Some puppies
will playfully bite your fingers or your toes. It appears cute
and you laugh, but it will give your puppy the impression that
it is alright to bite skin. Some puppies like to tug socks and
puppies look adorable when they do this. If you just watch your
pet with smiling eyes, your puppy will assume that you approve
of it biting anything that he sees, like clothes and rugs. Puppy
biting is always a bad habit. And all dog trainers agree that
the best thing an owner can do is to prevent such bad habit
from forming. In fact, the general rule in training your dog
is to never allow it to do something that you don’t want it
to repeat again.
The best technique to prevent your pet from
developing the biting habit is to give a loud yelp and leave
the puppy when it begins to nip at your toe or your finger.
Since puppies are naturally gregarious, your pet will take your
leaving as a form of punishment. It will realize that it has
done something wrong. And it will remember that the last thing
it did was nip at your toe. Therefore, nipping the toe must
be wrong and not allowed by the master.
To make sure that the puppy will not assume
that playing is wrong, you may return with a toy. You may teach
the puppy to play with the toy. If it goes to nip your toe again,
repeat your reaction – yelp and walk away. You may even glare
for a good measure. But you may expect to do this training technique
for several times before the puppy fully understands what you
were teaching. In the meantime, you need to be patient and persistent.
While you are teaching your puppy not to develop
the biting habit, there are also certain games that you must
avoid. Some examples of these games are tug-of-war, chase and
tackle, and any other games that incite the puppy to bite a
person.
If your puppy continues to bite and this is
accompanied by an alarming growling and aggression, then it
will be best for you to contact a behaviorist who can better
understand what is causing this dangerous display. You must
also have your puppy examined by a veterinarian. The biting
may be your puppy’s way of telling you that it does not feel
well.
At the same time, educate your children on
how to treat the puppy well. They must never startle any puppy
or dog. A scared puppy will bite. They must not tease or hurt
the puppy. Even the most loyal and tolerant puppy may retaliate
if it cannot stand the abuse anymore.
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