Dog Behavior Problem:
Nipping and Biting

Dog biting is an unacceptable behavior and should be corrected early. Otherwise, it will get worse over time and could lead to serious injury.

There are a number of reasons why a dog bites.

Dogs will bite because of a strong protective instinct. Or because of aggressive behavior. Or because of temperament. Or because they are teased.

Also keep in mind that your own temperament as a dog owner will affect your dog too. If you're tense, stressed out, and unfriendly to people, those feelings are conveyed to your dog and can lead to aggressive behavior.

Some breeds are more prone to biting than others. The Chow Chow, German Shepherd, Welsh Corgi, Jack Russell,and Rottweiler, for example, fall into this classification.

Other dog breeds bite because they haven't been properly trained not to bite when they were puppies. After all, puppies love to bite - especially when they are teething - although this should not be a reason to condone biting.

Dog nipping behavior

Some dogs - like the sheepdog - are bred to herd animals. Nipping is an inherent part of the breed and is difficult to change.

Nipping can be a problem behavior if the dog is nipping at people's heels.

In this situation, you can try and divert the dog's attention by encouraging it to herd objects. Otherwise, simply keep the dog away from situations where it has a tendency to turn on its herding instinct.

Dog biting - "mouthing"

"Mouthing" - the term used for when a puppy chews on or nips at your hands, fingers, arms, legs, and clothing - is your puppy's way of testing you.

You see, if you discourage mouthing from the beginning, the puppy will learn that you are the boss. You will be viewed as the dominant pack leader and the puppy will follow your directions.

Dog biting - "play-biting"

Although some dog owners may view "play-biting" as cute or fun, "play-biting" is inappropriate behavior and should be discouraged quickly, especially in puppies.

Play-biting can escalate over time to snapping and biting as the dog grows. It can eventually become more severe and frightening, even to the point where someone is injured.

How to stop a dog or puppy from biting

Here are 2 tips on how to stop your puppy or dog from biting:

(1) Substitute toys that the dog can chew and play with.

(2) Use a non-toxic repellent on your arm and hands. When your puppy or dog tries to "mouth" or play-bite, it will find the repellent offensive. Repeating this a number of times will train your dog that biting is unpleasant.

How to stop a dog from biting his leash

One of the keys to stopping a puppy or dog from biting his leash is to make it an unrewarding and disagreeable experience.

Ideally you want to correct the behavior before the puppy or dog starts biting the leash, not when the leash is already in its mouth.

One method to stop a dog from biting his leash is to growl a command at it just before it puts the leash in its mouth. If the puppy or dog doesn't stop biting the leash, abruptly jerk the leash out of its mouth, again voicing your command.

Another method in which you control the situation rather than waiting for the dog to act, is to lure the dog into mouthing or biting the leash.

Again, just before the dog puts the leash in his mouth, growl your command and jerk the leash upwards if the dog doesn't heed your command.

If your dog training is working you will find that the dog begins to lose interest in the leash since it associates a disagreeable experience with leash biting - which is your ultimate goal.

Remember that repetition and reinforcement are key ingredients to turning a behavior into a habit and stopping a dog or puppy from biting his leash is no exception.

Click on the graphic below to learn How to Stop Your Dog From Biting and Nipping as well as other dog behavior problems training techniques...

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