Biting is the most common in puppies. Puppies bite because they feel that they are apart of a pack of dogs and biting is a way showing the other dogs that they care and know about them. You as owners need to show the dogs that it is not okay to bite, and if the owners can do it at a young age, then the process can be halted all together. Most dogs and puppies are generally loving, sweet, adorable, affectionate and wonderful 99% of the time. Only 1% of the time does something specific happen that makes the dog bite.
There are many causes of biting, and many things you can do to prevent your dog from biting on you. By allowing your puppy to socialize with other puppies, they can continue to grow as social animals and in the future continue to pick up where they left off the last time they went.
Dogs are very good at adapting to new situations. Puppies need to roll, tumble and play with each other. When they play, they bite each other everywhere and anywhere. This is where they learn to inhibit their biting. This is also where you can teach them to learn how to control themselves. If they are too rough or rambunctious, they will find out because of how the other dogs and puppies react and interact with them.
This is something that happens naturally and it is something we cannot accomplish. It can only be learned from trial and error. There is nothing you can say or do to educate them in this realm. They must learn from their own experience.
Another major advantage of dog-to-dog socialization, besides the fact that it will help your dog to grow up not being fearful of other dogs, is that they can vent their energy in an acceptable manner. Puppies that have other puppies to play with do not need to treat you like littermates.
So the amount of play biting on you and your family should dramatically decrease. Puppies that do not play with other puppies are generally much more hyperactive and destructive in the home as well.
Never hit, kick or slap your dog. This is the quickest way to diminish the dog’s trust in you. Yes, the dog will still love you, but even abused dogs love their owners. A unique characteristic of dogs is their unconditional love. You do not have to do anything to acquire your dog’s love. But you must do a lot to gain your dog’s trust and respect. Another area where owners destroy our dog’s trust in us is when we scold or punish them for house soiling mistakes and accidents. When house training your puppy there is never an appropriate time to punish or reprimand. If you catch your dog in the act, just head for the towels and cleaner. You have no right to scold him, because if he is going in the wrong place, it is your fault, not the dogs’. If you find an accident after the fact, just clean it up.
