Why do puppies bite? Dogs are animals that use their mouths, not only to feed themselves, but also to satisfy other needs:
Need to stimulate teething
Dogs are diphyodont animals. Or what is the same, mammals that throughout their lives develop two teeth. Milk or deciduous teeth and permanent teeth. Clenching the jaws helps dogs, just like humans, with the teething process.
Need to explore textures
Dogs do not have prehensile hands like hominids. Their way of exploring the world around them and grasping objects is with their mouths.
need to disassemble
The dog is a hunting animal. Within the hunting phases, in addition to the trail and the stalking, there is the butchering phase. In this phase the dog breaks the prey with the ultimate goal of feeding on it. Some dogs have this phase more enhanced or a greater need to dismember than others. Have you been able to see your dog cutting up stuffed animals, paper or other similar items?
social needs
Puppies learn to relate and regulate the pressure of their jaws through play with their siblings. If they go too far, and harm their playmate, they stop playing and the fun is over. With this they soon learn to follow the rules of the game .
When your dog interacts with you, because your skin is much thinner than that of a dog, he does it just as he acts with his brothers. Your puppy uses his mouth to play with your hands. Its small teeth, which are like needles, scratch you. Learn how to properly direct your dog’s play bites towards something other than your hands or another part of your body.
It is about setting the limits in a way that is understandable for your dog . For example:
- Leave two or three toys available and rotate them : Always leave two or three suitable toys available to chew on and change them for different ones from time to time, to generate surprise and interest.
- Praise him when he spontaneously chooses to bite on an appropriate toy .
- Redirect the game or the desire to bite towards their toys .
- Ouch how painful! Always use an object to play with him, such as a stuffed animal or motivator, and do not allow him to bite your hands. If he does it by accident, he makes a disruptive sound like an Ouch! and for a couple of seconds the game so you understand it.
- Leave: If your dog does not understand the previous point, that is to say the Oh what a pain!, and if it continues to exceed, get up and leave the game room for 30 seconds. You can also drop him off at his puppy park.
Dogs quickly learn the rules of the game if we make it clear enough. He will stop biting your hands if you offer him a fun toy to play with as an alternative.
As for biting objects, it can decrease the behavior when the change of teeth is over. However, destructive behavior may be with you longer. For example, in adolescence due to excess energy or even longer if it shows some emotional problem, such as anxiety .Â
If your dog breaks things and is older than 6 months, check that his physical, mental, and social needs are met. Also check that you manage your emotions well.
Dogs, like children, develop their emotions and learn to activate and manage them from a very young age.
The best prevention against aggressiveness is to teach your dog the correct management of such basic emotions as anger or frustration from a young age. This can be done in a fun way through game rules.
When you play with your dog, anger and frustration can set in as soon as he comes home at two months. This is why it is important that the game is not only fun, but also stable and balanced. To make it:
- Let your pup win often and you’ll avoid creating too much frustration. Remember that the game should be something fun, and losing is not usually liked. How well do we handle losing when we are little?
- Lower the intensity if he growls or shows excessive arousal . Better to keep the game in balanced limits within fun and control.
