How to Stop Your Dog Biting

As with all dog training it's better to start when you first get your pup. Mature dogs take a lot more work to train for you will almost always need to 'de-programme' them out of bad habits. One such habit can be dog biting. This can be a result of not enough puppy play and socialisation. Puppies love to play and they quickly let each other know when the playing has gone too far and pain or injury has been inflicted upon their playmates.

Why is my dog biting?

There are a number of reasons your dog could be continuing to bite past the age of around three months old: to exert dominance, to claim territory, fear and over excitement usually as a result of out of control playing.

What can I do to stop my dog from biting?

It is important that from an early age your puppy gets used to socialising with other dogs and people. This may be enough to teach your dog correct biting manners and prevent a biting problem from developing. You will also want to leave out toys that your puppy can chew on to help the chewing and teething reflexes to develop. This is a normal process for any puppy. Never punish your dog physically as your dog will develop a fear of you, making the biting problem worse.

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If you think your dog gets over excited during play time here are some things you can try to stop your dog from biting:

• Make your play times short and try to calm your dog before you start. 

• If your dog starts to get over excited stop the game and wait until your dog is clam again, before resuming play.

• Work through a typical 'sit' training session with the addition of doing this before offering a ball to play with. Treats should be used to reinforce your dogs good behaviour and as an exchange for the ball being returned.

• Don't play close contact games such as wrestling with a biting dog, until it has learned to control its biting response.

• If your dog does bite you too hard, let it know by yealling out 'ouch'. This will probably be enough to teach your dog that it has gone too far. Puppies learn from each other in this way.

Is my dog territorial?

A dog who is claiming territory over something such as an area of the house or a chair needs to be reminded that you are the boss and the one who decides where your dog is allowed to go. If your dog is biting because it doesn't want you to sit on a particular chair then you will need to either remove the chair from your dogs reach or make sure the dog doesn't sit there anymore. Your dog needs to know that it is allowed to sit on a chair only when you give it permission.

Fear biting is an expression of a more serious problem. Your dog probably lacks socialisation and may not know how to behave in new situations. Try to expose your dog to new people and places gradually, so that this becomes normal. Praise your dog when it remains calm in a new situation. Gradually your dog will become more confident in new settings. Take this slowly and never scold your dog when it is exhibiting stress or fear about something new. Always reward it for good behaviour with praise and treats.

Dominance fear needs to be corrected with consistent obedience training and here are some methods to try:

• Make sure your dog understands 'come', 'sit', 'stay' when you feed it. Only then will your dog be rewarded with food. This changes your dogs perspective on who is the dominant one in the pack. This has to be you.

• Make sure you teach your dog about physical boundaries. Dogs should sleep away from you, never on your bed or on furniture such as couches and arm chairs. These are out of bounds for your dog.

These techniques will work well if you are consistent with applying them. You will need others in the household to be consistent as well, for the best results.

For further advice on how to stop your dog from biting check out Secrets to Dog Training.