Dealing with Dog or Cat Bites: Essential Steps & Tips

Actually, puppy socialization can begin as early as 4 to 8 weeks of age.

Training your dog not to bite your hands is quite simple and often involves playtime:

1. Avoid using your hands during play; opt for toys or catnip sticks instead.

2. Should your dog or cat accidentally bite you or extend its claws, gently push them away and issue a firm "NO" command. (At this young age, puppies and kittens are generally easy to control. If they bite you, simply push them away and stop the game—this is the punishment, while the "NO" command is associated with the incorrect behavior.) Essentially, this teaches them to calm down; once they do, you can resume play. Repeat this process several times, and they will quickly understand.

3. Be mindful not to shout loudly! As we are also training socialization, excessive scolding or hitting may cause the young pets to become neurotic and timid.

Training Adult Cats and Dogs

1. Stop Incorrect Behavior

Do not hit; if you do, the playful cat or dog may think you are responding to its "attack." If you hit too hard, it may just become afraid of you and not want to play with you.

Don't use your hands! You know your furry friend has bad habits, so why not use dog toys and catnip sticks instead?

2. Become a Pro at "Faking Injury"

When your puppy was young, you could push it away if it bit you. But what do you do when a grown dog is too strong to push away? How do you train it? The answer is: "faking injury." Have you seen professionals who "fake injury"? They make a big show of it even though they're not really hurt. Our method is similar. If your dog's teeth touch your hand, even lightly, immediately shout "Ouch!" several times. Your dog will definitely be more careful with you! (If it behaves gently, be sure to reward it promptly!)

3. Trim Your Cat's Claws

It's not that adult cats can't be trained; it's just that you may not have the energy to keep up with them. The reason they are "the master" is because they don't listen to you; you have to listen to them. So, keep those claws trimmed to avoid any scratches on your hand~

Consistency in Everyone's Standards

This last point is worth mentioning separately because we often can't provide a separate training environment for our pets to reinforce their training memory continuously.

It's possible that Dad just trained the dog, but Mom continues to play with it in the wrong way. The result is that the dog only behaves correctly in front of Dad.

Therefore, having consistent standards across the family ensures that the dog doesn't become confused and clearly understands "Don't use your teeth to bite my hand."

ps: Lastly, the associative memory of training,

Biting my hand = a loud "NO" and a cold reception from me

Playful interaction without biting = praise, treats, and a happy owner