What to Do When Puppies Are Trying to Bite

Puppies are adorable little balls of fluff and fur. They are a welcome addition to most dog-loving families, who welcome them into their homes with open arms. Puppies are fun to play with, but often exhibit the annoying habit of biting. They frequently bite people and furniture, but for different reasons. Train your puppy from the moment you get him that people are not for biting.

  1. Why Puppies Bite

    • A puppy roughhouses and plays with its litter mates using its mouth. Since it has no hands, pup uses his mouth for most everything. When you bring him home, it has already been trained to use his mouth to play with, as puppies frequently nip and grab each other with their mouths to play. You need to teach the new pup not to nip at you for any reason. You do this with constant, consistent training and he will soon learn to stop.

    How to React

    • When the puppy tries to bite you, immediately call out a yelp. Say something like "Ouch!" loudly. When puppies accidentally hurt each other while playing, they will yelp, so crying out is something the puppy will understand as a reaction to pain. Directly look at the pup, and show your displeasure. Then, immediately turn away and ignore it for a few moments. The pup will eventually learn that if it bites, you won't interact with it. If you're trying to pet the pup and it bites you, that means it wants to play. Turn away from the pup for a moment, and then engage in an acceptable play activity with him.

    Train Puppy to Play Nicely

    • It's the owner's responsibility to teach the puppy how to play correctly now that he's living with humans. Never use your hands to play roughhouse with him, he will instinctively bite you. It's best not to play rough and aggressively with your puppy at all. The best game to play is fetch. Throw a ball, and have him get it. Hopefully, pup will bring you the ball, but this may take time to teach. You can also play tug of war with a toy. Puppies usually enjoy this activity and it releases some energy.

    Teething

    • Puppies also chew on people's hands, and sometimes furniture, because they are experiencing pain from their new teeth coming in. To help ease their pain, and give them something acceptable to chew on, you can present them with some soft toys. Pet stores usually carry a vast array of stuffed animals and soft toys for puppies to chew on. Give these to the puppy when pup is in the crate, or during waking hours when you are not engaging in play time.