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Puppy Biting - How to Stop It
It's perfectly normal and actually necessary that your Standard Poodle Puppy is biting and nipping. This is a normal part of a puppy's social play and interaction. If your puppy is not biting or nipping, then you should be concerned! If you prevent your puppy from doing it altogether, they will never learn that their jaws and sharp teeth cause pain, and they may – at a later stage – inflict damage without even realizing it. Your pup needs to understand that this activity is not part of the way they should relate to human beings. By letting them learn this behavior slowly and consistently, from an early age, you will have a very well behaved pup around kids and adults. How do I Train my Puppy? When puppies interact with each other, they learn how to socialize and play. When a puppy nibbles on another dog, and the other dog responds with a yelp, the puppy learns that its action was too hard and basically ruined the play. If the first puppy continues this action, the second dog generally leaves. The next time around, it bites less hard so that it can continue to enjoy the play. The best way to train your Standard Poodle pup in how to interact and play with humans is to employ the same methods that dogs naturally understand. Biting should not be discouraged, only trained correctly. If your pup gnaws too hard, scream 'ouch' or yelp in some way. This gives the signal to the puppy that their action was too hard. This is actually more effective than smacking the puppy, because smacking could encourage the pup to just play harder. If the pup continues the action, then leave the room or the pup alone for a few minutes (even up to half an hour.) In this way, the pup learns that hard biting prohibits or ceases play, and therefore will try not to do it as hard the next time around. Gradually, your pup will begin nibbling softer the more you do this, as it realizes that humans are not as tough as dogs! The message you are trying to send to your pup is that 'humans are fragile' and that mouthing is more acceptable with humans in play. They need to know how to interact with humans as humans, not as other dogs. Here's an excellent video by Melanie McLeroy of Taurus Training Dog Facility showing how to prevent puppy biting. What Else? Another good trick is to encourage games that do not include biting and nipping – such as fetch, hide and seek, walks, swims, learning tricks, or even chasing soap bubbles (all involving a good treat if your pup plays well.) This way a pup can learn that all games don't have to be about gnawing and wrestling, and that interaction with humans can be enjoyed in other ways as well. It's also good to let your pup interact with other dogs regularly, as they learn bite inhibition through how they socialize with other dogs too. What if my Puppy is Still Biting? Some puppies may require more training (especially if they are being trained at an older age.) Hitting and swatting is not encouraged. This could have a negative effect depending on the puppy's temperament. It could encourage the puppy to get more violent, defensive and aggressive – or to be hand shy and nervous. If moving from the room is not helping (remember you need to be consistent and have some patience as well) a good take at the scruff of the neck, and a calm 'NO' until the puppy calms down, is of good value. Don't jostle the puppy, or move it around. Hold it still, in a calming way. Never lose control – this makes the puppy think that it is in control. Continue being calm with your pup, and then leave them alone once they have calmed down. The Positive It's also good to praise your Standard Poodle pup when it behaves well. Either with a treat, or more play, which will both be very welcome! When training you need to train what a pup should not do, but also let it know what it SHOULD do and some pups learn easier this way. The trick is to be consistent every time. All puppies go through the nibbling stage, and it is easy to get through it by just being consistent in your training. For this reason, it's also good not to let children or young kids play with puppies unsupervised. The puppy may learn different habits from them, or even learn to play rougher with children than adults. You would prefer the opposite effect, at the very least.
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