If you have ever had a young puppy, you must have experienced  puppy biting! It’s a very important part of how they experience things around them. Over time, the yelping of their littermates or the corrections of their mothers show them what is and isn’t acceptable in the dog world.

You may have to continue this training, depending on the age that the puppy leaves its mother and mates. It’s one of the most important responsibilities you take on as the new “parent,” since dogs have tremendous strength in their jaws and a dog who bites too hard or indiscriminately may be on the way out of your home.

How can you teach this? If you have other dogs in your home, they may continue the training. Once your puppy has enough immunity that it can go out in the world, make dates for it to play with other puppies and friendly dogs. Be sure to provide good chew toys like the Kong, too. But all that isn’t enough.

One of my favorite dog trainers Dr. Ian Dunbar explains that they actually should be biting and that we have to teach them that it hurts. You let them mouth you for a while but you have several rules. Here is a very short video where he explains this. You’ll see that it’s an excerpt from a longer video called Sirius Puppy Training:

This short video doesn’t tell you everything you need but it makes an important point. I highly recommend the whole video!

Now here, a few years later, he explains further why it’s important to inhibit the force of the the bites before you inhibit the frequency.

Here’s my review of Sirius Puppy Training. I love it. It’s great for kids and adults!