dog trainer

Hi, today I am going to show you how I used the ‘Bite Hampered’ Technique to stop my puppy, Daisy’s biting in just seven days.

I was able to stop Daisy’s biting issue despite:

She had an aggressive biting habit
Trying lots of ‘OUCH,’ ‘STOP’ voices with no results
Even giving full attention to her with no change in her behavior

And in this step-by-step guide, you will find out how I did it.

How ‘Bite Hampered’ Technique Helped Me Solved Daisy’s Biting Problem

Inspired from ‘Force-Free’ technique, this Bit Hampered technique contains two steps in which you will learn how to divert your puppy’s attention from ‘biting’ and make them calm and more responsive to your instructions (in a ‘force-free’ way).

In just seven days, this technique helped me:

Fix Daisy’s biting problem
Make her more responsive to my instructions
Play with my children without biting them

You can also get these kinds of results by following these steps on how to stop a puppy from biting:

Chapter 1 – Why I Don’t Encourage ‘Punishment’ Methods:

Being a CPDT-KA certified Dog trainer and Dog behaviorist since 2001, I grew up among dogs as my grandfather owned dog farm where he showed me some really effective dog training methods.

My grandfather was a great trainer, and I never saw him using any ‘punishment’ in his training. He even provided some shocking transformation in the most extreme ‘life-threatening’ behavior cases, with his ‘force-free’ training methods.

When dog owners and managers come to me asking how to stop a puppy from biting then I always recommend them training methods that are ‘force-free.’

I know there are still many dog owners who are suggesting the ‘punishment’ methods like smacking the nose or biting back to stop puppy’s biting. If you even have a single thought of these then remove it from your mind because there are several problems with hitting a dog like:

You can damage the delicate bones in the dog’s nose
You are not telling the dog what to do
It’s cruel
Your dog can become truly aggressive

That’s why the methods you will find in this site don’t recommend using force or punishment towards your dog. You will find out how to stay one step ahead in solving your puppy’s biting problem using ‘force-free’ method.

Why one should give punishment to the dog when he can solve his dog’s behavior problem ‘force-free’?

With that being said, let’s take a look at the reasons behind puppy’s biting

Chapter 2 – Why Puppies Start Biting?

Does it ever happen with you when your puppy was playing really nicely with you but all of a sudden he starts biting you? Or your puppy is sleeping and playing with stuffed toys nicely throughout the day but in the evening becomes uncontrollable with his biting issues?

This is all due to two simple reasons: Teething and Socializing

Teething Period:

Puppies start developing new teeth (a period called ‘the teething period’ or ‘mouthing’) between their 8^th to 20^th week. Parents can related this situation with the teeth developing phase that their child goes through. The pain that your child goes through in this phrase isn’t much different for puppies as well.

The puppies jaw at this stage is very weak and hurting as well. And to reduce the pain, they start biting anything that they get their teeth on.

With the combination of pin-like teeth that puppies are developing, along with weak jaw and natural tendency to bite anything, this leads to many playful bites that may be painful but doesn’t cause serious injury.

This is actually good for dogs to use this period to receive natural feedback on how hurtful bite can be; this helps them in understanding their bite and adjust them accordingly.

Socializing:

If you are in a situation in which where your puppy doesn’t interact or socialize with other dogs, or animals then it is your responsibility of teaching your puppy to control the force of his bite.

Puppies like to play-bite and bite anything that they get their mouth on. With the development of these pin-like teeth, they need to learn how to control biting in the later stages of their life.

When a puppy grows with the mum then mum usually teaches a puppy how to control his biting by letting him know if his biting is too hard or too much. This process is called ‘Bite Inhibition.’

When this situation is not available, then there is a significant need for socialization for the puppy. The lack of socialization especially within the age of 2^nd week to 20^th week in the puppies living environment can lead to growling, which ends up biting issues.

Note: Apart from teething and socializing issues, dogs like to explore things with their mouth.

Now we’ll talk about how to stop a puppy from biting using Bite Hampered technique, let’s start.

