How to teach your puppy not to bite
As a dog trainer who helps people train their problem dog, one of the things I hear most often with puppies is how do we get them to stop biting. As cute as those puppies are, their teeth are like little razor blades and they hurt. I’m going to show you a way to eliminate the biting problem without any confrontation.
Before I tell you how to remove bites, I’ll tell you some ways that don’t work. I’m doing this so you don’t waste your time.
The first method that doesn’t work is reacting negatively when the puppy bites, in other words letting out a little howl when the puppy bites you.
The next is to praise your pup when you say no. You’ll be saying no forever before he stops biting.
The last one I am going to talk about today is giving him a toy when he bites you, that is, substituting the toy for your hand or your fingers. These methods sound good, but they are not effective.
Ok, now let’s cut to the chase and let me tell you the method that works. He wants to go to the local pet store and buy a small bottle of a product called Grannicks Bitter Apple. This stuff is fantastic. Now let me warn you that there are many other bitter apple products that do not work. So make sure you buy Grannicks, it’s available at all major pet stores.
Now how do we use it? Simple, let me tell you how. You are going to take the bottle with you, that’s why we bought the small one that is easy to carry in your pocket.
When your pup starts talking to you with his mouth, he will simply reach over and grab his bottle of bitter apple and spray it all over your hand. Your hand must be soaked. Then give the pup his hand back and look at his face, because he won’t like it.
Well, here’s another example. You’re having breakfast this morning and suddenly realize your puppies are chewing on your shoelaces, no problem. Go over and grab your bottle of bitter apple and sprinkle some on your shoelaces and give them back to the dog.
This method is so simple and effective that I have never seen a puppy pass up a bottle of Granniks Bitter Apple. In other words, before that bottle of bitter apple is gone, your dog will have stopped biting you, your shoes, and even your jeans. He just learns that these things don’t taste good.
This is a very simple way to teach your puppy not to bite without any confrontation, but before I finish I want to tell you one last thing. Bitter apple contains a lot of alcohol and evaporates very quickly. You may have sprayed your hand 30 minutes ago, but now it has evaporated and the puppy can bite it again. If he does, just spray again and note that when it evaporates it doesn’t have the same punch so just reapply.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy this simple trick to eliminate puppy bites.
