Puppies chew and mouth, no matter which breed they are, this is simply their way to communicate with the world, explore the surroundings but also relieve the pain caused by teething… Belgian Malinois puppies are no exception.
Belgian Malinois puppies could bite because of boredom and pent-up energy. If Mal’s puppy hasn’t been properly exercised or mentally stimulated every day, it can start biting. Although chewing and mouthing are rather normal for a puppy, biting is not.
Don’t consider chewing/ mouthing and biting the same thing. They are not. Biting is not acceptable! No matter how young a puppy you have.
If you have an adult Malinois that displays biting behavior do read our article ”Why do Belgian Malinois Bite So Much (+ How To Prevent It?)”
How To Train a Belgian Malinois Puppy Not To Bite?
First, you need to have a lot of patience to get through this period. If a puppy is removed too early from his mother and other littermates ( before 6 weeks of age) he will display more biting issues.
Bear in mind that this breed is highly energetic and puppies are full of energy as well. You need to exercise your puppy a lot.
Many owners are concerned about the puppy’s growing joints and bones and use this as an excuse for not exercising their pets enough.
It’s true that you need to be careful, as over-exercising your puppy might have a bad impact on his musculoskeletal development but do consult your vet about this and exercise your puppy as much as your vet recommends.
Note that a puppy that doesn’t exercise, becomes bored. The energy that he didn’t spend, accumulates.
Boredom in combination with pent-up energy is a receipt for disaster. Your young Mal becomes overly excited and biting is one of the things that will happen for sure.
Malinois are loyal dogs but you need to build a strong bond and good relationship with your puppy. Once your puppy sees you as a leader who he respects, you can teach him anything including not to bite.
Your puppy has to see you as a leader he gets guidance and directions from.
You need to act calmly and consistently. You need to spend time with your puppy, to play with him. When you bring your puppy to your home, you can practice hand feeding at first so your Mal learns that you are the one who brings food.
Train him on basic vocal commands like sit, stay, come, no bite, leave it, and down. Never use only NO because it doesn’t mean anything. If you want your puppy to stop biting something, say NO BITE, not just NO!
Don’t play rough with your puppy, at least not at the beginning. You cannot play harshly and then expect your dog not to bite. First, he needs to learn not to bite, and then you two can play rough games.
No matter how good a relationship you have established with your dog, puppies will always bite. A puppy that has a lot of daily exercises and sees you as a leader that he respects will bite a lot less but it still can happen.
When your puppy bites you, you need to transform from a fun and loving person who has just played with him a second ago to a stern and unsmiling person, a pack leader with a serious look.
First, you need to say one loud but firm ”OUCH” and stop whatever you have been doing.
Stand up ( if you have been sitting on the floor or wherever )chest up. Your verbal correction and your body posture carry a message: ”Stop doing it right now!”
If you have a good relationship with your puppy, this would be just enough. Your puppy learns that biting is unwanted behavior that his pack leader(you) disproves and because of this he loses your attention.
He also learns a biting tolerance for certain things. There is 0 tolerance for biting you or any other member of your family and friends.
What your puppy also needs to learn is that human skin is fragile, he can hurt you easily.
After verbal correction, you need to redirect his bad behavior and show him what he can chew instead to bite you.
Give your dog some nice, sturdy chewing toys and once he accepts and starts chewing appropriate things don’t forget to praise him ( ”Good boy” )
Remember that you ( and not just you but all people in your household) need to be 100% consistent and react the same way every time a biting accident happens.
