Puppy Chewing and Play Biting--Driving you Crazy?
Bringing a new puppy into the family can be a fun and exciting time for both you and the puppy. This is the time for a lifelong bond to form between you and your puppy. To aid in forming this bond, it becomes your responsibility to teach your puppy the ‘rules of the house’. Always keep in mind, however, that puppies are not human--they don’t think or respond like people, nor do we speak dog lingo. Therefore, you must creatively yet patiently teach the puppy your rules while providing him with an acceptable alternative outlet to express his normal doggy behavior.
Normal dog behavior includes digging, barking, jumping, chewing and mouthing. Puppy chewing and mouthing can cause a lot of damage to your house as well as pain when you get nipped by those sharp little teeth! You will need to teach appropriate ways to express this doggy nature.
Puppy mouthing is important. Puppies that do not mouth and play bite as youngsters never learn how to temper and control the strength of their bites for adulthood. This can cause trouble when the puppy is an adult with full strength jaws. Your puppy will learn much quicker how to temper his bite if he is allowed to play with other puppies and dogs on a regular basis. There is no better teacher than another puppy or dog to tell your puppy when he has bitten too hard. If your puppy does not have the fortunate opportunity to play with other puppies on a regular basis, it is up to you to teach him bite-inhibition.
When your puppy bites too hard, let out a yipe or yip in a high-pitched voice, to imitate what another puppy would do. Usually this sudden yelp will startle the puppy and he will stop biting to look at you. Immediately give him a toy to chew instead, and praise him for chewing on the toy instead of on you. This way you have corrected the biting without needing to punish him, and you have redirected his chewing tendency away from you and toward a more suitable object.
Puppies chew for any number of reasons. Like babies and small children, everything tends to go into the mouth. They chew because of boredom, curiosity, anxiety or stress. Puppies will also chew when they start teething. Your puppy should never be left unsupervised in the house. A puppy left unattended will most likely chew something inappropriate, costly or dangerous. If you are not able to supervise your puppy at a given time, he must be confined to a safe area such as a crate or small room.
Provide an array of indestructible chew toys for your puppy. Encourage and establish a chew toy habit by providing Kong toys stuffed with yummy food and treats. Anytime you leave your puppy in a confined area, provide several different types of stuffed chew toys for him to keep himself occupied with. Since these are the only chewable objects at hand for your puppy, he will establish a chewing habit with the appropriate toys, as there is little else to do. Do not confuse your puppy by providing old shoes, socks, clothing or other household items as chew toys. Puppies cannot distinguish between old and new.
If your puppy gets a hold of an object he shouldn’t, try not to chase him - he will see this as a game. Remain calm and use a sharp, low pitched “No Chew!” combined with a foot stomp or handclap. If he stops and looks at you, again try to interest him in a more appropriate toy. Don’t scare or corner him - remember, he doesn’t know what he’s doing is wrong and he didn’t do it on purpose.
Don’t just wait for your puppy to outgrow his chewing behavior. Help him learn the rules by addressing chewing and biting immediately and consistently.
