Nipping the playful biting and mouthing of your hands and garments by your dog is very not unusual amongst puppies, but can also happen in older dogs that haven’t been taught correct bite inhibition. It’s natural for dogs to mouth and nip. They explore the world using their mouths to a dog, his mouth is as vital as eyes and hands are to us. Nipping is totally different from true aggression; it’s a sort of communication, interaction, exploration, and play.

It’s extremely lovable when your new puppy starts nipping at your hair or your neck during play time. This behavior if left unbridled could cause serious problems when his adult teeth come in. If your little puppy is nipping, you have to start teaching him that it’s an unacceptable behavior.

1. When your dog does nip be certain to stop playing with him immediately. Let him know that it hurt by saying “ouch”. Then you can tell him, “bad dog, and no bite”. It is important to be consistent when you discipline him, so be sure you tell him the same thing each time.

2. Be sure and teach your dog you’re not the toy. Always replace your hand with a toy and tell him that he is supposed to play with it rather than you!

3. Another tip is to tell him to sit right after he has nipped you. Take your finger and tap on his nose and say “no bite” in a stern voice. The tap is not designed to hurt him….it’s just to let him know this isn’t correct behavior. Your tone of voice is equally as important as the tap on the nose. If you were his real mom, it might kindly be like a verbal growl! After a bit all you’ll have to do is raise your finger and he will know to stop.

4. Dog nipping, unfortunately, is encouraged during game playing, when the dog is jumping up to get something. So don’t play games that include waving your hands, tug of war or asking him to jump up. Playing fetch and retrieve games is fine as long as your dog knows to drop the toy… That way he’s not fighting over the toy with you.

5. Most significantly, be consistent. Dogs do not understand the “sometimes” word. They are doing understand the word no! Stay consistent… Doesn’t confuse him!

It is advisable to read the guide on Stop Dog Aggression. So, without wasting time visit training a shih tzu.

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