Biting Puppy Syndrome?

Posted by G D WILLIAMS

January 13, 2009

by G D Williams

While dogs are best-known as man's best friend, you, as the dog owner, are reliable for the training of your dog, if you want him to live up to that lofty moniker. When you bring that cute pup home, he is a boisterous and loving character. What he lacks is discipline and that's where you come in. You need to fulfill your end of the bargain.

Dogs are more often than not the most lovable of animals, inherently loyal, fun loving, comforting and entertaining. Nevertheless, you have got to face the fact that dogs are perpetual 3 year olds, in terms of discipline. That is why an early program of training is necessary. Dogs absolutely love to delight their owner. It is up to you to let your pup know what is expected of him in the behavioural category. From his point of view, he's in a continual state of having fun. He does not know good from bad behaviour unless you make the distinction. One of the most everyday dog behaviours you will desire to curb is the biting puppy syndrome.

Pups like chewing on everything, as any dog owner will tell you. The biting puppy may have a nice time chewing on your carpet slippers, a book or a tasty bone. He should be able to enjoy any of his bones, but you want to provide the guidance to their behaviour, so it keeps your pet away from your slippers. They do not know that there is a difference, unless you let them know. If you let your pet do as they want, you may soon have an irreverent biting pup, with everything in their approved list of biting behaviour. If you are an irresponsible dog owner you will have no one to blame but yourself for this, when he graduates to bite you, your children or your neighbour every time he wants to. A biting pup that is unrestrained, will become a dog that bites, bringing you both in a lot of problems.

Just like children, dogs require behavioral guidance. Getting a biting puppy to understand the limitations is in truth quite simple. Where do you draw the line? Biting food items and bones is a good rule of thumb. Anything else is a deal breaker. If you allow him to bite an old, worn out pair of slippers, you're giving him a license to bite and chew up a assortment of household items. He cannot distinguish between things which are OK to bite and those which are not.

Pups, when teething, are prone to be biting pups. However cute you might think his decimation of yesterday's newspaper, you have got to put your foot down. Dogs only understand rules in terms of the absolute. It's either OK or not OK. The punishment should also fit the crime. In the case of inanimate objects, a rolled up newspaper, with a sharp noise report, will get your message across.

You must hold in reserve the most serious punishment for infractions which involve your puppy biting a human. No matter how fun loving, lacking in malice or whatever, a puppy must be dissuaded from the idea that biting a human is acceptable. Let's say your daughter decides to share some fat scraps from her dinner plate with her puppy. He is certainly eager to share in this largess, inadvertently biting her in his haste. While he means no harm, if you let this pass uncorrected, you're giving him a green light for behaviour that spells trouble down the road.

In order to quickly and unequivocally nip the biting puppy behaviour in the bud, you have got to come down on him hard. A sharp smack on the nose, removal of the food and the dog version of a time out is what you want to impose. Slip his leash on and give him a taste of isolation out on the porch, along with a firm 'bad dog'. This is language and action he can understand. He will know that his behavior resulted in a physical punishment, loss of the desired item and isolation from his family.

Employing this strategy, you can quickly and easily train your biting pup right out of his bad habit. By the time he is 6 months old, you will have a permanent toddler dog who knows his limitations!

About the Author:

This article was written by G D Williams, an up and coming authority on pets. Did you find these tips on Biting Puppy Syndrome helpful? To find out a lot more Free information about teaching your dog to SitStayFetch be sure to visit Free Dog Diet Tips.

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