How to Stop a Labrador Retriever Biting
If you have just taken a new Labrador Retriever puppy into your home, you are probably very excited. Even though puppies are a lot of fun to play with, they are also a lot of work. If you take your time and understand that training takes time, you will be off to a good start.
One problem that you might notice is that your puppy is biting. While a little puppy biting your hand or shoe is cute, it will not be so cute when that puppy grows into an adult dog that wants to bite people for fun. The key is to stop this behavior while the puppy is still a pup.
Remember, adult dogs that bite can and will destroy furniture and possibly even land you in court. Your dog will not understand that it is okay to bite you in a playful manner and not the neighborhood kids. For your safety, the safety of the neighborhood and the safety of the dog, you want to nip this in the butt as soon as possible.
You want to make sure that you are not playing tug or war games with the puppy. This game encourages the biting behavior. The last thing you want to do is to encourage the biting one moment, only to correct the dog the next moment when he is biting something you do not approve of. The rule of thumb should be no aggressive biting – no matter what!
You also want to make sure that you are not physically punishing your puppy for biting. This could lead to behavior that is more aggressive or emotional trauma and you do not want either of those things to take place. Instead, you will want to verbalize a “no” command and then ignore the puppy for a little bit. Show the puppy that biting is not a way he is going to be able to get your attention.
It is also very important to make sure that everyone is one the same page when it comes to training the puppy. Your Labrador Retriever needs everyone, including the children, to be consistent with the commands. When you want your puppy off of the couch, for example, you do not want person saying “down”, another saying “off” and then another saying “floor” and expect that the puppy is going to understand what everyone ones. Pick a verbal command for each situation and stick with it.
There are many books out there that may be able to help you if you are not able to get the biting under control. It may take a couple of weeks but as long as you and your family is consistent with the commands, there is no reason why you should not be able to get it all under control. If by chance you are dealing with an extra stubborn Labrador Retriever, then you can always take him to an obedience class for additional assistance.
In the end, you will see that all of the hard work of the training was well worth it. You will be able to play with your dog and trust that he will not harm anyone or anything.