How to Train a Puppy Not to Bite

Teach Your Puppy Not To Bite

Instead of being angry or doing nothing, you must show your puppy what you will accept. No matter what you do, your puppy will bite or nibble. This is normal puppy behavior, so they can’t help it. This is where you can set the stage and play with your pup by keeping your hand at their body.

With this mindset, you don’t have to tell your puppy not to bite. Instead, when your puppy bites, you just let her know about her poor choice by staying still. This is the consequence of your pup’s action. If she keeps biting, you let her into her crate for a timeout. She’ll be excluded from the community. This is a severe consequence.

Use your attention as a training tool. The most basic way to reward your puppy for not biting is simply by allowing them to continue to play with you. Conversely, you can punish a puppy that's taking things too far by removing access to you as a playmate. Communicate these limits through your body language, energy, and verbal communication. This will mimic the natural way puppies would be ostracized if they played too rough within their litter.

At some point your puppy will bite – this is how they play, remember? Here’s what to do:

1. Start early trained your puppies

Puppies should start training at around 8 weeks old. If they are not trained properly, they could bite their owner or someone else.

2. Use positive reinforcement

If your puppy bites, give him a treat. Praise him if he does something right. You want to teach him what good behaviour looks like.

3. Be consistent

You need to make sure that you are consistent with your training. If you reward bad behavior, then your dog will associate biting with getting treats.

4. Reward good behaviours in dog training

When your dog does something right, give him a reward. A simple “good boy” or “good girl” goes a long way.

5. Don't punish puppies

Don't punish your dog for biting. Punishment only teaches him that biting gets him attention. Instead, ignore his actions.

6. Keep calm when your dog bites

Try not to get angry when your dog bites. Your dog may think that you are going to hit him. Try to remain calm and keep eye contact.

7. Avoid punish your puppy for biting

Never use physical discipline to correct your dog's behavior. Physical punishment can cause serious injuries.