How to Discourage a Dog From Biting

Co-authored by Ty Brown

Last Updated: July 14, 2020 References Approved

Nipping or biting is a normal behavior for most puppies. It is especially common while they are learning their place within your family or going through the natural teething process. However, it should be discouraged in order to keep this from developing into a bad habit, which can continue into your puppy’s adulthood. As an adult, biting is a much more serious issue and should be handled in an extremely different manner than when discouraging a puppy. Dog bites can inflict much more damage to a person, depending on the situation and size of the dog.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Ty Brown
Dog Trainer
Expert Interview. 4 June 2020.}

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Teaching Your Puppy Not to Bite

1
Gage whether your puppy's biting is normal or not. While puppies are young, they are constantly learning their place in the pecking order of their litter or new family. Biting or nipping is a great way for them to test boundaries. The reaction they get from whatever they bite tells them a lot about what is, and is not, acceptable in their world.
- Puppies like to have fun and play. When human hands or fingers are within reach, they see these things as big toys. Puppies use their mouth a lot when playing so it's safe to assume that their first reaction to a hand or finger during playtime will to be bite it.
- Teething can be uncomfortable for a puppy. They look for gum pain relief by putting their mouth on objects and applying pressure. Relief for this can come in the form of a toy or an appropriate chew.
2
Do not encourage play biting with your puppy. Stay away from playing games that involve waving your hands around their face or on the floor in front of them, and also from games that encourage aggression, such as tug-o-war. These actions make it very tempting for pups to use their mouths.
- When your puppy bites, whether it is during play or related to the teething process, immediately remove your hand or fingers from the puppy's mouth and say “Ouch”, very loudly. Although you may want to shout “No!” or “Bad dog!” at your puppy, it is best to refrain from saying anything directly to your pup.
- In general, no matter what words come out of your mouth, your puppy is only concerned with the fact that you are speaking to them. This means that you are paying them attention, which may encourage them to continue the behavior that originally caused them to get this reaction from you.
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3
Mimic the reaction that a puppy gets from a bitten littermate. When puppies are very young and still with their mothers and littermates, they learn when a nip or bite is too hard by the reaction that they get. While the mother may scold them, sometimes physically, if they bite a littermate too hard the usual reaction is a loud cry and they immediately stop playing. Through this process they learn how much is too much and how hard is too hard. You can use this same principal when teaching your puppy not to bite.
- Fold your arms and look away from your puppy, ignoring them for 5-10 seconds. In some cases it may even be necessary to leave the room. This course of action following a nip or bite, will let your pup know that when they bite you, the fun stops and playtime is over.^{[2]
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  Ty Brown
  Dog Trainer
  Expert Interview. 4 June 2020.}
4
Resume playing with your puppy once it has settled down.^{[3]
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Ty Brown
Dog Trainer
Expert Interview. 4 June 2020.} Show it affection again. If the biting behavior continues, it’s time to ignore your puppy again by discontinuing all play and leaving the room if needed. This will show your puppy that they get no attention at all when they exhibit this particular behavior.
- If your puppy is teething, give them an appropriate chew toy to encourage good chewing and biting habits. This can also help, even if they are not teething, by showing them what things are OK for them to chew on. As with teaching your pup any new behavior, you must always be consistent to get consistent results.
5
Mind your attitude and body language when training your puppy. Different attitudes or body language that you display to your puppy or dog could be reinforcing good or bad behaviors. Looking at or talking to them, while they are barking to get your attention, are examples of some actions that reinforce bad behavior. Paying them attention and speaking to them when they are calm and playing nicely are examples of actions that reinforce good behavior. Be aware of how you act toward them and how they respond to those actions. If you do this well, they will respect and adore you. They will even learn that no matter how much your puppy or dog would like to bite you, that you are not an appropriate chew toy.^{[4]
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Look for warning signs before your puppy bites, which are always present prior to a dog bite. Sometimes the signs are very subtle and can be missed by an unsuspecting person. Warning signs can last for months or even years before a dog bites. An example of this is a dog that has tolerated a rough child, for a period of time, before surprising everyone and biting them.
- Some subtle warning signs your dog can give, before a bite occurs, include but are not limited to, getting up and moving away from a person, turning their head from a person, giving you a pleading look, or yawning as someone approaches them.
- More obvious warning signs can include, but are not limited to, pinned back ears, fur standing up along the neck or back, curling their lips while baring their teeth, direct eye contact, growling, and barking.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Teaching Your Dog Not To Bite

