Dealing with a nippy puppy who is half dog and half piranha is a challenging part of new pet parenthood. The nonstop needle-toothed bites might make you wonder if your puppy’s behavior is normal, but coping with a mouthy puppy is a very typical rite of passage. By using gentle puppy-training techniques, you can make it through this stage without sacrificing your fingers to your furry best friend.
Puppy Biting: An Important Stage
Puppies explore the world with their mouths, and this includes their interactions with their littermates. During play, if one puppy nips too hard, the other dog will signal their discomfort with a high-pitched squeal and retreat from the game. This clear feedback helps the puppy start to gauge the force of their nips and understand when they’ve crossed the line from fun to pain. While many pet parents think that a puppy should never put teeth on human skin, it’s important to allow young puppies to gently investigate skin with their mouths. This step allows puppies to learn “bite inhibition,” or the ability to adjust the force of the puppy’s bite, while at the same time discover just how delicate our human skin is. When a pup’s exploratory mouthing moves from gentle to painful, we can use similar “signal and retreat” feedback to teach him what’s acceptable. Then in time, you can help your pup understand that putting his teeth on people isn’t an option.
How to Stop a Puppy from Biting
When your puppy bites down on you, mark the behavior by saying “ouch” and ignore your puppy for about ten seconds (don’t shriek directly at your puppy or sound too shrill, as some pups consider this an invitation to play). Begin interacting with your puppy again, and if he nips say “ouch” to mark it, then walk away. Leaving your dog alone for a few moments is a gentle and effective punishment, because our puppies always want to be close to us. It will take repeated and well-timed “ouch and retreat” sessions before your puppy understands that his biting is your reason for leaving. If you’re consistent and you time the “ouch” at the exact moment your pup clamps down, he’ll soon realize that biting too hard makes his favorite person go away.
The Wrong Approach
Outdated training techniques suggest using force or pain to address puppy mouthing, but these methods can damage the growing bond you have with your puppy. No matter how hard those little teeth might hurt, never use the following approaches:
- Shoving fingers in your puppy’s mouth when he nips.
- Holding your puppy’s mouth closed.
- “Bopping” (hitting) your puppy’s nose or chin when he bites.
- Pinning your puppy to the ground.
Finally, don’t forget to keep a supply of puppy chew toys and bones on hand to keep your pup’s busy jaws occupied. If you notice your dog slipping into nip-mode, offer him a treat-stuffed hard rubber toy that he can gnaw on instead of your fingers.