Prevent Your Dog From Biting
February 19, 2010 by Dog Trainer Filed under Biting Dogs
If your dog is nipping and biting continuously when he is just about sixteen weeks old, then you donât have to bother, because this is absolutely normal. Pups usually mouth for everything right from playing to communicating what they want. If you find your dog mouthing, then it means that he is thirsty or hungry. Just as how babies cry when they want something, in the similar way pups nip. So when he is nipping, you have to think what he wants, whether he wants to remove the waste, or he might be tired, or he might want to play and the reasons can go on. If he continuously does this non-stop then he might want to go out and exercise. Below are a few tips to assist you to control your dog while is nipping and mouthing.
*In spite of trying all your tricks to control him, if he still goes on nipping, then the best thing to do is to leave him alone with his favorite bone. Keep in mind that you are not punishing him, but just trying to calm him.
*If your dog licks you, praise him immediately, and encourage him to do so by applying some butter on your hands.
When you find your dog nipping quietly, it is better you wait, if in case you remove             your  hand then it will think that you are inviting him to play and he will start nipping harder.
*If your dog bites you hard, then immediately stop him by saying Epp, Epp! and look into his eyes for about 2 seconds, and then continue with your work. If he still goes on doing it, then spray some bitter apple or fix the chain onto him, as you can hold the lead and let him get cooled by himself.
Just in case your puppy is more than sixteen weeks old and is still nippy then you have to check to immediately. Of course he will not stop immediately, but you have to make sure that he knows what he is doing is not correct. Here are a few tips to guide you:
*Divide your dog on all kinds of challenging games, like teasing, tug-of-war, chasing and wrestling because you will end up giving him wrong messages. As these games train the dog to constrict down hard of objects like the clothing, dinner table, leash or sometime the skin too.
*Never encourage any kind of nipping from your dog. No matter if it is just a simple nibble on one of your fingers or it is a severe bite. Dogs teeth are very poisonous to human skin.
*There are lots of defensive items that you can buy from the market like the bitter apple spray, mouth spray and even a squirt gun. And make sure you donât stare at him while you do that, as it will give him a negative impact.
*Another thing what you can do is leaving your dog with the leash and direct him. At the same time avoid any kind of physical clash.
*When he starts mouthing or nipping, immediately snap him on his head or use a spray on the area where he is nipping. Never stare at him as he will consider your actions as an invitation to play.
*Even after doing all these things if your dog stills bites, then you have to question yourself whether your actions are efficient enough to train him not to bite. If your answer is no, then you might need some more training.
Written by Jeff Nenadic from My-DogShop.com
