A Positive Approach to Puppy Biting & Nipping

Biting & Mouthing… the bane of your puppy parent experience.

Puppies bite, and it’s not fun. It’s normal but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when it happens.

Luckily for us humans, there are multiple strategies we can implore to prevent & manage mouthing. Not only that, but there are also many ways to train your pup to mouth on appropriate items vs. our hands!

Four Reasons Your Puppy Bites

At Urban Pawsibilties we train dozens of puppies every month. In working with all those puppy parents, we’ve found there are 4 common reasons why your puppy bites.

1. ATTENTION

   Some puppies bite because they’ve learned it gets them attention. Say your puppy walks up to you because they’re feeling a bit social, and you ignore their polite approach. That puppy might just get frustrated enough to nip you because nipping usually works to get a human to pay attention! Yikes!

2. AVOIDANCE

   Your puppy might even mouth you to get you to STOP touching or petting them. Context is everything when it comes to mouthing!

3. PLAY

   Lastly, your puppy might be mouthing you because they’re playing with you, and they simply don’t know how else to interact yet. That’s okay; we can teach your puppy how to play with humans!

4. TEETHING

   Your puppy begins to lose their baby teeth around 3 months of age and it can be quite uncomfortable for your puppy. Your puppy might figure out that it feels good to bite everything they can put their mouth on, includes but not limited to your feet, your hands, your pants, your hair, your sleeves, and so on… :)

Top 10 Tips to Curb Mouthing & Biting

1. SUPPLY LOTS OF CHEW TOYS

   Your puppy should have multiple types of chew toys available in every area that they frequent. Puppy safe nyla bones, rubber toys, stuffed toys, and faux wood toys are great for providing adequate variety for your puppy.

   By keeping multiple toys available wherever your puppy is, you’ll be able to quickly redirect your puppy to a toy should they mouth or bite you, and you can actively praise your puppy for bringing you a toy or simply interacting with a toy on their own.

2. IMPLEMENT NAPS

   Grumpy puppies are bitey puppies. Did you know that most puppies get far too few hours of sleep per day?

   Young puppies should be sleeping approximately 16-18 hours a day, while older puppies should be sleeping 14-16 hours per day.

   If you find that your puppy is especially bitey, pick them up or use a food lure to get them to their confinement area, give them a chew toy, and give yourself some time to decompress from your puppy’s biting antics.

   We find that around 7 p.m. at night, most puppies turn into baby sharks, and they simply just need to go to bed.

3. BUILD POSITIVE HABITS

   What your puppy practices will become a habit. If you actively get your puppy really amped up and squeal when they bite you, your puppy will get into the habit of interacting with you in that way.

   Stay calm, use toys when playing with your puppy, and allow gentle teething but immediately stand up and walk away quietly, if your puppy bites or mouths you enough to cause pain.

4. TEACH THEM HOW TO BE GENTLE

   You can teach your dog the gentle “cue” by holding a treat between your thumb and four fingers. Tell your puppy “gentle” and when they attempt to LICK the treat out, say “Yes!” and release the treat. This will teach your dog to lick when they hear the “gentle” cue.

   Start with low-value treats like your dog’s kibble, then work your way up to more high-value treats. The higher the value of the treat, the harder it will be for your puppy to control themselves and be “gentle”.

5. TEACH A FORMAL TUG & DROP IT

   Teach your puppy to play “tug” by first teaching them the “drop it” cue and then playing “tug” with them. If your puppy ever makes contact with your hands while playing “tug” immediately cue a “drop it” until your puppy makes the association that touching skin = immediately stopping and dropping the toy. It will take practice but if you closely follow our steps, your puppy will be a pro in no time!

   • Step 1: Get 10-15 high-value treats ready for your puppy. Tell your dog “Drop it!” then give them a treat on the ground. Repeat 10-15 times. Your puppy is learning that “drop it” means they will get a treat on the ground.

   • Step 2: Tell your puppy to “tug” then get them interested in a tug toy by creeping the toy around on the ground like a squirrel trying to get away from your puppy. Praise your puppy when they bite the toy. Give gentle tugs on the toy, then stop tugging and say “Drop it!” and put a treat on the ground. Praise your puppy for taking the treat. Repeat 5 times.

   • Step 3: Get your puppy tugging on the toy, then say “Drop it!” and wait for them to release the toy before praising and giving them a treat. Repeat 5x.

   • Step 4: Play tug regularly with your puppy, practicing “drop it” regularly, and if at any point your puppy makes contact with your skin, immediately stop tugging and cue a “drop it”.

6. REDIRECT & REPLACE

   Anytime your puppy puts their mouth on your hands, feed, or clothing, gently replace your body part with a toy by wiggling the toy away from your puppy and praising them for biting the toy.

7. GIVE TIME OUTS:

   It’s not what you think! A time-out is simply removing your attention and social interaction from your puppy momentarily. If your puppy is chewing on your hands, feet, clothing etc., stand up and walk away. Cross your arms, don’t look at your puppy or talk to them. Wait for your puppy to sit or wait patiently for you, then direct them to a toy and re-engage with them.

8. TEACH THEM TO ACCEPT POLITE PETTING

   • Step 1: Teach your puppy to accept gentle petting by preparing a frozen kong, and some kibble or treats. Give your puppy the kong and slowly stroke them down the back, praising them for eating the kong while you pet them.

   • Step 2: Now, once your puppy is finished with the kong, or during another session, gently stroke your puppy down their back, marking it with a “Yes!” and giving them a treat for allowing you to stroke down their back. Keep the session short, maybe 1-2 minutes, and then allow your puppy to do something else.

9. TEACH THEM TO IGNORE HAND & CLOTHING MOVEMENT

   If your puppy is triggered to mouth by clothing or hands moving quickly, you can teach your puppy that it pays off to ignore these movements by sitting vs. trying to bite the moving object.

   • Step 1: Get your puppy into a “sit” and click & treat them for sitting. Repeat 5x.

   • Step 2: Tell your puppy to “sit” and slowly wave a hand at waist level. Click & treat. Toss a reset treat. Repeat 2x.

   • Step 3: Have your puppy “sit” and wave your other hand at waist level. Click & treat. Toss a reset treat. Repeat 2x.

   • Step 4: While your puppy is sitting, dangle a rag at waist level, click and treat your puppy for ignoring it. Toss a reset cookie. Repeat 2x.

   • Step 5: Continue to repeat alternating between waving your hand, or the rag, getting slightly closer every repetition until you’re about a foot from your puppy’s face. You may need to break this up into several training sessions, and give your puppy a break in between reps since it’s hard for them to stay still!

10. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT YELP!!

    Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to say “ouch” or yelp when your puppy bites you. For high-energy or “high drive” puppies this may cause your puppy to become quite excited, making it more likely that they will nip you again in the future. Simply stand up and walk away, quietly, if your puppy nips or mouths you.

Puppy biting and mouthing that has been appropriately managed should start subsiding around 5-7 months old, once your dog’s adult teeth have grown in.

If your adolescent or adult dog is biting for attention, out of avoidance, or during play, we highly recommend seeking out the guidance of a certified professional dog trainer.

To continue your education, we also highly recommend this book Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog co-authored by Kenneth M. Martin and Debbie Martin