About Puppy Biting or Nipping

“The Baby Shark Phase”

First of all, a puppy that is biting is NOT inherently vicious or aggressive. Puppies nip, bite and chew. This is normal and expected and can be managed until they naturally outgrow it, usually around 3-6 months of age and almost always by 7 months when their adult teeth are in and their gums have adjusted.

And while some breeds like Australian Shepherds are known for communicating with their mouth, puppy nipping and mouthing is something all puppies do.

Prey drive is the genetic instinct many dogs have to chase things that move. Dogs with more prey drive are the ones that really enjoy chasing balls; toys and sometimes even kids. Most dogs have some degree of this drive, so just because a puppy grabs at your pant leg, doesn’t automatically indicate a high prey drive.

To understand how to deter a puppy from play-biting or nipping you must first understand why a pup is engaging in this behavior.

Why Puppies Bite:

Puppies bite because that is their method of discovering and interacting with you and the world around them. They can’t pick things up with their paws, so they try to do it with their mouths!

Puppy biting begins with littermates. When puppies are about 4 weeks old they begin to play with their littermates. This play involves physical activity games; they push each other around and bite one another on the ear, head or any part accessible.. They straddle, dominate and chase one another in games that resemble chasing prey. This is not early aggression, it is a game of pack behavior.

Puppies need to learn how to live with their new human pack members and it's the humans who need to educate them. This begins with the breeder who interacts with them and helps teach them a soft bite and redirects them as needed, but when puppies change environments and enter the home of their new family, they sometimes act exactly like they did with their littermates. They bite, chew-on the new family members and chase them, just as they did with their littermates. They need to learn this next family environment is different from their pack and requires a different type of play.

This is where trouble starts with new pet owners. Puppies think they are playing with new friends and humans think the puppy is being aggressive.

So What To Do?

Expected or not, puppy teeth are very sharp little pointy things that HURT. They can unintentionally draw blood. They can cut fingers and ankles if they latch on and you jerk your hand or leg away. If you have an elderly person in the home with fragile skin, have them wear thin gloves when interacting with the puppy at first.

So we know we need to teach the puppy that biting us is not acceptable behavior. We need to show the puppy an alternative behavior that satisfies their drive to bite. There are a number of ways to do this with “yelping” and “redirection” being the most common. My preferred method is an early form of the “leave it” command and starts with rewarding the puppy when they “back off” of your hand. Read on below for tips how to start teaching this.

Exercise:

The more exercise your puppy gets the less energy they have for biting. Puppies need physical and mental stimulation and having enough of both will alleviate a lot of behavior problems. Puppies should not be in a crate for more than 3 hours when they are young. Doing so, increases frustration and over-excitement when out of the crate, resulting in a puppy more inclined to bite inappropriately.

Take your pup outside every hour or so for potty breaks and for a couple of short walks a day. A general rule of thumb for a puppy is about 5 minutes of exercise per month of age, 2x a day. So your 3 month old puppy should be exercised for 15 minutes twice a day. If your puppy hasn’t completed their puppy series of vaccinations and can’t go for walks yet, engage them with an a puzzle game, snuffle mat, indoor fetch game or a training session to alleviate boredome and stimulate thier mind.

For the first year, jogging with your puppy is not recommended as this is detrimental to their developing joints.

Yelping:

When littermates play with one another and one gets bitten too hard it yelps. This yelping is their way to communicate that the play biting is too rough. So there are times a human “yelping” is enough to teach the pup that what they are doing is unacceptable.

If the pup lets go then you can praise and gently pet them. Give a food treat or a high value toy to play with. And remember to be calm which will encourage calm in your puppy. Praise a puppy for naturally calm behaviors like sitting and pet them on their chest not around the head or mouth which will encourage them to be mouthy.

Redirecting:

When you take your puppy out of their crate and/or pen to go outside to potty first and once inside, always have a toy and treats handy. Be prepared to give them the toy if they start chewing on hands or ankles. Use the food treats to trade for the toy when you want it back.

You can redirect the puppy by either tossing a toy a foot or two (not too far) away from you or move it around in front of the pup in a manner that builds interest. Once they engage with the toy instead of you, praise them with a “Yes”. You will learn through experience how to redirect your puppy off of you and onto the toy.

