Bringing in the house a small, warm bundle of happiness in the form of a canine cub, we are ready to be touched for hours by his pranks and irrepressible energy in games. But, alas, sometimes such an enthusiastic state is marred by a very unpleasant problem - the puppy bites, strives to grab everything with his pointed teeth. Of course, a number of questions immediately arise, especially among inexperienced breeders: this behavior is a manifestation of aggression; Will not an evil dog grow out of such a puppy, if he behaves in this way in infancy? Is there any way to cope with this problem, what to do if the puppy bites hard? Let's try to sort out in order.
Why do puppies bite?
First of all, it should be noted that the puppies, regardless of the breed, are curious like all children, and the outside world is known for a "tooth". In addition, biting is normal behavior for canine cubs: so puppies of the same litter play with each other or with their mother - slightly biting each other or chewing the ear of a colleague. Do not forget that the puppy will have a change in milk teeth , and at this time he will also try to chew all. Another thing is that such behavior is unacceptable in relation to a person. Therefore, from the very first minutes of the puppy's stay in your home, you should stop such behavior. What to do?
How to wean a puppy to bite?
There are many tips, but almost all of them have their pros and cons. Perhaps the most common advice - if the puppy does not obey and bites, slap it on the nose with a newspaper (by no means by hand !!!). Considering this advice from a practical point of view, it should be noted at once that, perhaps, the puppy will stop biting after a few "sessions" of such science, but ... will he not be afraid of raising his hand in the future? Especially this caution concerns those puppies, which are supposed to be prepared for protective guard duty. A more humane way is to switch the puppy's attention to another object (toy). If during the game the puppy grabs you by the hand, slip him a toy . Although this advice is also controversial - not all puppies will take the replacement with pleasure.
Another tip is to make the hand an uninteresting object for hunting. In this case, it will be necessary to show some patience associated more with physical sensations than with a temporary factor of expectation of the results of upbringing. So, if the puppy grabs his hand with his teeth, do not pull it away and scream like a prey - it can only whet the little hunter. Get a little patience (physical, teeth in puppies, still fairly sharp), stop the game, in a strict voice (preferably in low tones), say harshly "can not". Some experienced breeders recommend that at the same time they move their fingers slightly deeper into the mouth so that the puppy wants to spit them out or treat them beforehand with something of unpleasant taste. The choice of methods for solving the problem is yours, but, in no case, do not let things go by themselves.
In conclusion, a small note about how old the puppies can bite. It is believed that approximately up to 5 months of age, the puppy fully absorbs the lessons of education related to biting. But, there are situations when the grown up puppy starts to bite again. Most likely, that thus he, growing and gaining strength, tries to establish his dominance. In this case, you can recommend at every opportunity to show the dog that the leader is a person, the owner: do not allow the growing dog to jump on a sofa or bed, insist that the dog let you go ahead. Behave strictly, confidently and firmly, then the dog will have to recognize you as a leader, and obey your domination.