If you're like most people, you've probably never heard the term "bite inhibition."  But this is probably one of the most important puppy training tips you should know about, especially if you have a puppy nipping at you.

What Is Bite Inhibition?

Dogs learn as puppies to consciously control how hard they bite.  This is called "bite inhibition." He should be taught this behavior by the time he's eighteeen weeks old.  It's probably one of the most important things he'll learn in his entire life.

How Do Puppies Learn This Lesson?

Mama dog is the first teacher.  If a pup bites mom while nursing, it hurts.Mama won't put up with this. She ends the nursing session right away by standing up and walking off.  A hungry puppy learns pretty quickly not to bite mama if he wants to eat.

Puppies common bite and nip each other during playtime.  But if one pup bites too hard, the other will yip (the "hurt puppy" sound), and walk away, thus ending the play session.  A pup learns that if he wants to play, he can't play too rough.

You can use the same ideas when training a new puppy.

How To Stop Puppy Biting

When you play with your pet, you'll want to purposefully draw his attention to your hands, letting him mouth you gently.When those sharp teeth start to hurt, make a sharp yipping sound, which is known as the "hurt puppy" noise.

Don't try to pull your hand out of his mouth, or he might bite harder.  When he lets go, remove your hand from his mouth, and immediately give him a toy to play with.

If he takes it, praise him.  If he tries to bite you again, yip, and walk away.  Don't wince or whine, or he may think you're playing with him.

Try again in a few minutes.  Face him and hold your hand out.If he persists in nipping you, stop playing with him right away.A time-out in his crate, or in another room, may be called for if he persists in nipping.

Remember not to make this a punishment.Using a time-out shows him that he has to play nice if he wants your attention.

You Have Two Goals

Your first goal is to teach your pet to play-bite you gently.  Once he learns that, then your second goal is to teach him to keep play-biting to a minimum.  

If you never let your pup mouth you at all, he'll won't be able to learn how to moderate the strength of his bite.  If someone should accidentally step on him or shut his tail in the door, he may respond by biting too hard.

It's important that your puppy learns this lesson before he hits five months.  It's a lot harder to teach bite inhibition to an older dog.

Teaching your puppy manners is a basic part of dog obedience training.  Need more help?  Just click on any link in this article.