Our hearts are pleased as we see our cavapoos grow from little fluffballs to, well, not-so-little fluffballs. We notice the smallest changes in their bodies and actions, and we become delighted as they develop right in front of our eyes. But one of these adorable characteristics should not be overlooked: their biting habits
Why do cavapoo pups bite, and what practical steps can we take to stop them? Continue reading to find out the answers to these and other questions!
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Why Do Cavapoo Puppies Bite?
There are several reasons why Cavapoo puppies bite a little more than puppies of other breeds. This isn’t because Cavapoos are innately aggressive, contrary to common opinion. There are a variety of reasons why Cavapoo pups bite, and all of them may be taught to stop.
Continue reading to learn why your Cavapoo’s teeth are biting!
Learning About the World Around Them
One of the key reasons Cavapoo puppies (and many other young dogs) bite is to have a better awareness of their surroundings. Dogs, unlike humans, do not have hands to inspect their surroundings, thus they utilize their teeth to do it. Humans gnash their teeth as well, although not to the same level.
Biting objects, siblings, or even owners may represent your puppy’s need to learn more about the world in which it lives.
Teething
Teething is not only a fascinating method for your dog to learn about the world, but it also provides comfort for its gums, similar to how human babies do. Because your Cavapoo’s teeth are still growing in, it will have to find a method to scratch that itch.
There’s no getting around the fact that it’ll bite something, so making sure it bites the right item is crucial.
High Energy
Cavapoos are an extremely energetic breed. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it might result in a lot of fun playtime with your Cavapoo puppy. However, if this energy isn’t directed properly, your puppy’s playful biting might rapidly evolve into a hazardous habit. Even if your dog is not attempting to harm someone, its bites can be quite painful.
Biting might just be an outlet for all of your puppy’s pent-up energy from the day. When it comes to keeping your Cavapoo puppy from biting, it is vital that you find a way to burn off that energy. Scroll down to learn how to burn off some of your Cavapoo puppy’s extra energy.
Lack of Bite Inhibition
It’s also conceivable that your Cavapoo is too eager to bite. Bite inhibition is your puppy’s capacity to control how hard and frequently it bites. This is one of the most important lessons a cavapoo puppy may acquire in order to grow into a well-mannered dog. Because puppies are not born with this ability, it is vital to inculcate it in them as soon as possible.
This is typically learnt through play with siblings. You and toys can be substituted, but you will not be as naturally effective, so pay attention and respond with appropriate training strategies, as discussed later in this article.
Cavapoo Puppies Get Scared
A dog may also bite because it is terrified! Although this may seem obvious, many owners ignore it when attempting to determine why their dog is biting. Puppies are little and inexperienced, therefore they are easily shocked.
If your puppy is surrounded or feels threatened, it will bite to escape what it perceives to be a harmful situation.
Even though your dog looks to be well-behaved, this is one of the most typical reasons for bites. Make sure your dog is safe and comfortable at all times. This may be achieved by speaking calmly, not playing rough, and not putting your puppy in unfamiliar social settings.
Breeding
Cavapoos were bred to be fighting dogs in the first place, which is unfortunate. Don’t get me wrong: this does not imply that they are inherently more aggressive. In fact, Cavapoos outperform the average dog on the American Temperament Exam Society’s aggression test. This does, however, imply that your Cavapoo will be more enthusiastic while playing with other animals.
Not only that, but their celebrity may make other dog owners or even random passersby nervous. Your dog will be aware, and if it perceives these unpleasant emotions as threatening, it may act defensively.
How Do You Stop a Cavapoo Puppy From Biting?
Your Cavapoo may be biting for a multitude of reasons. The first step is to comprehend! But how do we get from recognizing why your puppy’s teeth are a touch too active to doing anything about it? There are a few great methods for teaching your puppy when and how to bite, as well as when and how to keep its jaws shut.
Continue reading to discover some useful suggestions and tactics for keeping your Cavapoo puppy from biting!
Let it Bite Toys!
Making sure your dog is biting the right thing is one of the most important ways to stop them from biting. After all, with all of the reasons stated above for why puppies bite, your puppy is certain to bite something. That implies it’s your responsibility to ensure your dog only bites acceptable items.
If your dog starts biting shoes, furniture, pets, or humans, give it a chew toy. This will not only protect your safety and property, but it will also teach your puppy that chewing on toys is a healthy method to relieve stress.
Time out!
If your puppy bites while playing, it is vital that you do not continue to play and ignore the situation. To notify your dog that your mood has changed, say “No,” “Ouch,” or another severe and loud phrase. You should also stop playing immediately and desist from doing so for a period of time. This will teach your dog that biting signals the end of playtime.
You can save this until when your puppy nibbles a few times. If you don’t play with your dog for an extended period of time, he will forget why. You can continue after around 15 minutes.
Discouragement
There are a few things you can take to prevent your young Cavapoo from biting. As previously said, loud and powerful verbal cues such as “No” or “Ouch” are a good place to start. These will alert your puppy to the fact that the behavior it just performed was inappropriate, and with enough training, it should be able to break the habit.
A spray deterrent, such as a bitter spray bought at a pet store, can also be useful. This rapid deterrent will not damage your puppy, but it will taste bad and build a mental association between biting and misery in your dog.
