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Controlling a Nipping/Biting Puppy
from: The Complete DogNormal behvior for a puppy less than 16 weeks old is to constantly be nipping -- puppies do like to mouth a lot. They mouth when playing and when they communicate their needs. If your puppy starts mouthing, you need to ask yourself: Is he hungry or thirsty? Does he need to eliminate? Is he sleepy? Does he need to play?
Keep in mind that puppies tend to nip when they're feeling needy (the same way a baby cries). If your puppy doesn't let up, try to determine if thre's something he wants, such as an outing, or perhaps some exercise, or a drink. Here's a few tips on how you can control mouthing and nipping:
1. If your puppy doesn't need anything, but won't stop, crate or isolate him with a favorite bone. Don't scold as you isolate her, just calmly place the puppy in her area.
2. When your puppy licks you, say "Kisses" and praise her warmly. You can encourage licking by slathering your hands with a frozen stick of butter.
3. Withhold your attention when your puppy nips softly. Keep your hand still; withdrawing your hand is an invitation to play and nip harder.
4. If your puppy starts biting down hard, turn quickly, exclaim "Ep, Ep!" and glare into her eyes for two seconds; you can then go back to your normal routine. If she persists, you might try spritzing yourself with Bitter Apple or place a leash onto your puppy to enable you to tug the lead sharply to the side. If all else fails, place her in a quiet area to cool off.
If your puppy is still nipping when he's older than 16 weeks, you must start curbing it immediately. Nipping will continue but it's important that you make it clear that this behvior is unacceptable. Here are a few tips that should help:
1. Stop challenge games including wrestling, tug-of-war, chasing your dog around, and teasing. These are the activities that send the wrong message by teaching your dog to clamp down hard on objects -- a leash, the laundry, your shirt or even your skin -- and challenge.
2. Do your best to discourage all nipping, whether it's a bite on your arm or a nibble on your finger. A dog's teeth simply don't belong on human skin ... period.
3. You'll probably want to buy some weapons to use in defense, including a Mouth Spray, Bitter Apple spray, or a long-distance squirt gun. However, don't stare at your pup while you're spritzing or spraying her since this will turn an unpleasant result into a confrontational interaction.
4. Leave a leash on your puppy so you can direct her and avoid physical confrontation. If your dog's not wearing the Teaching Lead, place a short lead onto her buckle collar.
5. If your puppy begins to mouth, turn to him, use a lead or collar to snap her head from your body, or spritz the region he's nipping with a spray. Don't glare at him, otherwise, he'll perceive your actions as confrontational play.
6. If he continues to nip, ask yourself: Do I look convincing? Am I snapping or pulling? (Pulling encourages play.) Is my dog really taking me seriously? It may be that you need to do more training before you earn his respect.
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