A Unique Way to Stop Puppy Biting and Other Bad Behaviors

Puppies bite. It is what they are supposed to do when they first get their milk teeth in. These teeth come in through the gums while the puppies are still nursing, and are very tiny and sharp. The purpose of these little "razors", according to my dog trainer are to help with bite inhibition. When a puppy is playing with its litter mates and mom and bites down too roughly, the pups and mom will squeal or otherwise let the biting puppy know that it hurt. Another reason for why puppies bite is because it is how they learn to understand the world. They see something, bite it and try to understand what the object in their mouth is going to do (if it is food and good) and if it is something worthy of continuing to pursue. (I personally liken puppy biting to how sharks feed-they take a bite of whatever is swimming in their paths and if it is appealing, they attack and eat; if not, they spit it out and move on).

When puppies are brought to our homes, it becomes our job to help it learn bite inhibition. At first, puppy biting may be cute (who doesn't think a pup gently knowing on our finger while they look up at you with those big eyes is cute?) but if not curbed it can become a dangerous problem when the pup is full grown: dangerous for the owner, anyone the dog comes into contact with and for the dog itself, who could potentially be euthanized due to its bad behavior.

The most typical way to stop your puppy from biting is to remove your hand from its mouth, and replace it with a chew toy or nylabone. This teaches your pup good biting from bad and lets them see what they are actually allowed to chew on. Another common way pet owners teach their pup bite inhibition is to squeal or say "ouch" when the pup bites down too hard. This simulates the pups littermates and mother's response to pain and the pup learns this is not what it is supposed to do. I know some pet owners who have used a can with some coins inside to successfully cure their pet of biting and jumping on the couch (basically it scares them and they learn to associate the behavior with the awful sound).

Others may grab the scruff of the pup's neck and give it a quick shake, similar to what its mom might do. (This method was recommended by my vet). Another method as recommended by the Monks of New Skete in their book, The Art of Raising a Puppy is to put your finger gently towards the back of the pups mouth (not too far down so as to choke or harm her) but enough so the dog gags slightly and releases your hand, and therefore learns not to bite. A variation on this is to place your entire hand in sideways so it touches the sides of it's mouth which stops the dog from being able to bite, and results in them lifting their heads to try to shake you out of the mouth. It is an unpleasant stimulus the pup learns from. Then of course there is the "roll down" in which you basically roll your dog to the ground, hover over it menacingly and show 'em who is boss, not allowing them to get up until they show their submission to you, usually in the form of looking away and not making eye contact. Then of course you can try methods Cesar Milan might suggest on the Dog Whisperer, such as making your hand into a claw of sorts and digging into their backsides quickly as they mother might do.

However, what happens if you try to do all these things, and I mean really try all these things and your pup is still not learning bite inhibition? This can be an especially frustrating time. As the pup gets older, these milk teeth begin to really hurt and can leave painful cuts, scrapes and even scars as a result of the pup "playing". In my own case, my pup did not respond to any method I tried and it became an extremely frustrating and unpleasant (as well as painful) time for me in which I began to think I had either a). a dog from hell or b). I was completely incompetent in training. I searched the web for suggestions. I tried them all, including all of the ones mentioned above. I consulted my vet. I began to watch The Dog Whisperer, searching for some small clue that would help me solve this problem. Nothing worked, and I mean nothing. It seemed as if the pup only found my hand appealing. I began to get serious scratches on my arms (and some scars I have to this day), began to feel resentful and frustrated and had a very difficult time staying in the positive mode I really wanted to keep for my new pup. (I believe in training using positive reinforcement).I was told I was too soft, needed to show her I was the dominant one, etc etc. I was really beginning to lose confidence. I had never had such trouble with a pup's biting before.

I finally consulted with a dog trainer who suggested giving it a toy or chew bone in place of my hand, keeping the pup on a regular schedule, never letting her bite at all. I was already doing these things. But finally, the suggestion that would change our lives...say ouch or oops when she bites, get up, go into another room, close the door, wait 15 seconds and then upon your return to your pup, greet her like you have not seen her for a week with a big HI!!!!! And resume play.

At first, I thought this was weird. I had trouble figuring out how I was going to go from being upset, angry and frustrated to a big hello as if the pup did not do anything wrong. I didn't get how this would actually teach the dog it should not bite. I was afraid that if I left the room, the pup would pee the floor (it was still during house training time) or bite something else, or who knows what else was a possibility in those beginning days when it seemed my pup would find anything to do that was trouble!

However, I decided to tray it. The next time she bit me, I said "no bite" (I couldn't quite bring myself to say oops because I was in such pain!), left the room and shut the door behind me. I waited 15 seconds. I could hear her from behind the door and was amazed to learn that she followed me and was waiting right outside that door. Not peeing or ruining anything or taking this as an opportunity to ruin the coffee table. She followed me and was waiting. Then I heard a little whine and whimper. Then she pawed the door. Honestly, I couldn't help but laugh to myself, perhaps a little out of glee for possibly finding a technique that worked and also because honestly, it was kind of funny to hear her. This also surprisingly put me in a good mindset and when I opened that door, I was able to say "Hi!!!!!" in a high pitched, happy voice.

She wriggled her little body and was just so happy to see me. That afternoon I had to do the technique 3 times before miraculously we spent the evening bite free. The second day I had to only do this once. From then on, it was only on the occasion when she would "forget" that I would again leave the room and stay behind a closed door. If ever I get up to leave from her biting or engaging in another bad behavior, she tries to follow me, and will stand outside that door, pawing it and even whining for me until I come out. She is so thrilled to see me when that door is open 15 seconds later and we can begin afresh in whatever activity we were doing together.

This technique worked because she realized that her play partner was gone, and for a pup who loves to play and lives for affection, this technique got to her. A light bulb went off in her head as she began to associate biting with me leaving. Everyone was amazed this technique worked and over time, she stopped biting all together except for the occasional light chewing on an ear or hand, which I have come to realize is a way for her to communicate she needs something or is just real play initiation. Now that her adult teeth are fully in, I am pleased that she learned bite inhibition and that she never chomps down or hurts when she takes a human body part into her mouth. Most importantly, using this technique freed me up from my resentment, anger and frustration. The time out behind that closed door was useful to give me a moment to get out of a negative mind frame and gain perspective.

Over time I haven't needed to use this technique often and forgot its usefulness and the principle behind it. I suddenly remembered it recently when trying to figure out how to stop counter surfing and her jumping on my other dog. This technique has been proving useful to stop other behaviors with good results in stopping her from jumping up on counters and attacking our older dog. I strongly recommend to puppy owners out there to try this technique if it does not seem enough to replace your hand with a chew toy to teach bite inhibition. A variation on this would be to remove something of favor from the dog (if they are currently playing with it), or to place the dog in a kennel for a "time out" and to leave the room for a short period of time before returning with a big greeting. This technique should help anyone who feels at their wits end to teach good behaviors to their dogs while also maintaining a positive attitude and not using harmful techniques that could be potentially physically dangerous or emotionally damaging. And of course, consult with a professional for help should you need it.