Train your puppy to prevent destructive biting
Puppies tend to get into destructive biting and mouthing due to several reasons.
Teething
In their teething stage, puppies tend to go through a painful process – they lose their old teeth to grow new ones. Between six to eight months, two sets of teeth, including the milk teeth, are lost and an uncomfortable feeling sets in. Thus, they begin chewing and biting on different textures and even human skin to keep the sore and scratchy feeling at bay.
Playfulness
There are other destructive biting attributes as well. For instance, pups use their mouths playfully and begin gnawing and chewing on their littermates unintentionally. These canines do not have independent fingers, so they have to use their mouth for all their play. AllDogs recommends these chew toys to effectively deal with puppy teething related biting.
Frustration
Dogs are emotional too, and when exposed to stressful scenarios such as unfamiliar surroundings and loud sounds, they can get frustrated. When whining or peeing does not help, they resort to biting and mouthing.
Affection
As cute litter puppies begin growing, it is inspiring to watch them learn and play with each other. It is great to observe how each of one them reacts differently to a single stimulus. But when it comes to showing love and affection, these puppies use their mouths, which is also a natural habit for the animals.
One way puppies show their love and affection is through biting.
Avoiding the destructive biting
It is essential to train the dogs with some fundamental commands so that they listen to the human. This way, they understand the difference between unwanted behaviour and a desirable demeanour. Some of the commands may be ‘no’, ‘sit, ‘stay’, ‘stand’, ‘look at me, ‘recall’, etc., issued by the pack leader. The dog is always trying to identify the pack leader to follow directions subsequently. You must get the dog’s attention first and ensure that they follow all the commands.
Giving the command
Positive reinforcement always helps dogs pick up newer skills through associative memory. Rewards also work best for the puppy. So, give them rewards, praises and verbal encouragement for a job well done. Commands can be in some basic steps:
- Get the attention of your puppy first
- Given them a command only after you have garnered attention
- Use a verbal command or a hand gesture to issue the instruction
- Provide consistent verbal signs
- Give the puppies at least three seconds to listen, understand your command and then move their bodies
- Reward the dogs after they have followed your command
Training environment
Puppies, much like human children, can be easily distracted. Therefore, a good training environment with minimal disturbances is the best way to work the drill. Thus, the puppy stays focused and ready for the training. Here are some guidelines you can work with:
- Ensure a quiet surrounding – such as taking the puppy into a room and shutting the door
- • Gradually begin increasing the distractions once the puppy is able to follow all the commands and is now listening to you – disruptions can be in the form of another dog, toys, guests and others
- When you begin training, try using Kong toys. For dogs that are heavy chewers, you can get a black one. Otherwise, they are available in red colours too. Also, check your dog’s size to get the right toy dimension.
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