Puppy Behavior Problems – How to Stop Your Puppy from Nipping

Puppies are naturally cute and adorable but while they haven’t been trained yet, they are also prone to get into some puppy behavior problems. As dog owners, we usually don’t mind these problems when the pup is still small but if you don’t correct these puppy behavior problems soon, they can develop into major issues when the dog has grown up.

Training a puppy early is key to making sure that he grows up into a well-behaved dog in the future. For instance, take one of the most common puppy behavior problems of nipping. Of course, the puppy only does it to play but this can get annoying, not to mention destructive and dangerous as the puppy grows older.

Ways to Prevent Puppy Nipping

At first, you might be at a loss figuring out how to stop your new dog from nipping at every single thing or person he sees, especially when he gets excited. But the training process is not really all that hard.

Right from the beginning, you should let your puppy know that nipping people is not allowed under any circumstances, whether in play or not. When you are able to teach him this, your dog will be less likely to bite people even when he becomes an adult.

During playtime, let your dog know that it is okay to bite or nip his toys but never a person. Every time he starts nipping at you while playing, offer him a toy or a treat instead. Toys that are made of rubber are excellent for this purpose because it give the dog some kind of satisfaction when biting.

It can also help if you react accordingly each time your dog bites you while playing. For example, you can say “No biting” or “Ouch” whenever he starts nipping, and ignore him each time he does it.

If he is stubborn and keeps trying to bite you anyway, stop playing with him and turn away. Eventually he will figure out that biting gets him punished and after some time, he will stop doing it altogether.

Teaching a young dog to stop biting, or any other puppy behavior problems for that matter, can take a while, especially if you have a particularly frisky and playful puppy. It would help if you can ask everyone in the household to participate in the training process. This way, the dog will learn that the puppy behavior problems are not acceptable to anyone and he will learn to stop them much sooner.