If you have a puppy, all you have to do is look down at your hand covered with teeth marks and you'll understand why I gave this article its title. One of the hardest things to do is discipline your new puppy. After all, they're so cute and cuddly. It makes it hard to get on them when they are chewing your hand into hamburger meat. Pardon the pun, but if you don't nip this problem in the bud real quick. It can cause problems later on down the road.



If you're puppy was still living with its mother and litter mates, its mother would cure them of its nipping problem. Since it's not easy for us to show our teeth and ground to get our point across. There's a few things we can do to get our message read loud and clear. Quite simply, you want to mimic the mama dog's behavior in trying to stop your dog from nipping. When you're puppy nips too hard, you want to say a command in a loud enough voice to startle the puppy. That doesn't mean scream at the top of your lungs. You just want to get their attention. Once you've reacted you want to discontinue playing the game. It really doesn't matter what your command is my personal preference is to say: No!. Be easy! Obviously the ?no? command is one that you will use often, and soon he will relate be easy as meaning he is biting too hard.

I personally don't mind my puppy using my hand as a chew toy. I feel by allowing him to use my hand is doing the same thing as mother would be doing. If he bites too hard, I react like the mother would and pinch him on the lips until I get a yelp. This is what is mother would do and it gets the point across that he's being too rough. Now if you are like my wife and a mosquito bite pretty much puts you in bed, and I suggest you pick out a toy to use to play with your puppy.

Some folks believe in using a nose tap as a means of breaking your dog of the nipping habit. This really isn't a form of punishment, but rather an attention getter. Remember that it's only effective if you use a stern voice and command along with it. To use this technique simply wait to the next time you dog bites. It his or her attention and tapped him on the nose with your index finger, while giving your command. No be easy! Remember now that you're not trying to break his nose are giving him black eyes are way out of line. You merely want to get his attention.

Just like with your child it is important to be consistent with your puppy. You have to be consistent about disciplining your puppy as soon as the nipping behavior starts. He can't play with them and let them nip one day and not discipline them and on the next day be playing with him and decide to discipline. Like young children puppies don't understand "sometimes it's ok". So try remain consistent, and let your