Puppy Training Plan: Redirect Puppy Biting

Redirect puppy biting! In other words, prevent puppy biting people!

It's a fact of life that puppy's bite. Dogs use their mouths to explore the world around them. It is completely unreasonable to think that you can stop a puppy from biting. The goal in early puppy training is not to stop puppy biting but to redirect the puppy from biting YOU to biting something he is "allowed" to bite.

Here are some quick tips to get that puppy's mouth away from you, your skin, your clothes and your guest, and onto something appropiate.

Tip: ALWAYS have one of these items on hand at all times so that you can quickly and easily redirect your puppy's biting.

Tip: If you do NOT have one of these items on hand and your puppy decides to bite you in a manner that is too hard, he loses all attention, playtime, and fun. If he bites you, you and anybody else need to stand up, completely ignore him (no eye contact, no physical contact, no talking, no nothing!) until he settles himself.

• Nylabones! These are rubber bones that come in all shapes and sizes. I love having these WITH ME whenever I am around puppies because when a puppy gets in that "crazy" stage, pulling out a "new" toy (or something he hasn't seen in a day) is the most exciting thing in the world to him. He will gladly take that bone from you and go chew on that. He will forget that he was having a blast eating your finger and he will walk away. 
• Stuffed toys. Yes, your dog will rip them up, leaving stuffing and squeakers all over the house but look what happens after the destruction:
  
  ...totally worth it! (Personally I buy the stuffed toys offered at the Petsmart checkout that are $5 and proceeds go to charity. They are very big, have a squeaker and my dog loves ripping them up!). You can find much cheaper ones all over though. SAFTEY NOTE: always supervise your dog if he tends to rip up toys. You do not want him swallowing stuffing or the squeaker.
• Freeze a wet wash cloth and give it to your pup to suck on. This is the perfect pain reliever for sore puppy gums!
• Take a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, bananas, fruit, or dog food and put it in the freezer for a few hours. The cold helps alleviate the pain of teething while the treats help keep your puppy engaged in the toy. 
• Bitter Apple Spray can be used to keep your dog from chewing on items you wish he wouldn't bite. Such as his leash, furniture, doors, and more.
• Always keep hand sanitizer with you. Put it on your hands before playing with your puppy. It tastes gross to puppies. Nobody likes to bite something that tastes nasty!

How do you keep your puppy from biting your hands?

Puppy Training Plan: No Jumping

Teach your dog that jumping is not an acceptable behavior. 

Training Puppy: Roxy, a very enthusiastic toy fox terrier who constantly jumps on guests and at the door. Her owner is an older lady who is having a hard time handling Roxy's constant jumping and crazy energy.

Trigger(s): Guests – Always be aware of what triggers Roxy to begin her jumping routine. Always be ready. If you know you are going to encounter a trigger, have your treats on hand to quickly correct any misbehavior.

Training techniques: Below is a list of techniques used to train dogs not to jump. They are not in any specific order. I suggest implementing all of these techniques right away. These techniques need to become your new "house rules" just as making the bed or doing the dishes is something you always do, so is enforcing your dog’s behavior.

• As YOU enter the home from an outing, completely ignore Roxy. Make your homecoming, not a big deal. Come home, go about your business. Once Roxy is settled, then you may greet and praise her and go about your usual routine. If Roxy becomes hyper, begin ignoring her again until she calms down. It is now your job to encourage the calm and collected Roxy and ignore the crazy jumping Roxy. Ignoring may seem cruel, but you’ve got to stick to it. Even something as little as eye contact can be considered a reward in the eyes of your dog.
• Exercise! Exercise is a great way to deter bad behavior of any kind because the dog is simply too tired to perform these behaviors. About an hour or so before guests arrive, grab the tennis ball and let Roxy wear herself out with a game of fetch. Another each way to wear a pup out is using a laser pointer. Dogs love chasing the laser around the yard. 
• Put a jar of dog treats outside on your front stoop. Ask all visitors to grab a handful of treats before they even knock on the front door. As visitors enter, encourage them to throw the treats on the ground whenever Roxy isn’t jumping. This will serve a few purposes: It will keep Roxy on the ground for whatever amount of time it takes for her to eat the treats, and it will also give your guests a chance to maneuver around without being jumped on. 
• I also recommend giving travel-sized peanut butter (pictured) for your guests. This little snack is great because as a guest enters the house, they can kneel down, and let Roxy eat out of the peanut butter. Because it take a little time to eat this snack guests can pet Roxy while she is eating and has all four paws on the floor. Be sure to give her plenty of praise while she has all four paws on the floor.

  

  Use Peanut Butter or Yogurt snacks
  to keep your dog focused on the food
  and not the trigger.

• Instruct guests to stay calm. Having children running in circles, or people screaming throughout the house is only going to encourage Roxy to also act crazy. Towards the beginning of training it is better that we set up a calm relaxed environment for her. 

These techniques require a lot of patience and some time. It is going to take Roxy a little bit of time to figure out the reward (treats, praise) vs. the "punishment" (being ignored). Make these a FIRM house rules and you will see results. If guests cannot stick to the rules, then Roxy needs to be put away in another room until that guest has left.

Stay tuned for a follow up post on Roxy's progress!