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If you’re like most people, you’ve probably never heard the term “bite inhibition.”  But this is probably one of the most important puppy training tips you should know about, especially if you have a puppy nipping at you.

What Is Bite Inhibition?

Dogs learn as puppies to consciously control how hard they bite.  This is called “bite inhibition.” He should be taught this behavior by the time he’s eighteeen weeks old.  It’s probably one of the most important things he’ll learn in his entire life.

How Do Puppies Learn This Lesson?

Mama dog is the first teacher.  If a pup bites mom while nursing, it hurts.Mealtime ends abruptly, as mama simply stands up and walks away.  A hungry puppy learns pretty quickly not to bite mama if he wants to eat.

Puppies common bite and nip each other during playtime.  But if one pup bites too hard, the other will yip (the “hurt puppy” sound), and walk away, thus ending the play session.  A pup learns that if he wants to play, he can’t play too rough.

You can use the same ideas when training a new puppy.

How To Stop Puppy Biting

When you play with your pet, you’ll want to purposefully draw his attention to your hands, letting him mouth you gently.The “.

Don’t try to pull your hand out of his mouth, or he might bite harder.Take your hand out of his mouth as soon as he releases the pressure on it. Immediately offer him a chew toy.

If he takes it, praise him.  If he tries to bite you again, yip, and walk away.  Don’t wince or whine, or he may think you’re playing with him.

Try again in a few minutes.Give him your attention again, and hold your hand out.Bring playtime to an end immediately, if he nips again.  For a really stubborn pup, you’ll want to give him a time-out in his crate or in another room.

Remember not to make this a punishment.A time-out teaches him that if he plays too rough, you won’t play with him.

You Have Two Goals

Your first goal is to teach your pet to play-bite you gently.  Once he learns that, then your second goal is to teach him to keep play-biting to a minimum.  

If you never let your pup mouth you at all, he’ll won’t be able to learn how to moderate the strength of his bite.  If someone should accidentally step on him or shut his tail in the door, he may respond by biting too hard.

It’s important that your puppy learns this lesson before he hits five months.  It’s a lot harder to teach bite inhibition to an older dog.

Teaching your puppy manners is a basic part of dog obedience training.  Need more help?  Just click on any link in this article.

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