How do you stop a puppy from biting and nipping at your hands when you are trying to pet them?
Firstly, make sure your dog has plenty of other proper items to chew on so they don’t have to chew on your hands. Sometimes dogs that are a little more mouthy just like having something else to chew on to keep them stimulated.
A few tricks to get your dog to stop nipping are to stop attention when they do nip. As soon as they try or do nip, calmly say “no” and look away. Removing all of this attention from your dog will show them that a nip means no more love or attention. Try a “three-strike you’re out” concept – if your dog nips, you say no, and they do it two more times, calmly get up and walk away from the situation. This disruption will distract them from what they were doing.
Another tip is to take treats or a few bits of kibble and sprinkle them on the ground. When your pup starts to eat, start petting their back. Your dog will be looking down instead of trying to nip at you and this will teach them over time that when you pet them, they keep their head down to continue the attention.
You can also have your dog or puppy on a leash for better control for when they get too nippy. Likewise, try not to encourage too much rough housing between you and your pup – this only confuses them from when you think it is fun to when they are in trouble.
