While nipping and mouthing are natural behaviours for puppies, it’s not behaviour that dog owners want to deal with when they become adult dogs. Your puppy must learn this behaviour can lead to injury, especially if the nipping develops into bites and the dog starts biting other dogs or people.

So, if your puppy starts biting, or just won’t stop biting, here are some tips on how to teach your puppy not to bite.

Why Does My Puppy Bite?

If you’re wondering why puppies bite, puppy nipping and mouthing is part of their normal way of interacting with other dogs (and people) during play. It’s normal, non-aggressive behaviour and a way for a puppy to play and explore the world. But it’s not always easy to distinguish between non-aggressive play and aggressive behaviour. Some dogs may use their mouths when they’re feeling scared, bored or frustrated out of lack of mental stimulation.

Play biting may be acceptable in young puppies, but if biting your hands is getting out of hand, there are ways to stop puppy biting. Puppies’ mouths are small, but puppy teeth are sharp, and a puppy bite can hurt! Bites will become more powerful and painful as they mature. A puppy teething may also start to bite more, so provide them with bite chew and tug toys.

Don’t discourage your pup from playing as it builds the bond between you and your dog. And never physically punish a dog that has bitten as this can cause your dog to become scared and aggressive. Reward the way they learn bite inhibition and good behaviour with positive reinforcement like praise, playtime or treats. Don’t wave your fingers or toes in your puppy’s face; this can encourage your dog to bite you. And don’t quickly pull your hands away from your dog when they mouth; let your hands go limp instead.

How Can I Tell Play-Biting from Aggressive Dog Behaviour?

Dogs use a complex range of body postures, high-pitched vocalisation and scent to express themselves. Understanding your dog’s body language and recognising the warning signs that they may be feeling threatened, can help avoid situations leading to aggression.

It’s very important that you recognise when a dog wants to play, when to leave them alone, and to know the signs that can indicate they feel agitated or threatened. During play, a dog’s face and body will be relaxed and their tail will be held low and wagging.

An aggressive dog shows signs like having a tense body, wrinkled muzzle, show their teeth and hold their tail high. They may start barking, growling and sway back and forth. They may start pacing and the hair around their shoulders and back (hackles) may stand up. Their ears may be erect or flattened against their head. If they feel threatened by another dog or person, they may go on to bite.

Other signs that a dog is feeling anxious or scared include avoiding your gaze, backing up as you approach or adopting a hunchback position.

How to Stop a Puppy from Biting

To train your puppy to stop biting, you can try teaching them bite inhibition (or ‘time-out’ procedure). Bite inhibition is the ability of a dog to control the force of their nipping and mouthing behaviour. Young dogs usually learn this as puppies; if puppies nip, bite or mouth too hard, their playmates will yelp and stop playing. The offender is usually surprised by this and will stop playing.

They’ll soon be back playing together, but the puppy learns that by controlling the force of their nipping and mouthing, their friend doesn’t get hurt and play continues. So, when your young pooch nips you a bit too hard, give a high-pitched yelp, say ‘no’ firmly and stop play for around 10-20 seconds. If this doesn’t work, walk away for 10-20 seconds instead.

Give them plenty of opportunities to understand, and praise your dog for stopping and then start playing together again. If the unwanted behaviour continues, repeat the process or add on a ‘time-out’. They’ll soon learn that gentle play continues but painful play stops!

My Puppy Won’t Stop Biting Me, I’ve Tried Everything!

If your puppy still keeps biting, there are ways you can train your dog not to bite. If dogs haven’t been well socialised when they’re young, they may find new situations frightening and may bite out of fear. When introducing your dog to new people or other dogs, do it slowly.

Keep them on a lead so that dogs that do start fighting can be quickly separated. Training your puppy should be easy, but dog training classes can help owners understand their dog’s behaviour as well as allowing the dog to mix safely with other people and dogs.

It’s also sensible to always have your dog on a lead/harness when around other dogs or people and use a muzzle if needed. Neutering intact male dogs may also help to stop dog bites.

You can use one or more of the following ways to stop your dog nipping/mouthing:

• Use the bite inhibition technique described above.
• Give your pup a chew toy whenever it looks like they might bite.
• If they nip or mouth while being petted, give them small treats from your free hand. This will let them get used to being touched without being able to nip or mouth.
• Use non-contact forms of play, like fetch. Your dog may begin to look for a toy when they feel like mouthing.
• Teach your dog impulse control using commands such as "sit", "wait", and "leave it" or "off". Training your dog to ‘leave’ a treat or toy will teach your dog to be patient and can be useful to stop your dog biting.
• Organise play dates so your pup can play with other friendly dogs, so they don’t play roughly.
• Use a taste deterrent (like a bitter apple spray) so that they learn not to bite human skin. Praise your dog when they let go of you. Use the deterrent on your hands/arms for about 2 weeks; your dog should learn not to mouth you. Make sure the taste deterrent is safe and non-toxic for dogs. 
• Ask your vet for advice – they may refer you to a certified professional dog trainer.

If you’re unable to stop your puppy biting and you think they’re biting due to aggressive behaviour, don’t delay in asking for help.

Stopping your puppy from biting from an early age is really important. You can train a puppy not to bite using bite inhibition. But if your pup shows aggressive behaviour towards other dogs or people, use a harness and muzzle when out for a walk and always reward good behaviour.

Learn to understand their body language so you can predict if they’re going to bite. If your dog continues to bite aggressively, your vet can refer you to a dog trainer or behaviour specialist. An obedient dog is generally a happy dog, which makes for a happy owner!

Everypaw Puppy Insurance

Everypaw's Puppy Insurance comes with 24/7 unlimited access to vets and vet nurses that can help with your pet's health, care, nutrition and behaviour. So you can rest assured your pup will be well looked after.

Get a quote

 

Content provided by Vetstream Canis - https://www.vetlexicon.com/treat/canis

Vetstream’s Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.