Nipping is a natural inane instinct of puppies to seek out leadership amongst their siblings. However, once your puppy comes home it should not be tolerated and training your pup NOT to nip is very important to prevent a nip from becoming a bite. It should be done as soon as possible or you will give up all control over your puppy and they will control you. Parents must also supervise their kids at home for at least the first few weeks when the new puppy arrives, as sometimes kids, in their excitement and earnest to play with the puppy can end up prodding or pulling at it to the point where the puppy retaliates. Think about it, as an adult would you want to be pushed, pulled or poked constantly? No. Both parents and their children have to be trained on how to interact with a new puppy, and if possible bring the children with you to your professional training class. The good news is that you can stop nipping if done early enough. One way is by reacting as soon as they nip at you and remember do not EVER use force or get physical…….for example, your puppy nips at you, you immediately yell “OUCH” as loud as you can which gets his/her attention that this is not a desirable behaviour. It may take a few times but he/she will learn to associate the nipping with the loud noise they don’t like. Keep in mind that training a puppy takes time and repetition to get the desired behaviors or change unwanted behaviors, and never use force. It is not an overnight process or a 1 and done, but if you do not get it under control quickly it is much, much harder to get rid of later on. Remember you are now the LEADER of the pack! You are in charge. If you don’t do the training or reinforce it with kids at home, your puppy will become the Leader.