Puppies are cute, no doubt about it. When a new puppy is introduced to a household it is surrounded by excitement and attention. In the weeks that follow you will go through toilet training and general behavior issues and the attraction may start to wear off. When the puppy reaches approximately thirteen weeks of age it will begin to show signs of nipping or biting things around the house. When you notice this behavior starting it is the perfect time to start training your puppy about it's mouth issues. You should start this training by teaching the dog to listen to commands that will stop it from biting things like your hands. Always try to remember not to loose your temper over this behavior as biting is only playful behavior to a young dog but it does need to learn not to do it.

Young dogs will enjoy biting and tug of war games. These tug of war sessions, while fun, need to be stopped before the dog gets much older. Leaving your young dog play these games after the age of fourteen weeks will result in the dog growing up thinking it is alright to perform these actions. This will also lead to your dog starting to play these games when it is alone. Do you really want to return home from work to find your expensive curtains in a shredded heap on the living room floor? Stopping these habits is very, very important before the age of fifteen weeks because this is when the puppy learns behavior it will keep for the rest of it's life.

The easiest method to control these habits is a method darkly named 'shock' training. This sounds like a really horrible method to perform on a puppy but it is not all that bad really. The best way is to fill a plant spray bottle full of water and when the young dog decides to start biting or nipping the bottle can be used to spray a short, sharp burst. The puppy will not be harmed and it will start to learn not to bite in these situations.

Puppies are always looking to please their owners so when they misbehave and start to bite use a command that lets them know you are displeased with their actions. Within a small amount of time they will realize you are not impressed with their actions and will steadily stop the biting. Overall, training a puppy can be hard work but you will be rewarded with a obedient, happy, adult dog.