A
puppy who is biting you or someone else in the family is doing so because he
has not yet learned the rules of playing with humans. Your puppy has not accepted
his subordinate position in your family. He may be acting aggressively but,
in fact, he is not considered an aggressive, dangerous dog. At this point,
he is just an obnoxious pup who desperately needs to be trained.
The first thing to realize is that a puppy will put everything and anything
into his mouth. He expresses himself with his mouth. During teething time at
age four to six months, he has a great need to mouth everything. There are
ways to change this
behavior.
During teething time provide things for him to chew on. For example, soak old
wash rags in water, ring them out, and put them in the freezer. Whenever he
has a need to chew on you or the furniture, give him one of these wash rags
to work over. Provide a box filled with chew toys such as nylon bones or hard
rubber balls.
It is best not to play games where your hand is near his mouth. If you do,
however, train him not to bite when you are playing. As soon as he begins to
apply any pressure to your hand, scream as loudly as you can. Startled, he
will release and, as soon as he does, say, "Good Dog!" Continue to
do this until you see him noticeably inhibit his bite. He will learn that skin
is tender and that he can only press down very lightly during play. Be sure
each member of your family follows this same procedure. Never play with gloves
on your hand. He may bit down harder without your knowing it, and the next
time you play with bare hands, you may get hurt.
It is not a good idea to have tug-of-war games with old socks because he will
have to bite down very hard to hold on which retards the previous bite inhibition
learning. This advice pertains also to any kind of stuffed animal. The reason
for this is that a small child may walk in one day dragging a teddy bear, and
your pup, seeing a stuffed animal, may grab it for his own and inadvertently
grab fingers as well.
If your puppy is biting and pulling at your jeans, tell him in a loud, firm
voice, "NO!" Then, give the command, "Sit," followed by, "Good
Dog!" He will soon learn to approach you and immediately go into a sitting
position. Of course, teaching him to sit is part of his
obedience training
program.
