Training your puppy - eliminating biting behaviors

The day when a new pet is brought into a family is always exciting for all the members.
As they say "Well begun is Half Done", holds true in case of puppy training too.

This is a good time to start training the puppy. Since the puppy has to adjust to his new home, you can train it for proper puppy behaviour and discourage inappropriate behaviour.

"I FEEL LIKE BITING..."
Biting and mouthing is a natural physical activity for young puppies and dogs. Their natural behaviour is in accordance to their habitat. Pets have to be made to adapt to the human environment.

Biting and mouthing is a common activity for many young puppies and dogs. Puppies naturally bite and mouth each other when playing with siblings, and they extend this behavior to their human companions.

Humans do not have as thick skins (not speaking in the other sense) as puppies or dogs do, so we need to be careful of those sharp teeth and train the puppy to control its natural instinct of biting or mouthing.

After the puppy is brought home, the first thing that you should train is to control its biting reflex. You may find biting or mouthing a cute and harmless activity but if it is not stopped earlier, it will become a habit. Once this happens, this will be go on to its adulthood also.

START YOUNG
The ideal age for this would be before they reach the age of four months. Normally puppies learn the important lesson of controlling the bite-urge from their mothers and siblings but since they are taken away from their families, we are the ones, who have to do the task.

HERE IS YOUR OWN KIND…LEARN WITH FUN
Socializing is one excellent way for it to learn to control to keep those sharp objects to itself. When it is allowed to play and fraternize with other puppies and older dogs. Puppies would naturally enjoy playing with their kind. They would tumble, roll and play with each other and even do the occasional biting. The puppies biting urge gets satisfied and when with humans, it learns to control this instinct.

Since it is playing with its own kind, if it is too rough on someone, it would get punished. This way it will learn to control its biting reflexes

When the puppy is in contact with other puppies and dogs, this would teach them not to be afraid of dogs. This contact serves a two fold purpose, one their natural need of being with their own is satisfied which makes them at ease when they are with humans. Two, they would enjoy the pampering and the love given by humans and would be able to reciprocate in the same way. Puppies who are not allowed to mix with their kind are found to be more destructive and hyperactive as their natural needs remain unsatisfied resulting in behavioual problems.

The social contact exercise is necessary not only to control its biting instinct but lack of it can make them act aggressive and fearful as there is a sense of mental and physical dissatisfaction.

Apart from making them get used to their own, also make them familiar to all members of your household. It should be comfortable with all people living in the house specially children. Psychologically dogs can distinguish between its owners and other people and between children and adults. All members -adults and children should be introduced to the dog.

The socializing with is most effective when the puppy is still young - i.e. around 4 months old or even younger. One reason for this is that parents would be reluctant to let children play with large dogs or older puppies. Especially with large breed dogs or with breeds of dogs which are reputed to aggressive behaviour.

SURE SHOT WAY TO PREVENT BITING IS TRUST...
Teach you puppy to trust and respect you and it will never bite you. The base of all training is to gain the trust and respect of your dog. This will result in better behaviour and will correct a lot of its behaviourial problems

Never ever hit or slap the puppy during the training or otherwise. Never loose control of your behaviour. Physical punishment will act as a catalyst in eroding the trust and respect that is so inevitable, if you want your training program to be effective. Physical beating will not curb his biting but it will simply scare and confuse him.

Bite- control is the most important part of any training program. Biting habit or urge, if not corrected, can get worse. What seems like a harmless habit initially can become dangerous and destructive behaviour if it continues as an adult.