Do’s	Don’ts
Do Introduce Your Puppy To As Many People As Possible: Puppies need to know people are good. While a puppy will gain the love and trust from the family member, it is important for a puppy to meet people from all walks of life. For example, many of my clients feel embarrassment when their adult dog act negatively to someone of different skin tone or different gender than those present in the family.	Don’t Ignore People That Your Puppy Meet Outside The Yard: One of the mistakes many dog owners do when socializing their puppy is they often ignore people that their puppy meets on the walk. Delivery drivers, people on wheelchairs, kids on bike, joggers, and others should not be ignored when socializing a puppy.
Do Expose Your Puppy To As Many Sounds As Possible: Dogs have sensitive hearing and everyday noises can be overwhelming. You have to provide positive reassurance when scary sounds occur – for example, vacuum cleaners, doorbells, fireworks, crying children, and lawnmowers.	Don’t Expose Your Puppy To Dangerous Noise Levels: Dogs have sensitive ears and you have to make sure to avoid exposing your dog to any loud noises such as loud machinery, movies, or music as loud sounds can damage dog’s hearing.
Do Introduce Your Puppy To Other Friendly Animals: It is very important to introduce your puppy to other friendly animals such as cats, rabbits, or other farm animals. Also, reward your dog for the good behavior in the presence of other animals. This will help avoid having an adult dog that chases and barks on other animals.	Don’t Expose Your Dog To Dog Park Or Strange Animals: Most veterinarians give you suggestions on when to socialize your puppy with other dogs in the dog park based on a preferred vaccination schedule. Instead of dog parks, you can enroll your puppy into dog behavior classes where proof of appropriate vaccinations is required at the time of enrollment.
Do Give Rest To Your Puppy: Your puppy needs rest as much as you do. Make sure you give your puppy a day rest between the trips. Try to visit new places every other day and explore 3-4 new places in a week.	Don’t Take Him out Every day: Socializing can be stressful and your pup needs some rest. I found most puppies enjoy the “one day on/off” schedule. You can play different brain games in off days to improve his mental strength and also develop your bond with him.
Do Keep Things Sweet and Simple: If you want your puppy to respond to your orders quickly then you need to keep things simple and sweet. A few minutes here, a few minutes there can do the trick. Or you can sit on the bench with your dog watches the world goes by.	Don’t Take Him Out For Hours: Puppies are soft and they get tired very quickly. So, you have to make sure you don’t put too much burden on your puppy. Don’t take him out for hours. Puppies don’t like long hikes but they do like a long nap.

Do’s

Don’ts

Do Introduce Your Puppy To As Many People As Possible:

Puppies need to know people are good. While a puppy will gain the love and trust from the family member, it is important for a puppy to meet people from all walks of life. For example, many of my clients feel embarrassment when their adult dog act negatively to someone of different skin tone or different gender than those present in the family.

Don’t Ignore People That Your Puppy Meet Outside The Yard:

One of the mistakes many dog owners do when socializing their puppy is they often ignore people that their puppy meets on the walk. Delivery drivers, people on wheelchairs, kids on bike, joggers, and others should not be ignored when socializing a puppy.

Do Expose Your Puppy To As Many Sounds As Possible:

Dogs have sensitive hearing and everyday noises can be overwhelming. You have to provide positive reassurance when scary sounds occur – for example, vacuum cleaners, doorbells, fireworks, crying children, and lawnmowers.

Don’t Expose Your Puppy To Dangerous Noise Levels:

Dogs have sensitive ears and you have to make sure to avoid exposing your dog to any loud noises such as loud machinery, movies, or music as loud sounds can damage dog’s hearing.

Do Introduce Your Puppy To Other Friendly Animals:

It is very important to introduce your puppy to other friendly animals such as cats, rabbits, or other farm animals. Also, reward your dog for the good behavior in the presence of other animals. This will help avoid having an adult dog that chases and barks on other animals.

Don’t Expose Your Dog To Dog Park Or Strange Animals:

Most veterinarians give you suggestions on when to socialize your puppy with other dogs in the dog park based on a preferred vaccination schedule. Instead of dog parks, you can enroll your puppy into dog behavior classes where proof of appropriate vaccinations is required at the time of enrollment.

Do Give Rest To Your Puppy:

Your puppy needs rest as much as you do. Make sure you give your puppy a day rest between the trips. Try to visit new places every other day and explore 3-4 new places in a week.

