When you play with your pet he will want to bite you and nip you occasionally. This is perfectly normal for dogs and most of them will do it, period. But, this is not normal for us, humans. We would like to make them stop biting us when we play. It hurts and it is far from something we want to experience all the time. How to stop a dog play biting?
There are 3 methods or ways if you prefer. Each one is appealing and can work with your dog. Today, we will explain all of them and give you additional facts you should keep in mind.
How To Stop A Dog Play Biting
Allow Your Dog To Chew And Fulfill His Urge
All dogs have a need or better said urge to chew and nip. If you fulfill it or help your dog do this, he is less likely to chew and bite you! How to stop dog play biting using this method? Well, there are a few things you will need to do. Ideally, you would use all of these points and you will see the result quickly.
- Give him a toy for chewing. This is the first thing you should do and it is an effective one. If he chews a toy, he won’t bite you.
- Allow him to exercise. Dogs have a lot of energy and they need to use it. Exercising is the best way to use that energy. Once he uses all the energy, odds are lower that he will bite you.
- Don’t wave your hand in front of his face. This is another important part and something you should avoid doing in general. When you wave your hand, you can provoke him and he will nip you.
- Opt for non-contact play. If your pet likes biting too much, opt for non-contact games. As such, he will probably have a hard time nipping you.
- Playdates should be used as well. Try to find other dogs that don’t bite their owners. In time your pet will understand that he has been making a mistake and he will stop biting you when you two play.
Act And Prevent Aggressive Play Between Your Pet And Another Dog
It is possible that your dog likes rough play that can become full of aggression soon. You need to stop this. If you do not, he will learn that aggression is fine and he will probably bite you, even more, when you two play. There are a few things you need to use for this particular method.
- When dogs play, they are not always aggressive. They can still growl, run around, and look aggressive. But, unless your pet has raised fur on the back, shows teeth, has a stiff posture, and erected ears, he is playing. This is normal and some dogs like this. But if he becomes aggressive you need to react as soon as possible.
- Remove the toys when the two dogs play. This means that they won’t fight over a toy and they will focus more on running around and playing with something else.
- Allow the dogs to play on a neutral ground. Here we have one of the most important things you can do. When you do this, you are telling your pet that there is no territory to worry about.
- Avoid situations where your pet or another dog can become aggressive. If one does, separate the two. You can keep them in separate rooms and release your pet once the second dog goes home.
Teach Him About Bite Inhibition
The goal here is to teach your pet that his bites hurt and that this is not something you like. See, biting is normal among dogs and puppies do it all the time. But, if a puppy is in pain, he will scream and alert the dog. He will know that this causes pain. You don’t do anything when he bites you so a dog doesn’t know that he is hurting you.
- The first thing you should do here is to allow him to bite your hand. As soon as you feel pain, you will scream and you will tell him ‘’no’’ or something like ‘’bad dog’’. You will have to repeat this as long as it takes. Some dogs will learn this within days while others will need a lot more time. When your pet releases you and becomes calmer, reward him.
- Using a taste deterrent is a powerful method and one step that we all recommend. Just make sure to get a proper one that will not hurt your pet or make all of this impossible. Then, spray it on your clothes and you can start. Ideally, you would use cotton gloves and spray the deterrent on them. Avoid spraying it on the skin itself. When he bites you the taste will be bad and he will stop doing that.
- The next thing you should do is very effective. When you two play and he bites you too hard, stand up, say ‘’ouch’’ and leave the room. Your pet will; understand that something is bad and his biting is the main reason for that.
- We must add that you must not hit your pet while training him to stop biting you. This can have a huge, negative effect on the whole process and can make it less effective. It is always a better idea to walk away and ignore him when he does something bad than to punish him. They don’t understand punishment as we do.
The Final Word
Do you still want to know how to stop a dog play biting? Here you have all the methods and all the steps you can and should use. Stay patient and understand that this will take a lot of time. How much time? It depends on your dog. If you don’t have the time or you lose patience in the process, the only other way is to hire a professional trainer who will help you with the process.