How to stop puppy biting: why it happens and what actually works

Why your puppy bites

Four reasons overlap, often in the same day. Exploration: the mouth is his tool for learning textures, and your hand is one. Teething: between three and six months the adult teeth come in and chewing relieves the pressure. Play: with his littermates he played by wrestling and biting, and it is the only game he knows when he arrives at your home. Tiredness and overstimulation: a puppy who has played too much, seen too many people or slept too little becomes a little tornado who bites everything, often at the end of the day.

There is also what he learned at your place, without you meaning to teach it. Every time a bite made your hand move, made someone shriek or started a chase, the puppy won: movement, noise, attention. To him, it is a game that works.

Read his body before you react

Not all puppy bites are alike, and the body tells you which one you are facing. The play bite comes from a loose puppy who bounces, mouth open, tail wagging, sometimes with a play bow. The tired bite is frantic: he grabs everything, switches targets every second, eyes wide, and he cannot settle. The defensive bite, rare in puppies but possible, comes from a stiff body that backs away or freezes, with a growl or lifted lips: that is a puppy who is scared or guarding something.

Also watch the calming signals just before: a puppy who licks his lips, yawns or turns his head away while being handled is telling you he has had enough. The bite often comes right after, when nobody listened.

What does not work, or makes it worse

A lot of advice goes around, and some of it makes puppies bitier or more fearful.

• Yelping loudly: the puppy-yelp method works with some, but excites others, who bite more. If your puppy comes back harder after your yelp, drop it.
• Holding the muzzle shut, pressing the tongue, tapping the nose: it teaches the puppy that hands hurt, so he avoids them or bites them for real.
• Pinning him to the floor: the “alpha roll” has no basis and creates dogs who bite without warning, because their warnings were punished.
• Isolating him for a long time behind a slammed door: a ten-minute punishment means nothing to a puppy; he forgot why after ten seconds.
• Waiting for it to pass: it passes faster, and better, when you teach him what to do instead.

The six-step method

Nothing complicated, but everyone at home has to do the same, kids included.

• Redirect within one second. Always keep a toy within reach, in your pocket or on every piece of furniture. The moment teeth touch skin, the toy replaces the hand. Praise him when he bites the toy.
• If the teeth come back to you, the game ends. Stand up, fold your arms, look away, ten to twenty seconds. No words, no eye contact. Then resume as if nothing happened. He learns fast: teeth on the human, the game disappears.
• Teach him what to do instead. A puppy who knows to sit for a stroke, or to fetch a toy when someone arrives, has a plan other than biting. Train it when he is calm, with treats, five minutes twice a day.
• Manage tiredness. A puppy needs 18 to 20 hours of sleep. If the frenzies hit at the end of the day, that is an exhausted puppy: set up mandatory naps in a quiet spot, a crate or a pen, after every play session or visit.
• Soothe the teeth. A wet, frozen washcloth, a cold carrot, a stuffed chew toy from the freezer. A puppy chewing on something is not chewing on your ankle.
• Protect the kids, and the puppy. No running in the house, no hand games, no high-pitched squeals: all of it triggers chase and bite. Kids play with a flirt pole or a tug toy, standing, and an adult is always there.

A two-week plan

Count on two weeks to see a real difference, provided you never make an exception.

• Days 1 to 3: toys everywhere, systematic redirection, mandatory naps every two hours. Note the time and context of every frenzy.
• Days 4 to 7: add removing the game as soon as teeth touch you, and two “sit” training sessions a day.
• Days 8 to 14: frenzies should be shorter and less frequent. Keep the naps, add one sniffing or chewing activity a day. Look at your notes and you will probably see a pattern: the hour, the tiredness, a child.

If you want an outside eye, film a ten-second frenzy and read it with Mimo: it will tell you whether it is play, tiredness or tension, and what to do at that moment.

When to worry

Most puppies bite far less around six or seven months, when the adult teeth are in and they have learned to control their jaw. Three situations fall outside the norm: a puppy who bites stiff, with a fixed stare, growling, when you touch his bowl, his bone or his bed; a puppy who bites out of fear, backing away, when picked up or when a stranger approaches; and a dog over seven months who still bites hard enough to mark the skin.

In those three cases, a positive-methods trainer or a veterinary behaviorist, quickly. The earlier you deal with it, the simpler it is. And in every case, never punish a growl: it is the warning that saves you from the bite.