How to Get Your Dog to Stop Biting

If you’re looking to stop dog biting and or at least minimise the frequency of this behaviour, you’ve ended up in the perfect place. We’ve come up with several tips and tricks that can help you with this task. Read on to find out more! 

Stop dog biting by socialising with your canine friend 

Socialisation is essential when it comes to preventing biting and chewing. If your puppy wasn’t socialised by your breeder, you would have to do your best at exposing him or her to as many people and other canine companions as possible.  

If you also own a cat, you should assess how the two might get along, but from a distance. All of these meetings have to take place in calm environments so that your puppy doesn’t get anxious or scared and reacts accordingly.  

See what’s bothering your dog 

If biting is not normal behaviour for your dog, you should ask yourself whether something, in particular, isn’t causing it.  

This can be a person, a specific nuisance in the dog’s environment, or things you might never discover, such as your neighbour or a kid down the street using an ultrasonic dog whistle. If you find out what’s bothering your dog, you can simply eliminate that factor and make biting an occasional occurrence.  

Use positive reinforcement 

Never punish your dog even if you’re bothered by all the biting. So long as it’s not dangerous for anyone, it’s merely an inconvenience. 

Most dogs react better to positive reinforcement, meaning treats and praise. Naturally, you do not want to reward any biting behaviour, but you can reward your dog when he or she stops biting.  

Enrol your dog in a training program 

Sometimes it’s better to have a professional trainer educate your dog rather than doing it yourself. The trainer will tell you what you have to do in order to consistently and routinely teach your dog to be polite.  

As your canine friend’s owner, you might not have the necessary authority to properly train your pet.  

Distract your dog with toys  

Is there a dog that doesn’t love to play for as long as possible? Play and outdoor exposure, as well as walks and runs, are some of the top favourites of any pooch out there. So why not use this bit of information to your advantage? 

Get your dog new toys so that he or she’s always interested in them. Distract your dog with a toy each time you see that he or she might want to bite. Several effective examples of chew and bite-deterring toys are the I Give a Wag Una Unicorn Disc Toy and the I Give a Wag Rupert Reindeer Rope Toy. There’s a good chance that your dog is going to love them both!

Use a special product 

If your dog has a penchant for biting a specific part of your furniture, your shoes, or just something, in particular, there are unique deterring products.  

Our own Chew Stopper is safe for all dogs, and it can be sprayed on anything from household objects to furniture and your pet’s fur. Bitter sprays such as this one can make a world of difference in terms of preventing biting and chewing.

Just make sure that you check the label when you pick a chew stopper, as you don’t want your dog to be exposed to any nasty chemicals that might be risky for his or her health.