Although it’s important to play with your dog to develop your bond and encourage their own development, it’s important to stop play if your dog becomes overexcited.
Always be mindful that you’re not sending your puppy into a frantic state of mind during play and if you feel like this is happening, just stop at that level, let the dog settle down and return to them later.
Toys for puppy biting
Petplan’s behaviourist, Nick Jones, recommends toys which are strong and durable for dogs, particularly as these are the safest! Some appropriate toys to play with your puppy include:
- A rope with two loops – this toy can be used as a pulling game, however, watch out that you’re not overexciting your puppy with an aggressive game of tug of war as this could bring your dog into a state where you could be dealing with biting
- Rubber stuffable toy – you can put some paste or some soft dog food in this toy to help keep your dog occupied for slightly longer periods of time
- Rag toy – this toy comes in different sizes and is therefore great for all breeds. The rag toy is perfect for dealing with puppy biting because it has many tassels on the end that the puppy can really get into and play with it
How to stop a puppy from biting
If you find that the dog is diverting away from the toy and onto your hand, just bring your hand away and use a simple command like ‘no biting’.
Don’t shout at the dog, speak calmly with a flat voice. If that command is still not working and you’re feeling at a loss, then just stop there. Leave the room and let the dog calm down.
Return to the dog a few minutes later where you will find he or she is much calmer and you can return to your play and interaction with the puppy.