Socialize your Cavapoo
Early socialization of your Cavapoo with other animals may aid in biting prevention. This reduces the amount of tension in social situations, which usually leads in bites. This is especially important if you have additional dogs or want to take your Cavapoo out regularly.
Playing with other dogs is the best way for your Cavapoo to acquire bite inhibition. Socializing your puppy with humans, dogs, and cats will simply accustom it to being around other people and animals, which will aid in its ability to remain calm in these situations.
Poke the Roof Of Their Mouth
Curl your finger and place your thumb on the roof of your Cavapoo puppy’s mouth when it bites you. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself to not damage them. The purpose of doing this is to teach them that biting causes pain and that biting can cause harm to others.
Get Some Exercise
Cavapoos, as previously said, are an energetic breed. Biting is a frequent reaction to excess energy. It is vital that your Cavapoo receives adequate activity to expend this energy.
Going for walks is the best way to make sure your puppy receives adequate exercise. These will also assist your puppy in socializing and becoming acquainted with its environment. Consider taking your Cavapoo to a dog park for more exercise and socialization.
Playing is another fantastic way to burn off energy. Playing fetch, tug of war, and other activities will keep your dog active while also enabling it to have fun and burn off some energy.
Neuter/Spay
Although it is debatable, neutering or spaying your Cavapoo can be an effective approach to reduce its hostility. This is also useful if you want to prevent your dog from having puppies in the future.
Your puppy’s desire to mate may cause it to become more aggressive as it grows older; getting it neutered or spayed while it is still young will spare you some trouble in the future.
This should be accomplished before your dog turns six months old. Some experts believe that this also helps with training by allowing your dog to focus on you rather than other canines.
What to Avoid When Stopping a Cavapoo Puppy From Biting
There are a few things you should avoid while educating your puppy to stop biting. Continue reading to learn what you should avoid doing while educating your dog to stop biting.
Don’t Discourage Bite Warnings
Although you want to prevent your puppy from biting itself, you should not prevent it from alerting you when it is about to bite. These behaviors include bared teeth, growling, and snapping.
These activities may look intimidating, yet they are critical. Cavapoos seldom bite unless being provoked. If you are successful in training your dog to quit these habits, it may begin biting without warning, which is far more dangerous.
Simply step away if you notice your puppy growling, baring its teeth, snapping, or acting in other ways that indicate it is going to bite. This will teach your dog that exhibiting these behaviors is preferable to biting, and that expressing these behaviors is allowed while biting is not.
Don’t Punish
Don’t punish your dog if he bites you. Physical and verbal punishments typically aggravate rather than alleviate the conduct you’re aiming to prevent. This is due to the fact that you are frightening the puppy, which will lead to more biting in the future.
Ignore your puppy’s biting instead of punishing it. Negative behavior is ignored and positive behavior is reinforced. This will teach your dog that biting is not acceptable in a more constructive manner, rather than making you an object that your puppy fears, but rather one from whom it craves more affection and attention!
Don’t Use Your Hands as a Toy
When playing with your dog, avoid using your hands as a toy. It’s vital that your puppy knows that humans, in general, are not meant to be bitten. It may not hurt at first and look to be a lot of fun, but it will educate your dog that biting is acceptable, which is exactly what we don’t want!
Your feet, ankles, shoes, and other personal stuff are all included. Toy-biting should be restricted to toys alone. This is important information!
Don’t Assume Your Cavapoo Is Aggressive!
Don’t assume that because of the breed, your Cavapoo will be aggressive. Dogs can detect when humans are uneasy around them, and these unpleasant sentiments are frequently perceived by them as a threat.
If you are afraid of your dog, it will become more aggressive because it believes you are a threat or are attempting to take over the house. Both of these should be avoided.
Don’t Take Your Pup Away From Mom Too Early!
This isn’t always feasible because you don’t always have control over how your dog entered your life. If you have control over your puppy, try to keep it with its mother and litter.
Playing with its siblings and living with its mother can socialize your puppy and teach it social skills such as bite inhibition, as well as when and how to bite. Maintain your Cavapoo’s motherhood for at least eight weeks.
When to Call a Vet
For a variety of reasons, contacting your veterinarian during training may be a good idea.
To begin, calling your veterinarian is a good idea simply to keep them updated! It’s a good idea to inform them about the most recent training tactics you’re employing as well as the behaviors you’re seeking to promote and prevent. Take your veterinarian’s advice and recommendations seriously. They are, after all, the experts on your dog!
It’s also a good idea to call your veterinarian if your Cavapoo suddenly starts biting. This might mean that anything is physically wrong with it or that something else has changed to cause the behavior to occur at random. Calling your veterinarian may give you with further information and, maybe, a solution to your problem.
Contact your veterinarian if your Cavapoo exhibits aggressive actions other than biting, especially if this is a new habit (or if you see a large increase in the behavior).
Want To Train Your Cavapoo With Peace Of Mind?
If you haven’t trained your Cavapoo properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your Cavapoo has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs, you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and, most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact that you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases, it’s still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your Cavapoo completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!
So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!
(You can also check out a full review here to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)
Recap
According to our research, cavapoo pups bite for a variety of reasons. We also learnt that if we notice children developing these tendencies, it is not too late to intervene. You can guarantee that your cavapoo pups grow into well-behaved yet oh-so-cute fun cavapoos with appropriate training and by using the beneficial advice given in this article!
