Teaching Bite Inhibition in Puppies: Top Tips This is a great tip to help you and your dog enjoy each other’s company even more. Puppies tend to use their mouth to communicate with people, but there are some bad habits they have that can be difficult to break. Teaching your dog bite inhibition is very important for the safety of you and your puppy. Let’s face it, if your dog can’t pull his own teeth then he isn’t likely to learn any biting etiquette.
Teaching bite inhibition starts with teaching your dog not to nip at your hands. There are several different types of dog training tricks you can try. A good technique for teaching this behavior is called auditory marker. By teaching your dog to turn his back to you while you hold food treats in front of him you will teach him not to snap his jaw or nip at your hands. You will be amazed at the difference this simple technique makes with your puppy.
The main idea of teaching bite inhibition is to desensitize your dog quickly and safely. It is best to keep your dog on a leash while he is learning this behavior. He should learn this behavior before you ever leave his side. Once he knows he is supposed to stay put when you hold food treats he will be well on his way to becoming a well behaved dog.
There are two techniques to use when teaching bite inhibition in dogs. The first type is called positive reinforcing behaviors. This includes using the clicker training method or hand signals. This is a proven method of teaching dogs how to do what you want them to do.
This is especially good for puppies that are not yet house trained. If your puppy has already had some puppy bites in the past it is very easy to correct that behavior. But if your dog is still a puppy it is much harder to correct the behavior because most of the time older dogs have learned how to deal with dog bites when they were much younger.
Using the clicker training method is easy. All you do is say the clicker sound and then immediately reward the dog for his obedience. It really is that simple. The dog will soon understand that when he responds to you by clicking his teeth you mean the opposite behavior. The click will let him know that he has just made the right choice.
When you are training your dog to not nip and bite your hands, you will need something to lure him in. You can use a small treat as your incentive. Try giving him the treat whenever you catch him in the act of biting your hand or helping you carry something. When he has finally gotten the message that he will get a treat for helping you carry something, give him the treat. He will soon realize that he will get a treat when he responds to you through the clicker command.
Teaching bite inhibition to your puppies can be easy if you use the same positive reinforcement techniques with all of your dogs. Remember, there is no one way to train any dog. Puppies learn at their own pace and you should take that into consideration when working up and down the aggressive ladder. Do not hesitate to start using the no-bark and no-bite methods with all of your puppies. You and your family will enjoy the benefits for many years to come.
There are two primary ways of teaching your pup’s bite inhibition. First, you can start with just your adult pups. These are normally the dogs that have been trained and socialized the most. Teaching a young puppy not to bite is usually easier to do than teaching older pups. Most breeders will let their pups go through a training period where the entire litter is taught the “no bite” rules. This often works well for the breeder since older dogs can be a bit more difficult to handle.
Second, you can use dog training aids like bite inhibition mouth toys to train your dog. These specially designed tools to stimulate the dog’s urge to refrain from biting and keep him from doing so. Because dogs’ teeth are made of very soft tissue, using any kind of tool that hurts the dog can be damaging. Dog training aids work by applying pressure to the dog’s mouth, encouraging him to keep his teeth clean. They often come with several different levels of stimulation, ranging from a low-pitched electronic pulse that only makes the dog aware of the pain to a low-voltage light that makes the dog “feel” the pressure.
While teaching your pup not to bite, it’s important to remember that this behavior can take months to develop. You must stay consistent with your training and not get discouraged if the pup doesn’t immediately stop his behavior. Your dog will need time to learn the correct behavior. Always reward positive behavior and ignore negative behavior in order to encourage the best performance from your pup.
