One thing you can count on when bringing home a new puppy is the fact that he will nip and bite at your fingers during the first few days or weeks. This is perfectly normal and there is no reason to get alarmed that you may have purchased an aggressive dog. However, like any behavior you wish to change about your dog, you need to take a few steps so that he realizes that nipping is not something you as the "pack leader" want him to continue doing.

So how do you change this natural biting behavior that a little puppy has? Well the first thing to do is determine his age. This is important because puppies under the age of aboutಏ weeks need to be handled a little differently when it comes to mouthing and nipping than puppies over the age of 15 weeks.

If your puppy is brand new and younger than the 15 week period, the following tips can help you control his nipping behavior:

1. Start to show your puppy that you appreciate licking instead of nipping. When he changes his behavior and licks at your fingers or hands, be sure to praise him very lovingly. You can also encourage your puppy to lick more often by rubbing a little butter or coconut oil on your fingers. Let him know by soothing caresses that what he is doing is a good thing with each lick.

2. If your puppy is still biting or nipping at your fingers and he is just been fed and really doesn't need anything in its mouth, set him aside with a nice bone for a little while. This is where a crate would come in handy. Place the dog in the crate for a short period of time so that he can divert his mouthing attention to his favorite bone. And it is very important not to yell at or scold your puppy along the way. You must create a positive learning environment.

3. Whenever the puppy bites down hard on your fingers or hand, use a disciplinary tone of voice and give a command such as "No No" while looking sharply into his eyes. Hold this firm demeanor for a few moments and then immediately change your body language and go back to whatever it is you're doing before, and with a soothing approach. Doing this procedure a few times is enough for your puppy to learn the command and to stop biting down hard when he is commanded.

Excessive Barking (Part 1): The Number One Reason Why Dogs Become Excessive Barkers

Dogs are not born as "problem dogs." Instead, they become problem dogs as a result of human dog owner inadequacies. The shortcomings of dog owners are to blame as the real culprit for bad behaving dogs. And although most serious canine problems tend to develop during the most critical period of a dog's life, which is during the first 8 weeks of puppyhood, many issues can develop at any time as the dog grows into an adult.

One of the most common dog behavior problems that many of you can relate to is excessive barking. This is the dog that makes all of your neighbors regret having you live nearby! This annoying barking habit will keep people awake at night, severely get on people's nerves that are within hearing distance, and floods police lines with neighborhood complaints of noise.

The scary part about having a dog that barks excessively, especially if he is kept outside during the daytime, is that they can be the target of abuse or poisoning by sick-minded individuals living in your neighborhood. I'm not trying to scare you or anything but the truth is that every day dogs are reported to have been poisoned from an unknown substance which usually results from a disgruntled neighbor.

Is Your Dog Lonely?

Most dogs that are guilty of excessive barking have developed this behavioral issue for no better reason than that of loneliness. Of course there are other reasons, and to be certain we will discuss them later, but canine loneliness has been proven to be the number one culprit for excessive barking behavior.

Dogs are just like children when it comes to the need for companionship. And when these animals have nobody around for long periods of time, sheer loneliness will cause them to invent games and make toys out of whatever is available. From the start of these "invented games" comes habits that progress and create a problematic dog.

Inside Your Dog's Mind

What goes on inside your dog's mind as he is barking excessively? What does he do when he is lonely? What is it about being alone that gets dogs all excited and noisy?

Your dog's world consists of everything within his reach. For those of you that keep your pet at home during the day while you're at work, the entire house is his domain. If you keep your dog out on a rope that is securely tied to your backyard, everything within the circumference of his paws are fair game. And when he reaches the end of that rope, loneliness can set in, and quick!

Your dog may spot a bird or a cat outside the window or on top of the backyard fence. All of a sudden he is in a frenzy as he sees a potential playmate. He starts to cry, then scratch at the door, window, or the fence. Then the barking sets in, becoming louder and louder as he wants to play with any moving object he sees outside, but cannot seem to get to it.

Woof! Woof! Woof! - as he attempts over and over to see what is going on and to find somebody or something to play with him. Woof! Woof! Woof! - louder and louder the barking becomes, matched with frustration and eventually barking at anything he sees. A plane flying over, a bird swooping too close, the bushes that are moving in the wind - all of which your dog begins to bark excessively at, trying to get its attention. Nothing seems to help and your dog only knows one thing: BARK! BARK! BARK!
If he barks long enough, he figures that something will happen, somebody will play with him, or one of those neighborhood animals will join in a game of chase. As you can imagine, this is the type of experience that no house dog should have to go through, and then be punished because of its barking problems.

Brand new puppies literally absorb everything that passes through their senses. Whatever they see, hear, taste, smell, and touch, it all gets stored in their brains just like a computer.

Vast amounts of information are constantly being downloaded into a puppy's mind about the people they come across, places they visit, and responses from all stimuli, whether it is from the form of communication it receives from people or the scary sounds of vehicles moving by outside.

Most new dog owners completely underestimate the intelligence of their younger puppies. Do not waste this remarkable learning time. Make good use of your dog's capacity to learn and absorb information by teaching him good manners and healthy behaviors that will help guide the pup towards a civilized and respectful member of the family.

Concrete Evidence That Puppies Are Ready To Learn Early In Life

It wasn't too long ago that most dog owners and dog trainers did not consider puppies to be trainable until they were well past five or six months old. However, that theory has been totally disproved.

We now know that puppies as young as two to three weeks of age can start learning due to their rapid brain development. EEG measurements of young puppies show that they have a marked increase in the height, or amplitude, of brain waves when they are awake. And from this point on, puppies acquire new skills at a rapid pace.

Bigger Brains

Studies have shown that a puppy's early experiences can mold and shape the brain's physiology. Puppies that are raised with lots of toys to play with and problems to solve, along with positive behavior training, ended up having a higher learning ability and amazingly enough, grew slightly more developed brains than similar puppies that were raised in limited learning environments.

Think about this information. Evidence clearly shows that the puppy which learns various training protocols at an early age, such as climbing stairs, meeting different people, etc. will be better developed both mentally and physically then the puppy who is confined to a crate or room all day long and only interacts with its family members, without being stimulated mentally.

What Does This Mean?

The good news is that this does not mean that your puppy should have total freedom and domination over the house to do what he or she wants. However, it does mean that your new dog should spend as much time as possible around you and other people as you go about your day.

Do not make the mistake of giving the pup too much freedom. This will encourage problems with behavior and when this behavior becomes a habit, it is increasingly harder to break these characteristics as your dog gets older. You have to let your puppy know that you are in charge and while he has free reign to express himself, a clear understanding of who is the boss (pack leader) must be constituted.