You have just got your Jack Russell terrier puppy home and he is so cute.
You just can't stop playing with him.
Then he starts nibbling your hands but you continue to let him because you thought that was just you and your puppy having fun.
Oh oh, wrong move and big mistake.
High chances are if you continue this play and do not stop your puppy biting, he may grow up to be a dog that bites and cause serious injury! For your puppy, nipping, biting and "mouthing" are normal behaviors and normally they do not cause any serious harm.
This is because your puppy is still small and does not possess the ability to exert a big pressure from their jaws.
And because they are so cute, especially when they look at you with their heart melting eyes, you tend to be relaxed with the discipline aspect with your puppy.
Note that puppy biting is a natural occurrence especially when it is starting to develop its milk teeth.
Being a dog, it has a curious and gregarious tendency and because of that it would want to explore its surrounding.
As such it would tend to "test" out things with its mouth.
Just like what a human baby would do when it is growing up and getting to know its surroundings.
However if you do not train your Jack Russell terrier puppy to stop biting at an early stage, this biting habit may carry on into its adult life and result in a dangerous consequence to the people around it, including yourself.
Hence it is important to stop puppy biting at the earliest possible stage and you begin your puppy training at around 6 weeks old if possible.
To stop puppy biting, do not play "bite" with your puppy anymore.
Pretend to let your terrier puppy know that it hurts when he bites you.
Give out a sharp "no!" or "ouch!" - or even a yelp like a dog when he bites you.
What you are trying to do here is to imitate what would happen if your puppy bites another puppy when they are playing.
This is to help him to relate the fact that his bite hurts and he shouldn't do it again.
If your puppy bites your hand, remember not to jerk your hand away as it may hurt you, slowly remove your hand and give your puppy a toy that he can chew.
It is important for you to give him a toy because when he is teething he will need to chew on something.
The important factor here is to let him differentiate what he can do and what he is not allowed to do.
Do not at any point hit slap or hit your puppy when it bites you.
One or two things could have happened here - your puppy could think that you are playing with him and hence condoning his biting.
The other is that it may shock your puppy.
He thought that he was playing with you and yet you hit him and this may result in him being confused and even be afraid of you.
Both of which are negative consequences.
If your terrier puppy still insists on playing bite, you can also repeat the audible hurt cry that you did the first time to stress that his play biting is hurting you.
Then you should leave him alone for a short time.
This reinforces the fact that he has hurt you and because of that you are going away and is no longer his friend.
Teaching a puppy or dog also involves praises and rewards.
If you find that your puppy no longer bites you, you should give some praise or reward him with some dog food.
You may also consider enrolling your puppy in an obedience class so that your puppy has the chance to socialize with other puppies.
It is important at this stage for your puppy to socialize with their own kind so that they would be able to differentiate between dogs and humans and will act in the appropriate manner.