Puppy biting is one of the most common problems I get asked about during sessions with new clients, mostly wanting to know how to get it to stop. I completely understand this desire. I used to help raise puppies, and I would come home with teeth marks all over my hands once they got to the age where they needed to learn bite inhibition. But each time someone asks me how to get their puppy to stop biting, I first investigate why the puppy is biting. So, let’s take a quick look at why puppies bite and some tips to get them to stop.
Why Do Puppies Bite?
Before we get started, it is important to note that I will be discussing why puppies bite, as opposed to why they chew. That is a different behavior that happens for slightly different reasons. Okay, here we go!
There are two main reasons puppies bite that I will cover in this short post. The first is to play, and the second is to create space. Of course, there are other reasons puppies bite (if your puppy is showing aggressive behavior, please get in touch with a puppy anxiety specialist immediately), but these are the most common, so I will focus on these.
So why do puppies bite in these situations? Here are the quick answers.
Play Biting: It is fun! Play-biting is a normal form of play in dogs, cats, and many other animals.
Space Requests: This biting is more of a nip and is frequently used when the puppy’s more subtle requests for space have been ignored. It is important that these nips/bites are not punished as they are a legitimate form of communication. If your puppy nips to create space or end play, please consult a trainer to help you learn how to read your puppy’s body language and stop what you are doing before your puppy feels the need to bite.
Tips for How to Get Puppies to Stop Biting
Both kinds of biting mentioned in this short post are important to pay attention to and learn how to respond to correctly. Again, if your puppy displays aggression, it is important to contact a specialist in that field and get some help as soon as possible. However, there are some simple things you can do that will help.
Play Biting:
Tip #1 – Encourage biting on toys rather than hands. Do this by paying close attention to where your puppy is aiming and placing the toy in its path so it bites the toy. When it bites the toy, reinforce it with the game it wasn’t to play. Note: If your puppy is young, please do not play tug of war with it, as this may impair the muscle and tendon growth in its neck. You can play a gentler version where you hold the toy and move it from side to side while your puppy pulls.
Tip #2 – If your puppy doesn’t stop biting, simply end play. Stop moving until your puppy stops, then reinforce it for stopping and give it something else to do. You can give it a game to play on its own (for example, a work-to-eat puzzle) or maybe time outside if it is safe and your puppy enjoys outside time. However, please make sure your puppy is reinforced for the moment it stops biting.
Space Request Biting:
Tip #1 – It is important that you do not punish this kind of biting. Punishing this biting may result in your puppy escalating its behavior to something more damaging and dangerous. The best thing to do is to stop what you are doing and watch your puppy to try and find out what it wants. If your puppy moves away, allow it to do so. If it lies down and chews on a toy, let it do so. Space request biting often happens during play when a puppy is trying to tell the human that it wants to be done, and the human isn’t responding. It may also occur with other puppies and dogs.
Tip #2 – If this happens a lot, make sure you pay close attention to your puppy’s body language and stop interacting with it when it asks more subtly. More subtle ways may include leaning or looking away from you, walking away, turning its back on you, running around faster and more erratically, and fidgeting or sniffing the toy, other objects, or the ground.
Tip #3 – Don’t wait until your puppy bites to see if it wants space. Check regularly during play to make sure your puppy still wants to play. To check, simply stop your participation in play for a moment to see how your puppy responds. If your puppy reengages in playing with you, it probably wants to continue playing with you. If it moves away or does not pay you much attention, it probably wants space and would like to play on its own or take a break.
Closing Thoughts
Play biting and biting to ask for space are normal behaviors that take place both between puppies and humans and puppies and other animals. However, it is essential that you work on teaching your puppy what is referred to as “bite inhibition.” If you have questions about training bit inhibition and want help, hop over to my services page and schedule a puppy training session!
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