How to Get a Puppy to Stop Biting?

Learning how to get your puppy to stop biting (nipping is probably a better word to use though, since most puppies are not aggressive they are just communicating through nips. But, nipping still hurts!) is one of the most frequent inquiries that our dog training school on Long Island gets.

In order to stop the behavior of puppy biting a strategy must be set in place. Moreover, the technique used to curtail and eventually eliminate the puppy biting that you and your family members exhibit, as well as other pets like older dogs needs be one of clarity, consistency, and ease. All dog trainers will be advocates and opponents of the varying methods designed on how to get a puppy to stop biting. The following are few things that you and your family MUST consider before employing the method to be used to curtail your puppy’s biting. Here they are:

Are You Comfortable with the Method?

More importantly, is your family OK with the method? It has been Dedicated Dog Training’s experience that if only one or two (2) people in a household are comfortable with the dog trainers’ technique the application will only be performed by those comfortable with it. Which often leads to a puppy NOT nipping them (assuming the method is a good one), but biting on the other family members, maybe more to make up for the lost opportunity.

All, Some or None Will Dtermine Puppy Biting Results
Also, many times the majority or strong minority of the family wins and successfully dissuades the one or two members in the household from using the method that was recommended by their obedience trainer and it looses the consistency part in the equation. This leads to lost money, lost time, and loss of clarity – the other criteria in how to get a puppy to stop biting equation.

Often overlooked when establishing a method to get a puppy to stop biting is – EASE! Methods need to be easily employed to achieve optimal results. Which leads us to:

How to Get a Puppy to Stop Biting Ankles

Although most puppies will bite or nip on any part of your body; there are a lot of puppies that will choose to focus on the ankles. There are a few reasons for this:

• Ankles are quick moving and activates a puppy’s instinct;
• Most of the time, ankles are easily accessible and
• If there are kids in the household, there are no shortage of ankles running around

….However, our experience shows that many times the main reason a puppy or young dog will nip more at the ankles than other parts of the body is because there is little consequence imposed when a puppy bites your ankles; simply because you are not prepared. Again, this is not a post to debate methods used to get a puppy to stop biting ankles, but instead to articulate and make you aware of what puppies and humans may do instinctually.

What Most Puppy Owners We Encounter on Long Island, NYC will Do
Here is a good example: If you’re playing with your puppy, and she begins to bite, to stop this, like most pet owners you may say “NO,” “OUCH,” or something to the effect. Some puppy owners choose to YELP in a high pitched voice (be careful with this, sometimes this activates the puppy’s drive even more – it mimics how prey would respond.) Some will redirect as they have read on the internet and give them a reward – oooops! I meant toy. And others will give them a physical correction or a command to sit, etc….

It’s Not About the Puppy Training Method
Once again, this post on getting a puppy to stop biting is not intended to create debate on dog training methods. They key take away is to provide consistency, ease and clarity to your puppy.

How to get a puppy to stop biting feet and ankles is more of a challenge simply because when this occurs the puppy owner is not ready to impose any of the above puppy training methods used to stop a puppy from biting. When you think about it, if you’re playing with your puppy and they bite you, you can try the above methods. If they do not work, you can crate the puppy for a while or for those of you who are not big on crate training you can separate them from you.

Usually when a puppy bites someone’s ankles they (the puppy owner) are already engaged in an activity that would prohibit or reduce responding to the puppy; for example:

• getting ready for work;
• kids running around, while you’re preparing dinner
• getting out or into the shower;
• Answering the door or interacting with a delivery person;
• on the phone (a professional call)

….This is where ease of the puppy training method should be considered.

How to Get a Puppy to Stop Biting Feet

Getting a puppy to stop biting feet in a household with children is very challenging. Most children are not really going to participate in the obedience training, especially when they are scared of the puppy biting their feet. Instead they will instinctually react by doing the very same thing that activates the puppy’s biting – strong>they will run and kick!Often, to train a puppy to stop biting feet of children & adults requires modification on the reactions of the pet owner as well obedience training for the puppy. If done the correct way, as in the case of how to train a puppy to stop jumping, benefits can be extremely rewarding in a very quick time.

Dedicated Dog Training of Long Island Can Help!

Need to stop your puppy from biting ankles and feet and reside on Long Island or the outer boroughs? Dedicated Dog Training can help you achieve your goals. Give us a call at (516) 512-9111 or email us directly at: [email protected], we are here to help you with your puppy obedience training.