Cope with puppy teething
When puppies are teething, their mouths hurt, and they will bite or chew to alleviate that pain. Give your dog appropriate chew toys or teething toys. Most dogs will be distracted and begin chewing the toy.
But if you are coping with an aggressive puppy, you’ll likely wonder how to stop a dog from chewing everything he sees and how to stop puppy-mouthing.
If your teething puppy tries to bite on you, teach your puppy that it’s inappropriate puppy behavior.
Turn your back and walk away, or say “ow” in a loud, high-pitched voice. Doing so will help teach your puppy not to bite you.
You Are Not Alone: Puppy Aggression Concerns Are Common
In my experience as a trainer working within a large veterinarian clinic, I realized that puppy aggression was one of the most commonly misinterpreted behavior scenarios that causes distress to pet owners. Fortunately, while collaborating with the vets and behavior experts, we were able to put to rest the fears associated with puppy aggression in most cases.
Picture this. You go to your vet and say, “Please help! My puppy keeps biting me aggressively!” But at the clinic, the puppy shows none of the usual signs of biting or aggression. Of course he’s a perfect cuddly pup in front of everyone else… Without being able to see any physical or medical problems, your vet can’t offer a solution.
He might say, “It’s probably just normal puppy behavior.” Does that make you feel any better? You might still be distressed. You might be wondering: How do I KNOW if this angry puppy is safe? How can I tell if my puppy’s bites, growls, and barking are normal phases of puppy play or if there’s a bigger problem?
What is negative punishment, and how does it work?
All of the punishment techniques discussed above are forms of positive punishment, in which the application of an unpleasant stimulus decreases the chance that the pet will repeat the behavior. Another form of punishment occurs when a reward is removed as a consequence for a behavior. In other words, the removal of something pleasant is punishing the pet because it is learning that good things are taken away if the behavior is repeated. For example, if the puppy is playing and this escalates to play biting and you stop the game and walk away, this is known as negative punishment.