Don’t Take Him out Every day:

Socializing can be stressful and your pup needs some rest. I found most puppies enjoy the “one day on/off” schedule. You can play different brain games in off days to improve his mental strength and also develop your bond with him.

Do Keep Things Sweet and Simple:

If you want your puppy to respond to your orders quickly then you need to keep things simple and sweet. A few minutes here, a few minutes there can do the trick. Or you can sit on the bench with your dog watches the world goes by.

Don’t Take Him Out For Hours:

Puppies are soft and they get tired very quickly. So, you have to make sure you don’t put too much burden on your puppy. Don’t take him out for hours. Puppies don’t like long hikes but they do like a long nap.

Chapter 3 – How To Handle The Puppy’s Biting Behavior:

Be One Step Ahead Of Your Puppy:

The main idea to fix your puppy’s biting behavior is to remain one step ahead of your puppy. Let me explain

If you know your puppy will bite you, then come armed with the treat. Let your dog know you have a treat by letting him smell it and then ask him to ‘sit.’ Reward him for the sit.

This first step is showing your puppy the behavior that you want to approach.

As you see, you are one step ahead of your puppy.

We are not waiting for the dog to bite and then correct the problem. We are fixing unwanted behavior even before it occur.

You will get better at detecting the behavior of your dog as you spend time with him.

Of course, you need to repeat this step for several days or weeks until your dog gets the right way to interact with you. Firstly, by sitting calmly, and not attacking you with his tiny sharp teeth.

What To Do When You Pick Up Puppy, And He Starts Chomping?

In this case, grab a treat and use it to distract him from your flesh or clothes. However, instead of giving the treat, allow him to lick your fingers, and treat while you hold it firmly.

This is important because when a dog gets into the ‘food mood’ then his mouth becomes less about grabbing and more towards tasting and eating the food.

Basically, anytime your dog starts licking where he used to bite, then it means you’re on the right track.

However, do your best and avoid giving all the treat to your dog at once instead give it little by little.

I Tried But Still My Dog Won’t Able To Resist Biting

If you’ve tried above steps and still your dog can’t resist biting then in these cases you have to teach your dog, it is okay to bit stuff but only those stuff that you approve, such as stuff toy or rope toy.

In these cases, I usually play a tug-of-war game with the puppy that I learned from Brain Training For Dogs by Adrienne Farricelli. This guide also covers dog behavior issues and tells how to stop a puppy from biting fast.

Anyways, Here’s how this game works:

When you approach your dog knowing he will bite, bring his attention to the stuffed toy that he likes. Move it on the ground towards and away from the dog. Keep bringing in front of his eyes and taking away from him to get his attention. When the dog pounces on it and tries to get it, you’ve got him there where you want him.

Once he grabs it, pull back just enough of the toy where your dog feels he has some control of the toy. Let him play with it for several minutes.

If you decided to let him go, avoid prying from his mouth. Instead, make the toy completely immobile like the toy is attached to the tree. Wait for a minute or two, and your dog will let it go.

When your puppy lets it go (he eventually will, as long as you show you don’t care and once he does), say “Yep! Let go!” and promptly give the toy back. This will remind your dog that playing on your terms results in a fun game that he can get with you.

As you play this game, you will notice the progress immediately – your dog will start listening to your instructions and let it go within seconds instead of minutes.

What To Do When He Chomped You?

I understand this situation, and it can easily make any person upset. The first thing you need to do is to keep your cool. There are three major options that you have, depending on your situation.

Option 1: You can play tug-of-war as I mentioned above

Option 2: Get your treats and start basic dog training. The idea here is to say dog, “Alright, I’ll interact with you, but it will be on my terms.”

Option 3: If you are busy with something else, or your dog is too much energetic and will be not responsive to your training, then put your puppy in the puppy-proofed area for five to ten minutes. Most of the puppies calm down and get out of their biting mindset after a short time-out. If it still doesn’t work, then a long walk should.

I Want Your Feedback!

I have done my best to explain how to stop your puppy from biting and now I want your feedback.

I tried this ‘Bite Hampered’ technique, and it worked for me. I want you to try it and let you know about your results in the comment section below.

Also, don’t forget to share this site with your friends and dog lovers who want to know how to stop a puppy from biting. Thanks!

Category: dog trainer

Find Out How I Fixed My Puppy’s Biting Problem In Just 7 Days