Espresso Dog Training

I’d like to start this off by saying…

You are not alone! Puppies are notorious for taking all kinds of things in those sharp, tiny, shark-like teeth of theirs – and that includes human hands, fingers, toes, virtually anything!

I’d also like to reassure those of you who are dealing with normal puppy nipping: This is not aggressive behavior! Your puppy is not “aggressive” or “mean” or “trying to dominate you.” Your puppy is expressing his or her natural needs to play, chew, and engage with you, as their new owners. When your puppy was with her mother and littermates, biting was a common way that they played and bonded. Your puppy isn’t trying to hurt you; she’s trying to bond with you!

Of course, that brings me to the whole point of this blog post: It is very important to teach your puppy that playing with humans is very different from playing with other dogs. While it’s normal for our canine companions, most people really don’t like to be bitten by dogs, whether it’s playful or not – and that is totally normal for us humans!

There really are a number of ways to train this, but many professionals agree that the easiest way is perhaps also the best way.

STEP ONE: REWARD, REWARD, REWARD!
This step is perhaps just as important as the second step. You want your puppy to chew on her toys – always – not just when she’s playing with you. You also do not want to create a “behavior chain” such as this:

Chomp on human –> Get toy –> Play

Creating a chain like that, will only teach your puppy that in order to play, she must first start biting you! So it is vital to your own sanity that you reward your puppy when she’s already playing with her toys! Anytime you see her chewing on her toy, get down and play with her! If you’re unable to play at that time, dropping a few tasty treats will also be a great motivator! The point is to make chewing on her toys BETTER than chewing on you.

STEP TWO: REDIRECT WITH A TOY!
When we say “redirect” we are talking about removing your puppy’s attention from your hand or arm, and onto something more appropriate – like a toy! This is very important for teaching your puppy what she can chew on. You want a puppy who enjoys playing with you in fun, appropriate ways. You can also get your puppy’s attention with her own toys when she’s chewing on something else – such as blinds, shoes, or anything else that you don’t want her chewing on.

STEP THREE: IF TEETH TOUCH SKIN, PLAY STOPS!
What does this mean? Put simply, the moment your puppy puts her teeth on your arm, hand, foot, whatever, immediately stop engaging with your puppy. The easiest way to do this is to turn your back on your puppy. It is important to make sure she can’t get to something that could hurt her, or that you really care about. Puppies must play and chew, so it’s very important to make sure you give her toys specifically made for puppies, especially during teething stages, so she’s happy chewing on her things, and not your expensive shoes!

What if my puppy is randomly biting at me?
Refer to step three when necessary, and when your puppy is behaving herself during any other time, refer to step one! You really want your puppy to understand that biting you is not how to start play time.

Your puppy could also need a nap. It’s not uncommon for puppies to suddenly “explode” when they need a break.

It’s also possible that your puppy isn’t getting enough play time! Use your best judgement. Puppies need LOTS of sleep, but they also need a lot of play time and opportunities to work out their brains. Check out my blog for Brain Games for your puppies: 3 Games That Work Your Dog’s Brain!

What if I want to wrestle with my puppy?
Wrestling is usually okay for most dogs, but before you start playing physically, you really want to make sure you have ground rules. As a general rule, you do not want your puppy to initiate play by biting you. Play begins and ends when you decide, not when your puppy decides. Just like children need rules, puppies do, as well!

You’ll definitely want to teach your puppy bite inhibition, too! That way your puppy won’t hurt you when they get bigger and stronger.

Note: If your puppy initiates play with a toy, I would go ahead and play. This is an appropriate way to ask for play time, so it is okay to encourage!