Puppy biting is a very normal, natural behaviour. Much like babies and toddlers, puppies learn to understand the world around them through their mouths. They learn a lot about how to use their mouths appropriately through their interactions with their mum and littermates. A puppy’s littermates will stop playing with them if they bite too hard. Learning bite inhibition is one of the reasons it’s so important that a puppy is not removed from their littermates before 8 weeks old. Whilst puppy biting is normal behaviour, there are some factors that will make the biting more frequent and more intense. These include:
- Your puppy being tired
- Over-excitement and overstimulation
- They are wanting to end an interaction they’re not enjoying the only way they know
- Frustration
- Teething
Teething
At around 12 weeks old, your puppies ‘baby’ teeth, known as deciduous teeth, will start to fall out. They have 28 teeth to fall out. You may find these around the house or you may find none of them as many puppies will swallow them. Both are totally normal and nothing to worry about. Much like with babies, teething is sore for puppies and they are often extra bitey when this is happening. Signs your puppy is teething include them having smelly breath and finding blood on toys/blankets. They may also be more fussy with food and may seem more or less interested in hard, crunchy foods than usual. Finding teeth is also a clear sign your sign is teething! This goes on until your puppy is around 6 months old when they will then have all of their ‘adult’ teeth.
Sleep and Stimulation
Puppy biting is often more intense and frequent when your puppy is overtired and/or overstimulated. An 8 week old puppy needs 18-20 hours sleep per 24 hour period. This decreases as they get older. Plenty of undisturbed rest is key for your puppy’s overall development. You may wish to look at crate training to ensure your puppy gets enough rest, though a crate is not essential. Lots of stimulation in the form of new experiences, like meeting new dogs and people, can contribute to your puppy being extra bitey. Make sure they get plenty of opportunities for rest in between these new experiences. Conversely, your puppy might be extra bitey if they are bored and frustrated. It can be tricky to find the sweet spot of appropriately stimulated but not over-stimulated! Suitable toys and puzzles can help keep your puppy challenged without leading to over-stimulation, you can have a read of some of our favourite toys for puppies here.
Reducing puppy biting
So you know why puppies bite and the factors that can make it worse, let’s look at what we can do to help manage the biting. When your puppy inevitably starts nibbling at your fingers, consider why they are biting in this context. This will help you decide what’s going to be the best way to deal with the behaviour in this specific situation. If your dog has just woken up from a nap, they are likely ready to play. This is the perfect time to engage them in some early training games or to go for a walk and use up some of that energy. If the biting occurs when you’ve just got back from a walk, they may just need a little help in settling down after all that excitement. This is a good time to provide a suitable long lasting chew. Chewing is a naturally calming behaviour for all dogs and helps them to relax. We recommend having a look at JR Pet Products, who have a great range of chews and you can choose products based on your puppies age to ensure it’s suitable for them.
What you can do
If your puppy bites you or your clothing whilst you’re interacting with them, try re-directing them to a suitable toy. You’ll want to have plenty of toys available and close to hand whenever you are playing with your puppy so you can redirect them to the toy straight away. Consider also how you are engaging with your dog. If you are moving around quickly and making lots of noise, your puppy is more likely to bite as they get more excited. If you’re calm, they are more likely to be calm too.
Be sure to mark and reward calm and appropriate behaviour interactions. Teaching your puppy a marker word is a great training exercise too and will be useful for all your future training. You can learn how to train a marker word here. You want to teach your puppy that not biting is the behaviour they will be rewarded for. The more you reward them for a behaviour, the more they will repeat that behaviour. You can mark and reward your puppy whenever they are behaving in a way you like and thereby start to build a history of reinforcement for that behaviour, instead of biting.
When to seek help
The majority of puppy biting is a normal part of your dog’s early development. However, there are some instances where puppy biting is more serious and you should seek the help of a force free trainer or behaviourist. For example, if your puppy is biting when you approach them whilst they are eating, playing with a toy or in their bed, they may be resource guarding. This is concerning behaviour to see in a young puppy but it can improve with the right help and training. Seek the help of a professional if your puppy is growling, snarling, air snapping and biting in any context. You should also work with a trainer or behaviourist if you are worried about your puppy’s biting and you have children or frequently have children visiting your home.
What to avoid
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of out-dated (read: terrible) advice out there with it comes to managing puppy biting. The one we hear the most is to ‘yelp’ or say ouch whenever your puppy bites you. Supposedly this replicates what your pup’s littermates would do to end the play if your puppy bit them too hard. But here’s the thing… your puppy knows that you’re not one of their littermates. A lot of the time, a high pitched noise like that will actually just get your puppy more excited and more likely to bite you again! Stay calm and redirect your puppy to something else.
You also do not need to use any physical or verbal punishments to stop puppy biting. Telling your pup NO!, ‘tapping’ them on the nose or anything like that will not actually stop them biting. You just run the risk of teaching your pup that you are not a safe person to be around when they’re over tired or teething. Lastly, your puppy is definitely not trying to be dominant or find their place in the pack. The myth that dogs are pack animals is pervasive, but dogs are actually social animals that form family groups. Puppy biting is a tough phase but it will pass and before you know it, you’ll be dealing with the struggles of an adolescent dog instead!
What next?
- Looking for more help with your puppy or dog? Contact us to arrange in person or online training.
- Read more blog posts here.
- Perfect Recall: Teaching your dog to come back when called every time. Our guide is free to download when you join our email list- sign up here.