How to Control Nipping Behavior in Dogs

Nipping is natural behavior for dogs, but it should not be encouraged. Dogs explore the world with their mouths, but this behavior can be painful and even injurious to the humans and animals that they interact with. If your dog has a nipping problem, take pains to resolve it as soon as possible. The more quickly the dog learns that nipping is inappropriate behavior, the easier the correct behavior is to enforce later.

Things You'll Need

  • Crate
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Instructions

  1. Immediate Correction

    • 1

      Wait for the dog or puppy to nip you.

    • 2

      Yelp or yell very loudly. If the dog stops immediately, praise it for its behavior because you wish to reward it for listening to you. If the dog continues to nip, proceed to Step 3.

    • 3

      Turn your body away from the dog for 20 to 30 seconds. This behavior allows the dog to know that it is being punished, but it is not so long that it will forget the lesson and wander off.

    • 4

      Resume playing with your dog and repeat steps 1 through 3 if the dog nips again.

    Repeated Misbehavior

    • 5

      Play with your dog and reprimand it if it nips. Proceed to Step 2 if the dog constantly nips.

    • 6

      Put your dog in its crate or in a small room for five minutes. This gives the dog a chance to calm down.

    • 7

      Resume playing with your dog, but play more sedately to prevent the dog from getting excited.