- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Biting is a not-so-fun developmental stage of raising a puppy. While it’s happening, you may feel like it’s never going to end—but most pups will ease their chomping once they’re past six to eight months old and have finished teething.
In the meantime, your job is to work on training and management, plus keep an eye out for abnormal behaviors. While chewing objects and drooling are typical symptoms of teething, increased aggression, pain, or biting beyond the age of teething can signal it’s time for a checkup.
With help from Maxine Bauer, CPDT-KA, founder of The BauWau Haus and trainer on Rover, we review how to manage and redirect puppy biting, plus what a professional trainer can help with.
7 Ways To Stop Puppy Biting
Though the urge to chomp on everything usually gets less intense with time, puppies don’t just “grow out of” biting behaviors as they age, Bauer explains—not without you teaching appropriate alternatives and providing consistent guidance.
These positive training methods can help you reinforce the right behaviors and discourage the wrong ones.
1. Use redirection
If your puppy is biting, redirecting them to another game or toy can be a positive way to stop the behavior. The key is to make sure the new object you’re pointing them to is just as exciting as what they’re chewing on. Movement and enthusiasm can add value.
You can also try redirecting a chompy puppy to enrichment activities, like puzzle toys or snuffle mats. Mental stimulation has the added benefit of tiring a pup out so they’ll be less inclined to bite forbidden things—like you.
2. Train bite inhibition
“Puppies naturally use their mouths to explore the world, much like humans use their hands,” Bauer explains. But while biting and chewing may be natural, she adds, you don’t want them to become ingrained habits.
Early bite inhibition training can curb the likelihood of biting during adulthood. Make an “ouch” or yelp sound if your puppy bites, or withdraw attention for 30 seconds to signal that biting is not welcome. Balance these actions with positive reinforcement when your puppy does the right things to help them form appropriate habits.
3. End playtime
If your puppy isn’t getting the message and continues to bite your clothes or body during play, end the game. Cross your arms into your chest and turn away, then remove yourself behind a barrier, such as dog gate or playpen. Remain disengaged for 30 seconds, then offer an independent chew toy or food puzzle to show them that these objects are okay to use their teeth on.
4. Reward preferred behavior
Positive reinforcement through rewards is one of the most impactful dog training methods out there. To do it successfully, you’ll have to know what your puppy values most. Some dogs will be treat-oriented, while others will prefer toys.
When your puppy exhibits good behavior, have their favorite training treat or preferred toy on hand and offer them words of praise. Through consistent practice, your puppy will learn that appropriate actions yield rewards, while inappropriate actions, such as overstimulation biting, don’t.
5. Enforce naps
“Puppies often bite more when they are overtired, overstimulated, or lacking appropriate outlets,” explains Bauer.
Enforced naps might sound strict, but they can be the best way to keep your puppy from rehearsing biting behaviors out of exhaustion. Plus, puppies need a lot of sleep as part of their development—but not all of them know it. Sometimes they need to be in a boring environment before they realize how tired they are.
Be sure your puppy has had a chance to potty and has been recently fed and watered before slowing down for nap time. Use a crate or find a quiet, minimally-distracting area of your home for them to settle down in, using slow movements and quiet voices to calm them.
6. Increase exercise
For puppies, pent-up energy, stress, and frustration can manifest as biting. Going for a walk can help adjust your pup’s behavior, and it can also solve another problem which may be irking your doggo—the need to take a potty break.
Changing up the environment with a quick walk can help a dog hit their reset button, allowing them to engage in a different activity than nipping at you.
7. Use management strategies
Sometimes, the best way to manage puppy biting is to physically separate from the little rascal. Fill a puppy pen or a dog-proofed space with chews and toys, play briefly, and then remove yourself at the first sign of a bite. This teaches a puppy that the consequences of biting is you leaving, and not them being confined.
Think of it as a gentle time out—and a chance to catch a breather.
Evgeniya Pavlova via iStock
Puppy Biting Tips
Depending on what your puppy is biting, you may want to adjust your strategy:
- Biting hands. Teach biting inhibition by yelping in pain. Freeze and turn away, stopping play to communicate hand-biting is not appropriate.
- Biting feet and ankles. This is especially common in herding breed puppies. Stop moving and ignore your puppy for about 30 seconds, or redirect them with a tug or fetch toy that draws them away from your feet.
- Biting the leash. Resist turning the leash into a tug toy. Instead, stop moving and try to engage your puppy in “leave it” training. When they let go, ask for a “sit” or other positive behavior and reward them with a treat.
- Biting clothes. As with the leash, you don’t want to turn your clothes into a tug-of-war! Freeze first to take the fun out of it, then redirect your puppy to an appropriate chew or toy and reward them.
- Biting furniture. Gently remove your puppy from the object, swapping it for an appropriate chew toy and blocking access. Ongoing problem? Consider dog-safe deterrents with unappealing tastes to make your furniture less delicious to chomp on.
What not to do
Some behaviors can accidentally reinforce puppy biting or exacerbate the behavior.
- Don’t punish a puppy, physically or verbally, for biting. Instead, focus on being consistent in your training and keeping non-puppy belongings protected.
- Avoid using your hands or feet as toys, which can confuse your puppy during their training. “Engaging in rough play or using hands to wrestle or tickle … can unintentionally encourage more biting,” Bauer explains.
- Resist the urge to tug a toy or treat to your body—your puppy and their teeth will follow.
- Don’t pull your hands away quickly, Bauer advises, to avoid triggering a puppy’s natural prey drive and grabbing instincts.
How To Tell Why Your Puppy is Biting
Puppies may bite for a few different reasons, including the following:
- Arousal. This type of biting can happen when dogs get too hyper or overstimulated, often while playing. Enforced naps and ending playtime can help.
- Teething. Puppies often find the texture of furniture or forbidden objects soothing on painful gums. Redirect them to a chew or toy that will help them feel better—frozen toys are especially effective.
- Fear or anxiety. A puppy may bite out of fear or anxiety, and this is a behavior you’ll want to address as soon as possible. Consider engaging a certified dog trainer to work on bite inhibition. You may also need to consult a veterinarian if the anxiety is severe.
- Learning. It’s normal for puppies to want to mouth things to investigate them, much like babies do. Try redirecting, with a toy, a game, a walk, or some training so you can reward appropriate learning behaviors.
- Attention-seeking. Is your puppy biting at your clothes or body to get you to feed them or play? You don’t want this to work—so try temporary, brief time outs to show that this is not a suitable way to ask for things.
When To Get Professional Help
Raising a puppy is hard work. Working with a trainer early on can not only streamline your process but help you nip your nipping problems in the bud, before they become harder to manage.
“A trainer can identify unintentional reinforcement and help create daily routines that include adequate rest and opportunities for decompression,” Bauer explains. “Trainers also teach owners appropriate ways to redirect and manage the behavior. Addressing these patterns early is often easier and more effective than trying to change them later on.”
Want to get started? Find a trainer in your area on Rover who can help with puppy biting.
