How To Get a Springer Spaniel Puppy To Stop Biting

If you’ve just adopted a new Springer Spaniel puppy, you may be frustrated with how often he bites you and your furniture, which is especially true because Spaniel puppies are notorious for biting. There are many reasons your puppy might be biting, and almost all of them have a solution. But are there any simple solutions to get your Spaniel puppy from biting?

Here’s how to get a Springer Spaniel puppy to stop biting:

Use consistent training techniques.
Provide teething relief to your puppy.
Give your puppy plenty of exercise opportunities.
Use patience when correcting your puppy.

Your Springer Spaniel puppy might not understand why they are biting, but it needs to know that it’s completely unacceptable to keep biting. This article will show you ways to correct the behavior and why it happens in the first place. So stay tuned and keep reading!

1. Use Consistent Training Techniques

No matter why your puppy is biting, it is important to verbally correct him when he exhibits unwanted behavior. The following tips should help you learn how to follow consistent training techniques:

Change into an authoritative posture when your puppy bites. Stand up straight and square your shoulders instead of playing on the ground with your puppy.
Say a strong verbal command. Some people say “no,” while some say “ah-ah” or use a different vocalization. Your tone should be different, commanding, and confident.
Redirect your puppy to different, acceptable behavior. Make her sit and stay for a moment, or give her a cold teething toy instead. Do not return to your play immediately. Repeat this every time your puppy bites.

In the same vein, when your puppy demonstrates good biting behavior, like chewing on her chew toys, praise her. Your tone and body position should be different when you are praising your Spaniel puppy.

This webinar by Fenrir Spaniel Show on YouTube has great, in-depth instructions for dealing with your Spaniel puppy’s biting.

If you are still looking for help with training, check out Brain Training For Dogs by certified trainer Adrienne Farricelli. Her online training will teach you to take control of your puppy and help them become obedient.

2. Provide Teething Relief to Your Puppy

Puppies of all breeds are prone to biting to ease their teething pain. There are several methods you can use to ease their gums, such as chew toys, teething rings, and frozen treats which can be great forms of pain relief for your puppy.

N-Bone Puppy Teething Rings from Amazon.com are gentle on puppy teeth, and they come in various flavors.

Nylabone makes a Puppy Chew Freezer Dog Bone from Amazon.com that you can stick in the freezer, as the texture and cold can relieve your puppy’s aching gums.

SHARLOVY sells a 16-Pack of Puppy Chew Toys from Amazon.com with a range of toys, including textured chew toys and tough tug-of-war ropes.

3. Give Your Puppy Plenty of Exercise Opportunities

Your Springer Spaniel puppy will sometimes bite because it is bored and has a lot of pent-up energy. If you provide it with plenty of opportunities for exercise, it will be less likely to bite.

Increased exercise will not eliminate your puppy’s biting, but it will probably help. The more your dog exercises, the less she will exert energy in undesirable ways, like biting. Take her on a walk, run, or for a game of fetch.

Be sure to ask your vet about how much exercise is right for your puppy. There is such a thing as too much exercise for dogs, so follow your vet’s guidelines when planning your puppy’s exercise routine.

4. Use Patience When Correcting Your Puppy

Puppy biting can and should be corrected, but it will not happen overnight. You need to remain calm and patient, even when your Spaniel is driving you crazy. Be a calm, authoritative leader for your dog, not an angry or violent tyrant.

If you remain calm and patient when correcting your puppy, it won’t fear you and will actually learn its lesson more efficiently.

Why Your Springer Spaniel Puppy Is Biting

Biting is perfectly normal puppy behavior, but that doesn’t mean it should be encouraged. The first step to stopping your puppy’s biting is to determine why it’s happening. Your puppy could be playing, or it could be due to teething or aggression.

Your Puppy Might Be Exploring

All puppies bite sometimes. Much like human babies, puppies learn about the world with their mouths. Some dog owners call this “mouthing.”

Spaniel puppies in particular seem to put everything in their mouths, which might have to do with the fact that they were bred as hunting and retrieving dogs. Your puppy is learning about her environment, and her mouth is the best way she knows how.

Be patient with your puppy when you catch her mouthing, and try to redirect her to toys made for puppy teeth. Consider puppy-proofing areas of the house that she plays in, just like you might for a human baby.

Teething Pain Might Cause Your Spaniel Puppy to Bite

Also, like human babies, puppies are hard at work rupturing mature teeth.

Puppy teeth start appearing between two and four weeks of age. Then, between three and six months of age, mature teeth come in. Don’t be surprised if you find some of your puppy’s baby teeth near her food bowl or next to a piece of furniture she likes to bite.

Your puppy could just be biting to ease the pain of mature teeth rupturing her gums.

Biting Is a Form Of Puppy Play

For many puppies, biting is a form of play. If your puppy isn’t getting enough exercise or playtime, he might be biting to initiate a game. They bite their littermates during playtime, so as far as your dog is concerned, teeth are part of the play.

If you think this is why your puppy is biting, give him some extra playtime. A game of tug-of-war is a great way for a puppy to use his teeth during play without hurting anyone. Getting your puppy a rope from Amazon is the perfect toy for tug-of-war.

Aggression or “Springer Rage”

If your puppy’s bites aren’t playful and she isn’t teething anymore, she could be biting out of aggression. If these bites are unprovoked, it could be a sign of Rage Syndrome. Many dog breeds may suffer from Rage Syndrome, but it appears to be more common for Springer Spaniels, hence the term “Springer Rage.”

Rage Syndrome is still being researched, and some vets think it is a form of epilepsy. Some dogs have even responded positively to epilepsy medication as treatment.

If you think your Springer puppy has Rage Syndrome, be sure to talk to your vet. They can help you decide the best course of treatment and training so that you and your puppy stay healthy and safe.

When Will My Springer Spaniel Puppy Stop Biting?

Good news–puppy biting doesn’t last forever. If you are consistent in your training, it should only take you a few weeks to teach your puppy that biting is strictly off-limits. You must be diligent, though, and correct him every time he bites.

Your Springer Spaniel puppy will stop biting out of teething pain by 6 months of age when all of his mature teeth are in. He will also start to grow out of the habit of mouthing around this age. But if your Springer is biting out of aggression, the problem won’t simply go away with time.

Talk to your vet or consult a canine behavioral specialist for more information about your dog’s aggression.

Final Thoughts

Training your Springer Spaniel puppy not to bite takes diligence, patience, and care, but you can do it. If you think your puppy’s biting habits are out of the ordinary, talk to your vet. They can assess if there’s anything medically wrong that might be motivating your puppy to bite. Fortunately, most Springer Spaniel puppies bite for non-medical reasons that you can address on your own.