How to stop my puppy from biting

Why do puppies bite?

When thinking about how to deal with puppy biting, it’s important to understand why it happens… And why - while we may not like it - it’s entirely natural and a key part of their development.

When your puppy first comes home with you, they are still a baby and in their first few months with you are growing and developing their social skills. Up until now, all their play has been with their mum and their littermates – and the only way they have to play, is with their teeth. Mum might have taught them not to bite hard but toothy games have been the main way to interact and play with their canine family.

Also – a lot like a human baby – they have very limited ways to explore new things in their environment at this age. And so everything goes in their mouth! 

There are other reasons why puppies play bite (or ‘exploring bite’) or might bite more than others – and it’s important we understand those:

"It's in my genes"

Many of the breeds and crosses that have become incredibly popular are dogs originally selectively bred to use their mouths to hold and carry things. Or catch and kill things.

This is nearly all the gundog breeds - including the Cockapoo, the Labradoodle, and other gundog crosses - all the terrier breeds, and some of the working and hound breeds.

These are dogs whose behaviour and play repertoire is already very mouth-focused. They’ll naturally and instinctively interact with the world using their mouths, so it’s up to owners to understand and channel those natural behaviours on things that are appropriate to bite.

It's how to make friends...isn't it?!"

A puppy comes to their new owner directly from life with their mother and their littermates. Puppies have very limited ways to play at this age - and it’s all bitey, chewy focused.

This is partly because they don't have any better-developed social skills yet. It’s partly because that’s how all dogs play together. And it’s also because this is a developmental process where puppies learn bite-inhibition from their mum, and their brothers and sisters. It’s at a time when their teeth are really sharp, but their jaws have no power to injure.

When a puppy goes to their new home, they’re totally alone for the first time in their life. And they need to develop a social bond with their new family.

The only way they know how to do this is with play. And the only way they know how to play is with teeth. It might hurt, but a puppy is trying in the only way they know to build a social connection.

"Isn't this how we play?"

While a puppy doesn’t know how to play with humans, humans seem to have no idea how to play with a puppy either.

Often owners play with puppies using their hands - sometimes quite roughly - and you’ll see people pushing and shoving puppies as part of a game. While more confident puppies can enjoy this, it does teach them that hands are a focus for play. And when play gets boisterous, often that comes with teeth. Other puppies find this intimidating and scary, even though they are too small to do anything about it. This is storing up problems for the future.

As a way to say “‘I don’t like this”

Playing roughly with puppies can quite literally come back to bite you. Puppies are only babies, and they don’t have the behavioural skills or the confidence to object to rough handling - no matter how much they don’t like it or how much it worries them.

Many people are shocked when their adolescent dog reacts with aggression to something ‘they used to enjoy’ without realising they never enjoyed it. They were just too young to be able to show their objection or fears.

“No one has shown me that toys are better than hands”

On the other hand, owners don’t spend enough time teaching their puppy that toys are great to play with.

People having problems with their dog biting often say - when told to deflect the biting onto a toy - that their dog isn’t interested in toys. They just want to grab a hand. They don’t seem to realise that they’ve taught their dog to do just that.

“I am teething”

At various stages of their development, puppies are teething and their gums hurt. Chewing is necessary at these times, and can bring relief too. But they may well also be fractious and a bit out of sorts.

“I am so tired, all the time”

This is quite probably the number one cause of puppy biting. Puppies need a surprising amount of sleep - in the first few weeks they need 18-20 hours a day! 

If you live in a busy household, or are just on the go all the time, your puppy may end up sleep-deprived. And anyone who’s spent time with an overtired toddler will know exactly what that means!. They get fractious, irritable, and in the case of puppies, often bitey. 

In the same way you would with a baby, schedule nap times into your puppy’s day at times when you can relax and be quiet too (or work from one place while they doze) – and make sure they do sleep! Puppies can have a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) and if you are charging around, they will want to too. Have a bed in every room your puppy will be in – and even consider using a play pen to keep them calm. 

How to cope with puppy biting

• Understand why it’s happening - and that it’s a natural puppy behaviour and part of their development. It isn’t unusual, and it isn’t your puppy being badly behaved.
• Make sure your puppy is getting enough good-quality, undisturbed sleep.
• Stop playing rough, exciting games with your puppy. Play should be about calm, thoughtful, bonding exercises - and not high-energy, physical games that lead to increased arousal and - all-too-often - grabbing and biting.
• Spend time playing with toys with your puppy. By having a puppy that enjoys playing with toys, you can give them something to focus on that they can bite, grab and chew. All puppies need to do this as part of their development. And you need something you can redirect any play-biting onto. This is going to be really important at teething time too.
• Do not punish your puppy for biting. Aggression breeds aggression, and you’re very likely to make the situation worse either immediately or in the future. Either way, you will erode the relationship you have with your puppy, and they’ll trust you and your hands less. And an adult dog who’s fearful of human hands is not a good thing.
• If your puppy’s arousal levels get high and you can’t deflect them onto a toy, give them something to focus on away from your hands that's distracting and rewarding but doesn’t use teeth. Scatter some treats around the floor that they have to seek out, or use a snuffle mat or a licky mat. If your puppy’s nose is on the floor sniffing, their teeth are not near your skin.

When to seek help

• If you think that your puppy isn’t biting in play, or you are worried about them causing any injury
• If you are worried about puppy biting escalating
• If your dog is no longer a puppy, with a full set of adult teeth, and is:
  • still biting, or
  • scaring you and your family, or
  • causing injury

…Find an accredited behaviourist who can help you prevent this from becoming a more serious problem. This is something to do sooner rather than later – as sometimes just a little bit of professional help can put you onto the right track from the start rather than having to ‘re-learn things’.

All puppies will go through a phase of play-biting. But with some understanding and prevention of the most common causes - and some careful management of the rest - this phase will soon be over.