1
Determine if your dog is biting due to fear. One of the most common reasons dogs tend to bite is due to fear. This fear is not necessarily a result of abuse or having an abusive background. The fear, itself, stems from inadequate socialization as your dog went from being a puppy to an adult. ^{[6]
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- Sure, your dog is comfortable and friendly with you and your family, but that's because they are surrounded by you for much of their days and nights. New, unfamiliar people and animals tend to come in and out of their lives more sporadically, which usually triggers fear in your dog.
2
Determine if there is another reason your dog is biting.^{[7]
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Ty Brown
Dog Trainer
Expert Interview. 4 June 2020.} There are several other reasons why dogs feel the need to bite. These can include protective tendencies, pain, prey drive, maternal instincts, or simply, breed related instincts.^{[8]
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- Protective tendency triggers include situations when your dog is trying to protect you, a water or food dish, their personal space, or a favorite toy or treat.
- Pain related bites can happen when your dog doesn't want to be touched for one of several reasons. Maybe they are an elderly dog with aching arthritis, have a wound or injury they are guarding, or was stepped on by an unaware person as they were walking by.
- Prey drive biting situations are usually triggered by anything that initiates a chase for your dog. This can include passing joggers, cyclists, cars, or animals.
- The maternal instincts of any new mother can be fierce and forceful at times. Respect the space, and handling, of a new mom and her pups during times when human involvement is necessary.
- Dogs of a herding breed or background may be prone to follow their natural instincts to herd people or animals by biting and nipping at legs and ankles.
3
Use desensitizing and counter conditioning to teach your dog not to bite. This gives you the chance to expose your dog to situations that may cause it to be fearful, only at small levels that it is most likely to tolerate. During this exposure, you are in charge of keeping your dog in a happy state-of-mind. So instead of focusing on and being fearful or reactive to the situation, it is focused on you and the special treat or toy you have for it. The overall goal for this method is to help your dog understand that they can having a positive state-of-mind even in strange or scary situations.
- Try recruiting a helper to work with you and your dog. When training your dog with a "new, unfamiliar person", have your helper ignore any fearful behavior your dog displays and look at you instead. Make sure the stranger is prepared with a supply of tasty treats that they can offer up rapidly and frequently to keep your dog's mind on the good part of this situation. If they give your dog the treats too slowly, this may give your dog enough time to decide that this is a scary situation again. Of course, remind your helper not to move too fast or in a threatening manner, or make any loud noises, so as not to spook your dog.
4
Use behavior replacement to teach your dog not to bite. The second method involves training your dog to replace their fearful behavior with something fun and more appropriate. This is called operant counter conditioning. The goal of this type of training is to refocus your dog's attention onto you by following a basic command, such as heeling, sitting, or lying down. These are reward based commands that will usually result in a tasty treat or love and affection from you when they complete the task. This produces a positive association with a scary situation.
- Remember to try and keep your dog happy throughout the training session. Finish up training and remove your dog from the situation after a 10-15 minute session or before you run out of your reward items.^{[9]
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Use positive reinforcement with your dog.^{[10]
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Ty Brown
Dog Trainer
Expert Interview. 4 June 2020.} Positive reinforcement goes a long way when training your puppy or dog, regardless of the desired behavior. Make sure to praise them when they are chewing on appropriate toys and when they play without biting you.
- You can also give them a small, low-calorie treat when they are behaving the way you want them to.
- It is also important to be consistent with any training. Make sure the dog knows that hands, fingers, and toes are always off limits and encourage any guests in your home to respect and enforce these same boundaries with your puppy or dog.^{[11]
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Be consistent with your training. Teaching your dog basic commands with a reward-based method, not only sets your dog up for success, but teaches them to look for you for guidance in many situations. This helps alleviate their issues with impulse control, which could lead to biting. As your dog progresses in their training, gradually expose them to different, potentially scary situations while using the described methods to refocus their attention.
- Be patient, consistent, and end each session on a positive note. Every dog is different and learns at their own unique pace. If you dedicate yourself to training you dog, you may be surprised how fast they learn to make positive associations in scary situations. This, of course, makes them less likely to want to bite.
7
Don't resort to physical punishment. Physical punishment should never be a course of action following a puppy or dog bite. Tapping or popping them on the nose can be misunderstood and seen as being playful. This could also encourage more unwanted biting behavior. Hitting a dog, or being too rough with a dog, frequently encourages more biting as well. Physical punishment could injure a dog, but it could also ruin the relationship that you have with your puppy or dog. Avoid this type of discipline at all costs.^{[12]
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8
Use caution when training a biting dog. If you ever find yourself in a situation where your dog may bite you or someone near it, remind yourself or the target person to stay calm. Dogs can sense fear and anxiety. Do not attempt to yell or kick at your dog. These actions may lead to more fear and aggression from them.^{[13]
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- Avoid direct eye contact and instruct anyone involved to stand at a slight angle to your dog, making each person a narrower target, while still keeping an eye on your dog. This behavior lets your dog know that you are not a threat to their space or safety at that moment. It also gives them the sense that they are not frightening you.
- When a threat becomes a non-issue for your dog, they tend to lose interest and the situation becomes much more manageable.
9
Decide when it's time to call in the experts. Training a dog to be comfortable in all manners of their life can be challenging. Unfortunately, the desire to bite can sometimes be so engrained into a dog's personality that it exceeds the training capabilities of its owner. If you find yourself at a loss, and not making any headway in your training endeavors, consult a professional trainer or canine behaviorist before making any decisions you can't take back.
- In these cases extreme action may need to be considered, such as re-homing your dog, surrendering them to a shelter, or in the most extreme situations, euthanasia.
- In general, calm owners tend to bring out the calm characteristics of their canine companions. Be mindful of this as you play with your dog, introduce them to new people, places, or animals, and when you are enjoying their company from the comfort of your living room sofa. This instills a peaceful mindset in your dog that lets it know that it get much more love and affection from you when it is being calm and playing nice with others.

