Puppy biting:

How to control dog biting

Is your puppy using you as a chew toy? Puppy biting and nipping habits are one of a new owner's biggest concerns, right after house training.

 

Puppies seem to think humans are the tastiest, nicest things to chew! But nipping can become a problem if it's not controlled. And there's always the worry that a pup that bites when young will become a problem dog when older.

But biting in puppies is normal and even desirable - we just need to learn how to control it and channel it the right way.

---

On this page:

Why does my puppy bite me?

How to control puppy biting

Don't punish your puppy for nipping

---

Why does my puppy bite me?

All puppies like to bite and mouth each other and humans - particularly our delicate fingers and toes! This is perfectly normal for a puppy. In fact, it's so normal that a puppy not doing so should raise some concern.

What's the reason for puppy biting?

When puppies live with their mother and litter mates, they bite and chew on one another in play. If they bite too hard, they get a clear signal from their litter mate: a squeal, a snap and the other puppy may just get up and walk away.

This teaches the puppy that there are limits it can't go beyond: bite too hard and all the play stops and you may even get growled at (particularly if you bite your mother too hard!). But it also learns that a certain amount of gentle biting and mouthing is OK.

This valuable lesson will carry on through the dog's adult life. The dog will have an understanding of the difference between a hard bite, when it really sinks its teeth in, and a gentle bite, when it uses a 'soft mouth'.

This process is called bite inhibition. This process is begun by the puppy's mother and litter mates and it's up to you to continue it.

This is another good reason for not buying puppies that are under 8 weeks of age - the longer the puppy spends with its litter mates and mother, the more it will learn about bite inhibition naturally.

Should I stop my puppy biting altogether?

No! It's actually a good thing that your puppy learns to mouth and bite gently when young, when its jaws are weak. If a puppy is never allowed to find out the difference between hard biting and soft mouthing, it could completely overreact later in life if something happens to provoke it.

For example, if a child accidentally hurts a dog that has never learned bite inhibition, the dog is likely to lash out and sink its teeth in hard. It does not know the strength of its own jaws because it has never been allowed to experiment and find out.

The secret is to teach the puppy what is acceptable in puppy biting and what is not. Puppies must learn that painful biting is not allowed but that gentle mouthing is OK under certain conditions.

Top

How to control puppy biting

The best way to control puppy biting is to act like a puppy!

When your puppy bites your hand too hard:

• Give a high-pitched squeal of pain.
• Wrap your fingers into a closed fist so there's nothing to bite on.
• Hide your fists under your arms.
• Turn away from the puppy for a few seconds.

In other words, you withdraw hurt from play.

You can even get up and leave the room, closing the door after you. Return and resume play after a few seconds.

Your puppy will quickly learn that you are a great big, soft, delicate creature - probably even more delicate than its litter mates - and that biting you too hard takes all the fun away.

Provide other things to chew

Since we know that puppies will bite and chew - particularly when teething - make sure there are plenty of good things around for them to chew on. Toys and rawhide bones are good. If your puppy's play becomes too boisterous, divert the biting to one of their toys instead.

Puppy biting clothes

Some puppies become quite cunning and assume that, since you are such a softy, they will bite something else for fun - your clothes, for example - and will run after you, nipping at your trouser legs.

You can try the method described above again (squealing and leaving the room) to show the puppy that even your clothes are delicate.

Top

Don't punish your puppy for nipping

Don't ever make the mistake of punishing your puppy for biting. Certainly, never hit your puppy to stop it biting.

Hitting or punishing your puppy is likely to have two effects:

• The puppy stops biting out of fear and never learns how to bite softly. So if something happens later in life, it will overreact and bite hard. Punishment stops dogs learning.
• The puppy becomes afraid of you. This will make it very hard for you to train the puppy later in life. A scared dog doesn't learn.

Some people recommend spraying the puppy with water if the bad puppy biting habit continues. This can work if used very sparingly but the danger is that you will end up with a pup that is frightened of water.

Others recommend rattling something loud, such as a tin full of coins, to scare the pup into stopping. Once again, you might just cause your puppy to be scared of loud noises, creating further problems later in life.

If you have tried the gentle methods described here for some time without success and your pup is growing older and causing trouble with his puppy biting, you might need to consult a professional dog trainer or a dog behaviour specialist.

This is better than launching into punishment methods that could have unforeseen effects later in the dog's life.

Top

 

Return to top

Go back to How To Train A Puppy