Dazza Walker asked:

When a puppy is play biting or mouthing as it’s called, they are indulging in a harmless form of attention seeking and communication. Puppies pull and bite at their mother’s ears and tail, as well as their brothers and sisters purely for attention and in a much less sinister manner than a bite. However, as they grow bigger and stronger, so do their teeth and these signs of affection and attention become less admirable and it is an important part of a puppies training to eradicate this. When a puppy goes into a new home it is important when starting your puppy training to establish what is acceptable behaviour and what isn’t. If you have got your puppy and they are a little older and they are already doing this regularly you can adapt this procedure into your puppy training.

· When you want to stop your puppy biting you should give a forceful ‘NO’ and make your dog aware that this behaviour will not be tolerated. It is then very important to ignore your puppy for a few moments. They must understand that they will get more praise and affection by not mouthing.

· The next stage of your puppy training is to get the same point across in terms of snapping for food and using the same biting techniques to get treats. Hold a treat in front of their face and make sure their attention is fully focused on the treat. When they go to jump towards the treat and snap it away, give a quiet, but authoritive ‘OFF’ so you keep your puppies attention, but get your point across.

· When they turn their face away or back off after this instruction, give them the treat and show them the way they should accept food, and this will soon become second nature to your puppy.

· Practice this part of your puppy training regularly, and always remember to praise when it is deserved. This will soon get your puppy used to the ‘OFF’ command and will stop mouthing for good.

Stopping your puppy from biting is extremely important; because it means that when you have visitors to your house you have no fears with your puppy interacting with strangers and will make your puppy much more approachable with society.