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| Sir Simon the Sad |
Interestingly, the 3 most annoying puppy behaviors are all appropriate doggie behaviors. Unfortunately, they contradict human rules, so we spend our time trying to stop them, sometimes unsuccessfully.
The three most common and annoying puppy behaviors are as follows:
Biting and Mouthing
Jumping Up on People
Chewing
I'll spend this and the next 2 posts summarizing the the whys and hows of stopping these puppy behaviors. This post addresses Biting and Mouthing.
Why puppies bite and mouth
If you could visit a pet store or a breeder with a litter of pups, you'd see puppies attacking each other by mouthing and biting. Sometimes that's the only way it's possible to get food. Sometimes they're just playing. It's what they do instinctively.
Regardless, it hurts when a puppy bites. Little needle teeth leave marks on human skin.
If you let the biting and mouthing continue, you will be stuck with a dog that could seriously injure you.
How to stop puppy biting
As a young pup, innocent-looking Simon (pictured) arrived with a biting and mouthing issue. We got him at ten weeks, two weeks away from being separated from his litter mates.
This article: http://www.squidoo.com/puppy-training-problems explains how to stop puppy biting in detail. It's a simple and quick 3-step procedure.
Tips to stop puppy biting
A caution - do it over and over until the pup stops biting. Not every once and a while, but EVERY TIME the puppy starts to bite. Eventually he will learn to substitute another behavior for biting. Your persistence will pay off.
One more tip - EVERYONE who comes in contact with the pup has to follow the procedure to stop puppy biting. NO exceptions.
The 3-step procedure described in the link above worked for Simon. Give it a persistent and consistent try!
