Biting Puppy - Ouch!

Welcoming a new puppy into your home is genuinely exciting. Yet along with all that fun often come a few challenges, including those needle-sharp biting puppy teeth!

Coping with a biting puppy that nips and mouths with those needle-sharp teeth can be tough to overcome.

With the positive tips below, training your puppy in proper social behavior can be a very rewarding experience for both the new pup and its owners.

Social Interaction

Puppies are highly social animals. As young pups they learn to play, interact and socialize with the other members of their family. While the puppy was still with its siblings, some of that social interaction involved rough-and-tumble play sessions.

During those sessions, the other pups would usually teach your puppy to hold back the strength of its bite by giving a quick yelp and leaving the play if things got too rough.

But now that the puppy has left its siblings and moved in with your family, your biting puppy may no longer receive that natural feedback.

New Playmates

You are now your puppy’s new playmate, and your job is to teach him proper social skills. That means showing him which behaviors are acceptable and which we consider bad dog behavior.

Even though it may be cute, it’s important not to let your new puppy chew or mouth on any part of your body without reprimand.

If you allow it while your puppy is young, they will assume the behavior is acceptable. As the pup grows, its bite will become stronger and the habit will be much harder to break.

How to Stop Puppy Biting

Whenever your biting puppy nips or mouths your hand, say a quick no, ouch, or make a yip sound. At the same time, immediately stop the play or leave the room.

It’s important that the puppy connect the command with the nip and the instant loss of play. These actions show the puppy that its behavior was unacceptable.

To minimize confusion for your puppy, it’s important that every family member gives the same consistent feedback.

If your biting puppy keeps play biting, you may need other means to teach him not to bite or mouth. Some methods use remote punishment or a leash to accomplish this.

Remote Punishment

Remote punishment includes shaker cans, water bottles, air horns, citronella collars and similar tools. These items are not linked to the punisher, yet they frighten and/or startle the puppy when he shows the unwanted behavior.

Once the puppy connects the remote punishment with play biting, he will learn to play gently to avoid being sprayed by the water bottle or startled by a loud sound.

Another way to manage this behavior is to use a leash and head halter.

If the pup starts to play bite inappropriately, a firm but gentle tug on the leash should discourage him.

Remember that physical punishment is discouraged when teaching your puppy to play nicely.

Typically, any attempt at physical punishment, such as pushing the puppy away, grabbing his muzzle, or swatting at him, will be seen as play and only make the problem worse.

Patience and Consistency

Keep in mind that learning proper social skills is a very important part of your puppy’s development, and it’s your job as the new owner to train and encourage him.

All this training takes time and practice, but with patience and consistency your puppy will soon know the right way to control his bite and play appropriately