Dogs are eager to please those who feed and protect them, and most puppies learn quickly to please to earn what they need for survival.

Praising your puppy for bringing you a toy or for sitting typically increases the frequency of those behaviors.

Conversely, if your puppy is biting at people during play, the best consequence might be a time out -- removing the social interaction he craves. Stopping play and ignoring the puppy or putting the puppy in a bathroom or laundry room for a few minutes allows your pet to calm down and learn an important lesson: When puppy teeth touch human flesh, the good times stop rolling.

Animal behavior experts Susan and Roland Tripp are the authors of "On Good Behavior." For more information, visit their Web site at AnimalBehavior.net.