160 Bear Christiana Rd
Bear, De 19701
302-322-6488
Dr. Jim Berg
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Puppy Questions
Dear Dr. Berg,
HELP! What's the best way to discipline a puppy when he bites you? I tend to give my dog a swat on the face when
this happens, but sometimes he cries like it really hurts him. My hands are really getting sore!
W. F., Bear
Dear W.F.,
There is NEVER a need to strike a dog to discipline them. Hitting certainly gets the message across, but in doing
so, you are also teaching your a violent outlook on life. Be tough or be beaten… How would you like it if your
dog gave you a swat in the face when you made a mistake?
When you see your dog doing an unacceptable behavior, such as biting, it is best to STARTLE them without hitting
them. This can be done in many ways. You can use a loud whistle, you can stomp the floor hard with your foot (careful
not to step on the dog, especially if he's small), use an air horn-type personal protection device, or use a shaker
can. A shaker can is a soda can filled with coins that you've taped over the hole, and then you shake it vigorously
to make a loud noise. There are people who believe that the clatter of coins also releases high-pitched sounds
that we can't hear but which are objectionable to pets. Even simply saying "OW!" in a loud voice, then
quickly removing all attention from your dog can work very well. Why would he want to keep on biting you if it
takes his favorite play toy (YOU) away from him?
If your puppy tends to nip at you, first try and figure out why. Was it an accident that happens because the level
of play got a little too rough? If so, tone down your play. Is there food involved? Dogs often get very possessive
when there is food, and we need to teach the other family members to respect a dog's personal space when eating.
Is it a lack of other "better" toys to chew on? If so, get more toys and take the time to play with them
yourself.
This sounds a little strange at first, but if we look at the world through our dog's eyes, it is often the chewing
on things other than toys that get the most attention. "Chewing on that red shoe sure got Mom's attention….where's
the OTHER one?" Carry a toy around in your pocket, then drop it "by accident" and chase after the
dog when he pounces on it, you dog will soon be bringing that toy to you daring you to catch him, because he knows
that you LOVE that special toy. Is someone in the family teasing your dog by coming at the dog's face? If so, let's
educate the family to what appropriate games will be with the dog.
Around our house, we have wide variety of toys that get scattered by our dogs to every room. It is very interesting
to me to see what types of toys are most prized. Nikki, our oldest Akita, likes fuzzy soft toys that squeak, but
she gets very mad when one of our other two dogs squeaks them and tries to take them away. Gretta, the "baby"
Akita in our pack, has a favorite 12-inch rubber ball with a handle that she tries to take everywhere, including
to bed. And TyBear loves to find a good rawhide bone (some are better than others…haven't figured that one out
yet), chew it a while, then hide where he thinks no one could every find it. So we find rawhides in our clothes,
shoes and coats when we go to put them on.
One of the things that really helps to keep up interest in their toys is to pack some away for a few weeks. When
we bring them out again, they are delighted to see their "new" toys.
If your puppy tends to nip your hand inappropriately, forcefully say "NO!" then shake your shaker can
to startle the dog. The shaking of the can will hurt no one, but very few dogs enjoy being startled over and over
again, and they will tend to associate the nipping of the hand with the undesirable startling that occurs every
time that they do it. The tone of voice when you say "NO!" matters a lot; it should be stern, loud and
no-nonsense. "Ow…please don't do that any more" just does not have the same impact nor does it carry
the same meaning. And if all you do is remove your hand, you become a participant in one of your puppy's favorite
games of "catch the hand."
I would also recommend that you begin to look into obedience training for your puppy. Taking a puppy through a
good obedience program greatly helps in correcting many behavioral problems, including nipping at hands. Obedience
training teaches the dog to listen effectively to your commands, gives your dog clear guidelines of what you expect
him to do, and it also reinforces the appropriate pecking order within your "pack". Since you are giving
the commands and your dog is following your lead, you are by definition TOP DOG. It is rare that TOP DOG ever gets
bitten by another pack member who considers himself lower in status, except when there is a clear challenge of
authority.
So have a family meeting (invite your dog, too) and set up some basic ground rules of how each of you will consistently
respond to behavioral problems with your puppy. Your puppy wants to become a respected and loved pack member, and
he is counting on you to show him appropriate guidelines. The more unified and consistent your approach, the quicker
you will all be able to take off your protective gloves from you hands, and the happier your pack will be
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