Puppy Biting, Nipping and Mouthing

How hard is too hard?

You may read that you should teach your puppy not to bite too hard.

But what's too hard?

What doesn't hurt you may hurt somebody else. What you tolerate today may feel very different when you're tired tomorrow.

And any nip could be too hard if your puppy does it to a child or somebody outside your family and friends.

That's why I prefer a much clearer rule:

Don't put your teeth on humans — skin, clothes or hair.

It's much easier for your puppy to understand if everybody is consistent.

What should you do when your puppy bites?

Don't shout at your puppy.

They aren't deliberately doing something wrong. They simply don't yet understand that biting people isn't allowed.

If you're sitting quietly stroking your puppy and they start nibbling your fingers, give a gentle but firm “No” or “Ah-ah” and remove your hand.

If they stop, calmly praise them.

If they don't stop, get up and walk away.

You've made the consequence very simple:

Teeth on me = I stop interacting with you.

What if you're playing?

If you're playing with your puppy and they start biting you, stop the game immediately.

Again, use a firm “No” or “Ah-ah”.

If your puppy is hanging off your arm or clothes, calmly remove them with a firm “Off”.

Once you have stopped the biting you can send them away to play with a toy.

But there's an important distinction here:

Don't wave a toy at your puppy as a distraction while they're still biting you.

Deal with the biting first.

Then give them something appropriate to do.

Three strikes and you're out

If your puppy comes straight back and starts biting again, I work on “three strikes and you're out.”

If you've stopped the behaviour three times and your puppy keeps coming back for more, give them a short time-out.

If your puppy is already happily crate-trained, their crate can be useful for this. If pup uses the crate for time alone and sleeping, it is perfectly ok to use the crate for 'timeout.'

They only need a few minutes.

When they come out again, have something appropriate ready for them to do — perhaps a Kong or a safe toy to chew.

Be careful not to turn getting your puppy into the crate into another game.

Don't chase them.

If you can't catch your puppy without creating a game of chase, simply walk out of the room instead.

The puppy witching hour!

Lots of puppies have a particular time of day when they seem to go completely wild.

They race around.

They grab everything.

They nip at anything within reach.

And they can suddenly appear almost uncontrollable.

Very often, they're tired.

Start noticing when this happens with your puppy.

If it tends to happen at roughly the same time each day, don't wait for the madness to begin.

Get there first.

Settle your puppy in their bed or crate before they become over-excited. Give them something lovely to chew, such as a filled Kong, and help them settle.

Very often, they'll go to sleep.

Prevention is easier than cure

The more you watch your puppy, the more you'll begin to recognise the situations in which biting is likely to happen.

Are they tired?

Over-excited?

Has play gone on too long?

Has play been over-exciting?

Do they need something appropriate to chew?

Rather than repeatedly dealing with the biting once it has started, begin looking for the pattern and step in earlier.

Your puppy isn't being naughty.

They're learning the rules of living with humans.

Your job is simply to make those rules clear, calm and consistent.