How to stop puppies from bitting?

United States
March 27, 2009 9:15pm CST
I was wondering if anyone knew any ways to stop a puppy from biting. I babysit for a family and they just got a new dog. He has started to bite and I have no idea why. Do you have any tips or tricks to deal with this problem?
6 responses
@docflyer (10)
• United States
28 Mar 09
If the puppy is teething he needs something to chew on because his teeth are hurting. We just got a new puppy a few months ago. If you go to a pet supply store they have special toys for puppies to help while they are teething. If the puppy starts chewing something that you don't want him to, give him his toy. You have to do this every time he starts to chew something you don't want him to chew. Eventually he will learn that his toy is okay to chew and everything else is not okay. For our dog, we got him 3 chew toys so that he wouldn't get bored. Good luck!
@tosha86 (133)
• United States
28 Mar 09
Hello, may I ask how it is biting? Is it chewing on things around the house or biting you? If it is biting you is it doing it playing or is it just an aggressive pupp? About how old is the puppy?
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
31 Mar 09
A puppy cuts teeth like a baby so they need something to chew on. They also bite when they play which is another good idea to get a toy in which they are only allowed to bite. Everytime they start ro bite ask them where their toy is and get it. Using a "gruff" voice when they start to bite you or something they are not allowed along with a touch to their neck also signals..no. Good luck with the puppy.
@cuttyrish (2667)
• United States
29 Mar 09
maybe the puppies' teeth are growing,,this happens to some of my puppies before, they keep bitng..they are biting the legs our chair, table leg's and etc, because there teeth are growing...you should give them dog toys that they can bite on, so that they will not bite other things in your house..
@Seraphine (385)
• Finland
29 Mar 09
I would ignore the pup whenever he bites and instead redirect his attention to a more appropriate chew toy. Whenever he approaches and gets ready to bite, stuff a toy in his mouth. Yes, you might need to walk around with a toy always in your hands so you're ready whenever he comes. Puppies NEED to chew; they're teething and if not taught otherwise they will bite humans. Pups need chew toys and bones that they can put their teeth into. If that doesn't work, start doing time-outs. Set up a place that you can either put him into or make sure you can get away from the pup (a babygate in a doorway that you can step over but he can't for example). Time-outs should only be 1-2 minutes long. If he continues to bite when re-entering, step out again and repeat the process until he behaves nicely. It will take a while but that's how it is with pups; it's all about consistency and repetition to teach a dog how to behave. Also it's crucially important to reward any good behaviour the pup does. It's up to the humans to teach the puppy what is acceptable behaviour and what is not. Bad behaviour is best left ignored and immediately redirected into a type of behaviour we want to see.
@cieldz (709)
• Indonesia
28 Mar 09
thats a normal behavior if puppies like bitting something.... when my dog were puppy, he bite everything he can... but luckily that he's smart dog.... i gave him old sandal to him so he can bite that everytime he wants and not bitting furniture.... u must teach the dog as young as the dog... thats a best time to teach the dog while they're still puppies... =)
@CMTS_87 (1339)
• Philippines
29 Mar 09
Keep them inside their cage?