How to Teach Your Dog to Stop Biting

Dogs bite for four main reasons. They are afraid for themselves or their human companions; they are overly aggressive; they lack skills for socializing with people or they feel pain. The best way to teach a dog not to bite is to begin training as soon as you get the dog as a puppy. You can train older dogs to stop biting as well.

Things You'll Need

  • Chew toys
  • Dog treats
  • Aversive tasting substance from pet stores
  • Muzzle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Start training your dog how to behave around people as soon as you get the dog. Be consistent with your teaching and rewards as well as punishments. Make sure you have chew toys for puppies to bite especially when he is teething.

    • 2

      Make a high pitched loud yell when the puppy or dog bites you even lightly. The dog will recognize this as a sign it has hurt you. This biting is not a sign of affection or playfulness. The habit can grow into a serious problem if you do not correct it immediately.

    • 3

      Punish your puppy with words and tones rather than by hitting or hurting him. Hurting a dog will only reinforce negative behavior and make it more aggressive. Ignoring the dog for a few minutes is also a good deterrent because puppies love attention.

    • 4

      Make sure everyone in the family understands how to treat the puppy and why you are training it not to bite even in play. Consistency is of the utmost importance when training a dog so everyone who comes in contact with the dog must treat him the same. If you have children too young to understand, make sure you supervise their playtime with the dog carefully. Children need to learn how to play with the dog as much as the dog needs to learn how to play with them.

    • 5

      Coat gloves with an aversive tasting substance from a pet store or herbal store. Each time the dog bites or mouths your hand he will taste the nasty flavor and get the idea not to bite.

    • 6

      Use a muzzle around strangers until the dog learns not to bite. Get one that fits properly and remove it as soon as possible.

    • 7

      Do not allow your dog to have its food until the dog is sitting calmly in place. Remove the food after a set amount of time. This allows you to be in charge and the dog will understand that it must behave properly before it can eat.

    • 8

      Determine which areas are off bounds for your dog. Make sure you are consistent in reproaching the dog when it goes to areas it is not allowed and reward the dog for avoiding those areas.

    • 9

      Introduce the dog to new situations gradually. Do not allow a brand new puppy to be mobbed by strangers. The dog will be afraid and react to protect itself. Discourage roughhousing in front of the dog. It will become protective of family members and it will not understand that children are only playing. The dog might bite out of its instinct that one of the children is in danger.

    • 10

      Limit playtime to last as long as the dog remains calm. Throw a stick or a ball and have the dog bring it back to you. Let the dog release the ball or stick and do not throw it again until the dog is calm. Never encourage tug-of-war type games with the dog.

    • 11

      Reward the dog for staying calm in new situations. Never punish the dog when it is afraid. Give the dog treats and rub its head and lavish the dog with praises when he adapts to a new situation.