathing Your Puppy.
If you want to read similar articles to Hints and Tips for Teaching Your Puppy Not to Bite, we recommend you visit our Basic education category.