Springer spaniels usually stop biting anywhere between six and twelve months of age. However, this largely depends on:
- when they stop teething
- if they received proper training
- the Springer’s unique personality
Like most canine puppies, baby Springers will also go through that obsessive period of biting and chewing everything they can get their mouths on.
This is completely natural because your Springer depends on her teeth and jaw strength to defend herself if she is in danger and to successfully chew meat, bones and other types of foods that are necessary for her health and well-being.
Of course, Springer spaniels also use biting as a way to play, especially with games like tug-of-war. While it might be cute at first, if left unattended, that biting can become a big problem when they grow older.
When Does The Biting Start?
The biting normally starts when your Springer spaniel puppy reaches the age of roughly four months old.
This is the time when she starts teething, and just like other mammals, it can be quite a painful process to go through for your pooch.
One of the most common ways in which they try to deal with teething is by biting and chewing.
When Do Springer Spaniels Stop Teething?
The teething usually stops when your Springer spaniel reaches the age of five to six months. At this point, they will have all of their adult teeth.
Another thing to consider is that once they become young adults, their jaws will also gain a lot more strength, and this can make their biting far more dangerous if not dealt with before they become adults.
Why Do Springer Spaniel Puppies Bite?
Here are the main reasons why your pooch bites:
- To explore and play
- To seek attention
- For protection
- Behavior problems that make them aggressive
How To Stop Springer Spaniels From Biting?
First of all, keep in mind that it really depends on how old your Springer spaniel is.
If your pooch is already an adult and is only now starting to bite you and other people, your first step is to figure out why she’s doing this.
It is not normal for an adult Springer spaniel to start biting out of the blue when they have never behaved this way before.
I would highly recommend that you take her to the vet to ensure that it is not a medical condition.
If your Springer spaniel doesn’t have a medical condition, the next step is to take your pooch to an expert on dog behavior.
If, on the other hand, you are dealing with a Springer spaniel that has a history of biting since she was a puppy, this is most likely due to improper training.
For puppies, the best approach is to use what is known as puppy bite inhibition training.
Bite Inhibition Training
In essence, you’re mimicking a Springer spaniel’s mother.
Normally, when a puppy plays with her mother, she might decide to bite harder than is considered acceptable. At this point, the Springer’s mother will then yelp. This will then surprise the puppy Springer because she will realize that her mother has been injured from the bite and so she will normally stop doing this over time.
If, on the other hand, the puppy continues to bite harder than she supposed to, her mother will then move to the next stage which is to yelp and then growl. If this still doesn’t help, the mother will then scruff her puppy.
What normally happens is that the Springer spaniel puppy will gradually learn to use a soft bite, which still allows her to play but in a gentler manner.
By understanding this, we can use the same approach.
So, the next time your Springer spaniel bites you harder than you think is appropriate, try yelping and then ignoring her for a minute before you continue playing with her again.
The trick is to be consistent with this and not to expect a one-time occurrence of this training to fix everything.
If you find that your Springer spaniel puppy is still biting too much, you can become firmer.
So, yelp, and then in a stern voice say no, and then ignore your puppy for a minute.
Another thing that you can do is to replace your finger with a chew toy, and once your puppy starts chewing on it, praise her.
What you never want to do is to use negative reinforcement because this could make your Springer spaniel become aggressive over time.
Now, understand that there is a lot more needed than simply using this technique.
Exercise Your Springer Spaniel to Minimize Biting
Springer spaniels, especially when they are puppies, generally have a lot of energy and need some way to burn it.
If they’re unable to get enough exercise, they will become very hyper, and biting is normally typical under these conditions.
They are biting you to get your attention and to get rid of that excess energy. And trust me, that biting will continue for a very long time unless you find a way to tire them out.
Exercising your Springer spaniel and providing her with chew toys on a daily basis is a great way for her to burn that energy.
By giving your pooch at least two sessions of exercise during the day, with each exercise session being roughly one hour, it will be a great start in making her sufficiently tired so that she doesn’t feel the need to bite an behave in a negative way.
Some people recommend using non-toxic bitter sprays to deter their Springers from biting. I personally think that this isn’t the best approach because you’re simply using reactive methods. And while they might work for a while, it won’t deal with the long-term problem.
Maybe it will stop your dog from biting. However, as she still hasn’t been trained properly or has no way to expend all of that extra energy, she will most likely exhibit other negative behaviors as a way to deal with her problem.
Conclusion
Like every other dog, Springer spaniels can also bite, and sometimes it can turn into a problem for the dog owner.
Before trying to minimize your pooch’s biting habits, it’s important to first find out what the root of the problem is.
With this information, you can then use the correct approach to train your Springer spaniel not to bite during times when it’s inappropriate, and that when they do bite, that they will do it in a gentle way so as not to injure you or anyone else.
The key to this is being consistent in the approach, making sure that you do have the correct approach, and ensuring that you first take your Springer spaniel to a vet to rule out any medical condition.
Also, if you think that it’s a problem you’re unable to deal with, don’t hesitate to call an expert in dog behavior.