Once you get a pup to redirect onto a toy you are on the road towards teaching that puppy that there are more interesting prey items than your hands and legs.

Teaching “Leave It” (My Favorite Method):

Teaching “leave it” is an important training technique. In it’s simplest form, “leave it” teaches restraint. It can save your puppy from eating those grapes that a child just dropped on the floor. In the case of a Therapy or Service Dog, it can keep them from eating a pill found on a hospital floor. And a puppy that can restrain from grabbing a treat in your hand or from the floor is more likely to leave your hand alone when you ask.

Get your puppy’s attention by asking for a sit and giving them a treat.
Place a treat in your hand so your puppy sees it and then make a fist to prevent your puppy from eating it.
Your puppy will try to sniff, lick, paw at and possibly bite at your hand to get to the treat. Respond with an “ah ah” sound.
When your pup backs off your hand (meaint to move away from it) in even the smallest way, give them a quick “yes” or “good” and reward with a different treat from your other hand.
Keep practicing this behavior and once your puppy starts to generalize the concept, introduce the cue of “leave it” right as you see your puppy diverting attention from your hand.
Once they have this, increase the difficulty level by showing them the treat and later putting it on the ground just under your foot so you can quickly block it if they get too close. Also remember to put the original treat away and reward with a different one.
Eventually, switch to socks, toys etc. Your goal is to help your pup understand that ‘leave it’ means they are not to touch the item, no matter what.

Time Out:

Sometimes puppies are over-stimulated and sometimes they are just overly tired. You can pick them up in the football hold (mouth facing away from you) for an off the ground time out, or if necessary give them a longer time out by gently placing them in a playpen. Supervise all play with the kids and make sure they are not interacting with you or your children when they are hungry or over stimulated. They are likely already uncomfortable as their adult teeth come in, painfully pushing their way through their gums. Soothe them like you would an infant by giving them frozen toys to teethe on. And ensure they have their quiet place for plenty of puppy required snoozing.

Reminders:

Remember that your puppy is just a baby. You wouldn’t spray water on a crying infant or spray your baby with bitter spray because they nipped you while you were nursing them. Remember that old advice to bite their ear if they bite you…totally wrong. You will break that bond and trust you have been working on by resorting to punishment as your form of correction. They don’t know they are hurting you and hurting them back or punishing is not the answer.

Do not automatically label your puppy as aggressive or vicious. Male puppies don’t start developing testosterone until they are 4 or 5 months of age and it peeks at 10 months so not likely the cause.

Puppies easily get over-tired and over-stimulated and may just have “lost the plot” because they don’t know what else to do. They need about 20 hours of sleep, in a quiet place of peace and safety. Sometimes it is the family or kids who are inadvertently sending the puppy into overdrive.

We know their teeth are sharp and can hurt. It can scare a young child who doesn’t understand why the cute puppy who was licking their face is now using their teeth. Prepare your kids before the puppy comes home. Teach them to never dangle a toy above the puppy who will then inadvertantly leap up with their best tool to grab it…their mouth. Supervise, have appropriate items for redirecting and intervene when necessary. And consider thin cotton gloves for kids or older family members. Maybe have them wear long sleeves and pants for a while.

Try not to be frustrated and end training sessions on a positive note. When you are frustrated, your pup will likely feel it and become frustrated also. Doodles are very smart and intuitive and have a keen aility to sense our emotions. Usually this is a good thing but not so much if your becoming irritated. So if you are getting overwhelmed and emotional, take your own timeout, a personal break before coming back at it.

Teach the Leave It command. Truly this can be not only the most helpful tool for alleviating puppy biting but is an essential tool to have in your training toolbox!

Keep on hand some indestructable toys with different textures and densities to satisfy their chewing desire. In addition, I highly recommend some chews which help them burn off energy, satisfy hunger and a need to chew. Yak Cheese Dog Chews, Elk Antler Splits, Bully Sticks and Beef Tendon Chews all will work for this.

Finally, puppies repeat what gets rewarded! You need to praise the successful moments. When your pup comes up to you without being nippy, be positive, praise and reward them. Mark the good behaviors with a “Yes” or “Good” and/or a reward. How will they learn what you want them to do if you don’t let them know when its happening.

Zak George also has a good video to watch. Just click the link below.

How to STOP The PUPPY BITING & CHEWING MACHINE! Reality Dog Training