Expert Q&A

Question

What should I do if my dog bites while playing?

Ty Brown
Dog Trainer
Ty Brown is a Dog Behaviorist and Trainer and the Owner of Ty the Dog Guy, a business that provides dog training through digital resources (podcasts, web series, and online courses) along with in-person dog training. Ty has over 17 years of experience in dog training and specializes in both mitigating unruly pet behavior and service dog training. Ty has been awarded the "Best of State Award" for dog training in Utah ten times and his work has been featured in ABC, NBC, CBS, Spike TV, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

Ty Brown

Dog Trainer

Expert Answer

When your dog bites you, immediately stop the play session so it realizes that play ends with biting. You can also give your dog a brief tug on the leash and tell it "No." to discourage play biting. Once your dog stops biting, you can continue to play.
Question

How do I get my puppy to calm down when he starts biting?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Puppies tend to get very excited during play and lose all self-control. If this happens, it's a good idea only to play for 15 seconds, then stop and wait for the puppy to calm down. Only resume play once they have backed off and are sitting. This helps them learn self-control.
Question

What do you do when your puppy goes to the bathroom in the house?

Community Answer

Try to catch signs when your puppy needs to go to the bathroom, and take him/her out. If you see an accident in your house, you're too late. Try to catch your pup in the act and say, "No!" firmly. Take him/her to the bathroom location and say, "Go potty." This teaches your puppy that this is the place to relieve itself. Clean up his/her mess, and make sure you can't smell the urine/feces, as any lingering smell will tempt the dog to go in that same spot.