How to Stop a Puppy From Biting Hands or Legs: “My puppy bites my hands, and I don’t know what to do.” This is one of the main complaints from puppy owners. We explain how to solve it.
How to Stop a Puppy From Biting Hands or Legs
“How to Stop a Puppy From Biting Hands or Legs, and I don’t know what to do anymore to stop it.” This is one of the main complaints from puppy owners. In this post, we explain how to solve the problem of a dog that bites your hands when he plays. A puppy bites hands because, for him, biting is a way of exploring the world and interacting with the environment.
In addition, biting and chewing helps to release stress and relieve discomfort in the gums of the puppy stage. But, to add one more reason, it turns out that there is something very funny about hands: they move! 😉 As explained by the canine ethologist ThePetsAid Author Lila Hughes, from thepetsaid.com, the movement awakens a part of the predatory instinct of our dogs: “Let’s not forget that dogs descend from the wolf, and are essentially predatory animals. The movement activates their predatory behavior so that when we move our hands, it inevitably incites the pup to bite.”
What to Do to Educate a Puppy That Bites the Hands?
Educating a puppy so that he learns not to bite his hands is very important. The bites are annoying and painful, and the puppy stage is the ideal phase to assimilate the limits that a dog that bites has to put on its jaw.
When dogs are puppies, they learn to inhibit their bite. In canine ethology and training, the so-called bite inhibition is a very important attitude. A dog that does not know how to control the power of his mouth and his teeth can become a danger to other dogs or people when he grows up and becomes an adult.
Reasons Why a Puppy Bites Hands or Legs
One of the main reasons why a puppy should spend its first two months with its mother and siblings is so that they can teach it to control its mouth.
- If the pup bites its mother’s teats roughly when it is nursing, the mother will get up and leave it without food.
- Thus he learns to be more delicate with his mouth if he wants to eat.
- If the puppy bites too hard during the game with his brothers, the other dog will complain, and if he insists, he will leave, ending the game.
- So if the puppy wants to play, he will have to control the bite.
- When the puppy comes home, in a second stage, it will be your turn to be the one to teach him to inhibit the bite. You will have to learn that our skin is more delicate and can harm us.
How? Doing something similar to what his mother and brothers did About him:
- Pick up a toy that he likes to play with.
- Goad him by waving it in front of his head so he can grab it without exciting him too much so that there is good learning.
- If he bites you during play, screech ( OUCH! ) and wait a few seconds before continuing.
- If he bites hard or insists, screech and end the game by leaving the room and ignoring the dog.
- The sessions should be a maximum of 10 minutes, stopping the game from time to time so that the puppy does not get overexcited.
In this way, you will get the dog to understand that your skin is something delicate with which it must be careful with its mouth.
How to Stop a Puppy From Biting Your Feet and Hands?
These simple guidelines will help you answer the question, “What do I do if my puppy bites my hands?” Take notes and put them into practice:
You can proceed in the same way: playing with it and with an object. Additionally, you can do the following:
- Take a piece of food and keep it with your closed hand.
- Bring your hand to the dog’s snout and if it bites you, yell OH! and move your hand away.
- Repeat until the dog licks your hand and you open it. He should eat the piece of food without him biting you; if not, repeat it again.
- When your pup bites you hard, complain with an “Oww” – your pup needs to know what your limit is. He must understand that he has hurt you. Simply complain about a little cry of pain, which is what puppies do when they play with each other.
- Do not punish, yell at, or hit your dog. It is not necessary and could be counterproductive. I could get scared of you.
- The bite must have consequences: if your puppy continues to bite you too hard, the next time he bites, let out a whimper and stop the game. Get up and walk away from him. Let him see that the fun is over. This is a very effective form of punishment and not at all harmful to your dog.
- If the puppy continues to bite: try to get into the habit of playing with your puppy using toys instead of your hands. He has to learn that hands are not game objects. Use a knotted rope or a Kong-type toy, for example, to ensure that the focus of the bites is not your limbs but the object of the game.
Finally, remember that all learning takes time. In this post about how to teach a dog, You have some more keys on canine education that will be very useful.
Be that as it may, be patient and persevere with the guidelines that we have just explained. Your pup will soon grow up, his activity level will drop, and if you stand your ground, he’ll come to understand that the best way to play with you is not to bite you hard.
Conclusion
We hope that with this post, you have been able to answer your initial question, “What do I do if my puppy bites my hands?“. In any case, if you think your dog gets too excited during the game and you don’t know how to control it, it’s best to consult your veterinarian or contact a dog trainer in your area to help you personally. A dog that bites while playing can be retrained with the right guidelines :).
With these simple guidelines, the dog will learn to control its bite better, and you will be able to have your hands close to its mouth without any concern.
