My puppy bites, chews furniture, and scratches. How can I train her?

Question

How can I teach my puppy not to bite and scratch? If you give her a toy she will chew on that for a little but then go back to biting. She also chews on clothes and scratches furniture. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 4 days old

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Congratulations on your new puppy! Play biting and being excessively "mouthy" is very common in puppies. I have not personally had luck with the techniques of saying "No!" or holding the muzzle. I that makes puppies more excited. My general rule for puppies is that you make a high pitched squeak (like a litter mate puppy would do if they bit too hard), then walk away from the situation. More than anything, Nova wants to play with you. If you walk away, it is negative reinforcement, so she is less likely to do that behavior again. Depending on the puppy, the goal is to get them to look away from you or start doing something else before you engage in play again. I found that a long rope toy made a good toy to play with my puppy because there was lots of toy for him to bite at without touching my skin. It sounds like Nova prefers more interactive play, so that might be helpful to play with her and get some energy out. I also found that allowing my dog to play with other dogs was a great way for him to learn what is appropriate play. I took my dog to doggy day care twice a week as a puppy which really helped with his energy level as well as appropriate play technique. And finally, start a puppy class. A basic obedience class is so important for a puppy. They want to behave, but don't know what to do with their energy. I hope that was helpful! Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My puppy bites, chews furniture, and scratches. How can I train her?

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