My new puppy has a serious biting problem. What do I do?
I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi (herding dog, small breed) that will chew and nip anything. This includes my hand, the Christmas tree, shoes, socks, and anything else. She has a habit of going into biting fits that could eventually cause serious damage, but she is just a pup. I have said no firmly and held her mouth shut until she calms down, but she still keeps biting. She is clicker trained and is encouraged not to bite, but she still bites.
She is 12 weeks, pedigree, champion linearship. Has many toys, a lot of rawhide bones, and spoiled to the bone.
Okay, so we have a Border Collie puppy and had been having the same problem with the “bite play” thing. Nipping at the heels and ankles is so very common for the herding group too. Puppies bite when they play, that’s normal, we just have to teach them that biting US isn’t acceptable.
To stop a biting puppy….
1) Reduce the pressure of the bite. When your puppy nips at you, immediately let out an “ow,ow,ow” or “ouch” in a tone of voice that sounds like a puppy yelping. Your puppy should immediately stop the behavior as he will understand that he has hurt you. This is how he communicated with his litter mates if he got hurt and how they let him know if he hurt them. The puppy doesn’t want to hurt you, biting is part of how they play, but only needs to learn that what he is doing is painful for you. This will teach him that. You must do it every single time he nips/bites at you and then always resume play with an appropriate play toy, rather than using your hands as “the toy”. It will take time, but if you persist with this training method and NEVER allow a nip to go unaddressed, eventually, your puppy will understand that biting you simply hurts and it shouldn’t happen.
2) A more direct approach. When the puppy nips at you in play, grab him GENTLY, BUT FIRMLY by the scruff (back) of the neck and GENTLY SHAKE while saying “No” in a tone that sounds like a dog growl. When the puppy relaxes in your hold of him this way, it is a sign of submission and you can then let go and tell him to “play nice” and offer a proper toy to engage in play. It’s very important that you realize your own strength and be sure not to grab or shake too hard. You are doing this to get his attention and teach him that you are not happy with his behavior. Momma dog disciplined him exactly the same way when he was still with her when he did something she did not approve of.
With both of these methods, if you do this a couple of times and puppy doesn’t seem to let up, then you must ignore him and walk away for about 10 minutes, then attempt to resume proper play time. Your puppy wants your attention and to please you, so he will learn that biting causes play time to end if he doesn’t let up when you indicate for him to do so.
Always be sure to only use a proper toy during play time with puppy, NEVER USE YOUR HANDS AS THE TOYS. You must also be consistent and never allow a nip/bite to go unaddressed as you can confuse the puppy as to what you expect of him.
ADDED: Another thing to remember is that even when puppy gets all the adult teeth in, the urge to chew is not going to go away right then and there. The adult teeth will still be shifting within the jaw line up until the age of 3 yrs for many dogs and so this will still make the urge to chew present.
Stop Puppy Biting Problem