Biting
Biting and chewing are both very normal puppy behaviors that should be expected, and trained out of the dog. This takes times and patience and lots of redirecting. We have several ways of doing this. For the purposes of our training, we will classify Biting as mouthing humans, and chewing as mouthing objects.
The Sit
When the puppy is over-excited and acting inappropriately, put them in a sit. They will not do this on their own, so be prepared to help them/do it for them. Grab their drag line and apply enough upward pressure to keep them away from you, and out of biting range. With your other hand, slide down their back and gently push their hind end into the sitting position.
Once they are in the sit position, remove your hand from their hind end and release pressure on the leash. If they remain seated, praise them and release them with an “Ok” cue. If they get up immediately, replace them in a sit. Repeat until they stay seated when you remove your hands/pressure.
Redirect to Toy
Have toys/bones/balls readily available so you can offer them to your puppy in place of your own body parts and clothing as chew toys. Some dogs will be more receptive to swapping for a dog toy than other, but it is our easiest option, so definitely worth a shot.
Games
You can channel lots of the puppy energy that leads to biting by first engaging them in some other activity. That could be a game of tug, fetch, trick training session, racing game, etc. This will be difficult at first since the puppy needs to learn most of those games in order for them to be useful, but as the puppy gets more practice at structured games, this will be a more appealing option.
The Crate
This option is listed only for your sanity. It does not teach the dog not to bite us, but it does allow us to have a break from the endless biting. If you are unable to train or redirect the puppy to keep them from biting (too busy, frustrated, impatient, distracted, etc), then the next best option would be to keep them from practicing bad behavior. The crate will do that for you. We are human, and puppies are a lot of work. Don’t feel guilty for needing a break every once in a while.
Chewing
Recall
If you find your puppy chewing a piece of furniture, the wall, your favorite pillow, etc, the best course of action would be to call them away. Give the “come” command while they are chewing and use drag line to reel them in if necessary. Repeat until they do not return to the object.
Deliver to Hand
If you are able to catch your puppy after they have stolen and object, but before they have started to chew it, ask them to bring it to you. Do not punish the puppy, or chase them around to get it back. Simply thank them for finding the object and give the “come” command. If they do not respond to the “come” command, grab the drag line and reel them into you. Praise them even if they did not participate in the recall, and take the object from them.
Management
Make sure your puppy is supervised. Have the drag line attached to them any time they are outside of their crate. Have toys and treats ready and available. If they make mistakes when we 1) can’t see them, or 2) are unprepared to deal with them, we are missing training opportunities and the puppy is practicing bad behavior. Try to limit those situations as much as possible.