News Alert! Puppies Bite Fingers and Gnaw on Hands!

It’s true. All puppies use their mouths, especially when adult teeth begin to appear around the age of three months, continuing up to six months. Puppies use their mouths constantly in the beginning! From gnawing on our fingers to chewing the corner of a favorite rug, a puppy is very busy with their mouth.

Here are my top five tips when it comes to biting and chewing.…

Pick up anything you do not want chewed off the floor. It’s your responsibility, not your puppy’s, to know what they can and cannot chew. You’ll want to keep shoes and underwear off the floor (they’re puppy chew magnets). Cover access to electrical cords and put away remotes – this a popular item to chew because of your scent on the device.
If you do not want your puppy to bite on your hands, keep your hands away from your puppy’s mouth. This happens all the time – we move our hands all around the puppy’s face while saying, “Stop biting my hands!” Instead, offer them a long toy to play a gentle game of tug with you or provide an edible chew. Is your puppy extra bitey? They could be hungry, thirsty, or just plain tired. Make sure those needs are met to help reduce biting.
Never close their mouth, bop them on the nose, grab their muzzle, or hit them. This will confuse your puppy about hands coming towards them, often increasing their biting at fingers in their face.
Be mindful of how often you touch, pet, and pick up your puppy. Too much handling can often result in more biting to keep hands away. Puppies need their space too, and can often get overstimulated, which may result in more biting.
Have plenty of puppy chew items on hand so your puppy has appropriate outlets to use their mouth. The Redbarn product line has great edible chews! My favorite is the Collagen Chew, which is much easier to digest for puppies than rawhides. Alternatively, you’ll find KONG rubber toys can satisfy the need to chew and are reusable! So, if your puppy is chewing on your fingers and hands, give them a chew instead!

Want to learn more about puppies? Join us April 27th at Farm Supply Company for our FREE Puppy Love Clinic 101. Click here to register!

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Rita Flores

2024-01-23

I was searching for a local trainer for our puppy and luckily found Ellen. The package of puppy lessons is the best money I spent thus far on our little buddy. He loves Ellen and she has great insight on how to adjust our human thoughts to be more in touch with our dog, Bernie. Her lessons have helped us earn trust with him and are shaping him into a very loving part of our family. Thank you Ellen!

patricia stirling

2024-01-12

Ellen is simply outstanding! She has made an enormous difference in the lives of our two great pyrenees and helped us to understand their unique needs and challenges. Her use of positive reinforcement makes each training session great fun for both the dogs and for us. We cannot thank her enough and recommend her wholeheartedly patricia and richard stirling

Fred Poole

2024-01-03

Ellen provided us with great advise for our very reactive dog. She provided us with the tools to help our senior rescue dog adjust to a new home and owners. This included suggesting other local professionals, appropriate supplies, and obviously the proper technique to help our dog adjust to a new environment. Her knowledge of all things regarding dealing with a pet was amazing. Her insights proved to always be on target. Ellen's personality makes training a comforting experience and she builds confidence in both the dog and the owner. I willingly recommend her services to anyone seeking assistance with their dog.

Julie Galloway

2024-01-03

Ellen was fantastic!! She made me understand that training our dog was as much as a training for him as well as for me!! When you really think about that it opens up so many more possibilities for a healthy and happy dog that will want to please you the owner. She made me understand all the different signs our dog was giving me that I never saw before. She provided me with the tools to have a non-aggressive dog on our walks. They are so much for enjoyable for the both of us now!! I honestly tell everyone about Ellen because she is so easy to work with and very caring.

Paul Miller

2024-01-02

Ellen was amazing teaching us how to train our dog jameson,she also was so patient and loving towards him. He had anxiety issues and wasn't well trained. In about a month we could leave him home alone and he is getting better on walks with other dogs. USE ELLEN,YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. PAUL

Karen Ziegler

2023-12-29

I researched extensively before hiring Ellen. She was outstanding and with her guidance we solved our dog's issues in 5 sessions. I recommend her without reservation.

Sean Coulter

2023-12-29

At least five stars! Ellen showed not only a perfect understanding of the Doggie mind! But also of the Human mind! And how to mesh the two!

Taya Foy

2023-12-08

Ellen is extremely kind & patient. She is hard working & educated in her field. I highly recommend going to Ellen!

Janet Bocciardi

2023-08-23

Our springer spaniel was showing signs of resource guarding and reactiveness at age 15 mo. I immediately searched for a trainer and found Ellen. Ellen has a wide breadth of knowledge in dog training as well as a warm calm demeanor. We saw improvement in our dog very quickly. I learned to read my dog's triggers and how to redirect him. I highly recommend Ellen if you're in need of basic training or behavioral training for your dog. I will not hesitate to call her and work with her again if needed.

Sarah Sandstrom

2023-08-01

Ellen helped us manage our two young dogs’ unique behavioral issues. She gave us techniques to help each of them develop greater confidence and help us have a calmer home environment through a 5 week reactivity bundle. We still have work to do, but we are grateful for the tools that Ellen suggested, enabling us to help them in a constructive manner.

News Alert! Puppies Bite Fingers and Gnaw on Hands!

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