Teaching Your Puppy to Play Gently
 Contrary to popular belief, most puppies do not "outgrow" nipping. Teaching your puppy to
not use his mouth during play will lead to an adult dog with who plays gently and safely.
Here are a few guidelines for helping your puppy to learn proper play behaviors:
- Redirection: During play sessions always redirect your puppy’s nipping
behaviors to a favorite toy. Keep a special toy away and in a secure place and present it to
your puppy during each play session. Your puppy will begin to associate the “special toy” with
play and focus his nipping and tugging to the toy, not to your hands or clothing!
- Stop the Play: If your puppy persists with nipping, communicate to him that
nipping is not acceptable by stopping play whenever he nips. React immediately and loudly, saying
"Ouch – that hurts!!!”, and end the play session. Only begin playing again when your puppy is calm.
- Introduce an Alternate Command: If your puppy is enrolled in a puppy class,
begin to use his sit and down commands during play sessions. Use these regularly, not just in response
to nipping. When your puppy becomes too excited and tries to use his mouth, command him to sit or lie
down. Praise quietly when he responds correctly to these commands.
- Time-outs: A time-out can be used when your puppy persists with nipping despite
the previous techniques. Stop the play session and put your puppy in an area that is "puppy-safe", such
as his crate, the kitchen or a utility room. Do not interact with him for several minutes. Then, when he
is calm, return and release him and begin playing again. (Take care not to overuse this technique because
of the risk of your puppy forming a negative association with his crate).
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