Puppy Biting: Why It Happens, What to Avoid, and How to Stop It

Puppies are playful, curious, and endlessly entertaining. But those tiny needle-sharp teeth can quickly become a source of frustration. One minute they’re sleeping peacefully and all is calm, and the next they’re sinking their teeth into your hand like a mini crocodile.

“Why is my puppy biting me so much!?” can be heard from puppy owners everywhere.

Puppy biting is one of the most common challenges new dog owners face. But don’t worry, your puppy isn’t being aggressive or trying to dominate you. It might feel, and sometimes sound, very aggressive and threatening, but it is a completely natural part of puppy development and rarely an aggressive behaviour.

That said, how you respond to this behaviour is crucial. Handled the wrong way, biting can become more intense and even carry over into adulthood. Understanding why puppies bite, and how to handle it, will make the journey through puppyhood a whole lot smoother.

Why Do Puppies Bite?

There are several reasons your puppy may be biting:

• Mouth exploration: Puppies explore the world with their mouths, just like human babies do with their hands. Chewing and mouthing helps them learn about their environment.

• Teething: Just like toddlers, puppies go through a teething phase. Biting relieves discomfort and helps loosen their baby teeth.

• Play and attention: Biting is how puppies initiate play with their littermates. They quickly learn that nipping at humans can get them attention too. Those pin-sharp teeth are great for making people squeal and run!

• Breed tendencies: Some breeds, like herding dogs or gundogs, are genetically wired to nip, chase, or carry objects in their mouths. These breeds may be more prone to mouthing behaviour.

What Not to Do When Your Puppy Bites

Responding in the wrong way can make things worse. Here’s what to avoid:

• Don’t react dramatically (I know, easier said than done): Screaming, yelping, or flailing your arms can make you more exciting and encourage your puppy to bite more! Or it may scare your puppy...

• Avoid punishment: Never smack, hold their mouth shut, or use any form of physical correction. These outdated methods create fear, damage trust, and can lead to more serious behaviour problems down the line.

• Forget the dominance myth: Your puppy is not trying to ‘be the boss.’ Dominance-based theories have been debunked so don't attempt to 'put them in their place'. Remember, biting is part of normal development and needs a careful and gentle approach.

• Don’t scare or startle: Shocking or intimidating your puppy with a loud noise or physical punishment may stop the behaviour temporarily, but it risks creating long-term issues like fear of hands, humans, or being touched.

How to Stop Puppy Biting: What To Do

1. Respond, don’t react: Stay calm. If your puppy bites, stand still. Fold your arms, avoid eye contact, and wait for them to stop.

2. Reinforce calm choices: As soon as your puppy disengages, reward them with gentle praise, a treat scatter, or redirect them onto a toy.

3. End the interaction: Biting = interaction over. Walk away or step over a baby gate to remove your attention.

4. Use treats and toys proactively: When you re-enter the room, offer a toy or toss treats to prevent another bitey episode.

5. Be consistent: If the biting starts again, repeat the process calmly and consistently.

6. Reward the good stuff: Carry treats and reward your puppy before the bite happens, when they make good choices, like interacting calmly with you or biting on a toy instead. Good choices = rewards and attention!

7. Set boundaries for everyone: All family members, including kids and visitors, need to follow the same rules. Inconsistent responses will confuse your pup and prolong the problem.

Will These Techniques Actually Work?

If you’re consistent, these methods will work. But, consistency is KEY!

• When biting no longer gets attention, it loses its reinforcement.

• Puppies are quick learners. When calm behaviour earns rewards and attention, they’ll start offering it more often.

• Over time, your puppy will learn to direct their biting onto toys, rather than your hands or ankles!

Puppy Biting Management Tips

Proper management can help reduce opportunities for biting. Without doubt, puppies do need to bite and chew, so the aim is not to stop it entirely. It’s all about giving your puppy suitable outlets and managing their routine to minimise events which may cause increased biting.

• Use safe spaces: Crates, playpens, or puppy-proofed rooms are ideal for helping your puppy settle and regulate their sleep.

• Monitor their routine: Over-tired, over-excited, and over-stimulated puppies are more likely to bite. Prioritise regular naps and downtime. Pop your puppy into their safe space if their biting is becoming excessive because it could be a sign they need to sleep and reset.

• Keep a lead on indoors: A lightweight house line allows you to guide your puppy away calmly, without physical grabbing or confrontation, pick it up and gently encourage them to focus on something else or have a nap. *the lead is not there to yank or ‘correct’ your puppy so never tug it harshly.

• Offer suitable outlets: Chew toys, food-stuffed Kongs, or frozen veg can help satisfy their need to chew and encourage a calmer energy.

• Encourage calm play: Mix high-energy games with calming activities like food searches to help teach your puppy to switch from high-excitement to calm more effectively. If play time leads to biting, keep bursts of play shorter and reinforce calm in between.

  
  

Puppy Biting and Children

Children are common targets for puppy biting... fast movements, high-pitched voices, and unpredictable behaviour can make them more susceptible. They may also unintentionally reward biting by reacting with more dramatic movements or noises.

Here’s how to help:

1. Supervise at all times: If you can’t actively supervise, separate your puppy and children using a gate or playpen.

2. Teach the 'tree' technique: Ask children to freeze and stand still if bitten. Then calmly redirect the puppy with a toy or treat.

3. Train a distraction cue: Instead of shouting “NO!”, teach a phrase like “Let’s go!” followed by tossing a treat away from the child. This redirects your puppy’s focus and diffuses the situation (it works to redirect from adults too!).

4. Practice calm responses: Reinforce your distraction cue in low-distraction settings before using it around kids.

Children also need guidance. Teach them to:

• Avoid rough play or teasing the puppy

• Use toys during interactions by encouraging the puppy to hold the toy in their mouth

• Move calmly around the puppy and avoid reacting to biting with screaming or fast movements

• Respect the puppy’s space during rest times. Make sure the puppy isn't disturbed or hassled when they're sleeping or resting quietly

Set Your Puppy Up for Success

Consistency is everything. If your puppy is sometimes encouraged to bite during play, and other times punished for it, they won’t know what’s expected. Mixed messages slow down learning and create more extreme outbursts of biting.

This also applies to interactions with children and adults. Rough handling, teasing, or erratic behaviour can all trigger biting. Instead, focus on calm interactions:

• Gentle stroking: Slow, calm movements, particularly on the chest, help your puppy stay relaxed.

• Use toys in play: Always have a toy handy to redirect mouthing away from skin and clothes. Break up any high energy games with moments of calm to avoid excitement increasing and triggering biting.

• Build impulse control: Practice calm behaviours like “sit” before greetings or “wait” before starting a game. Drop a few treats for your puppy to find when you greet them or enter a room, especially if this is a common cause of a biting episode.

Final Thoughts

Some puppies are simply more bitey than others. Teething, personality, breed traits, and excitement levels all play a role. But with the right mix of training, management, and consistency, your land shark will grow into a polite, well-mannered companion.

• Know your puppy’s patterns. Is biting worse when he’s tired? Hungry? Frustrated? Plan ahead and intervene early.

• Reward calm behaviour at every opportunity.

• Carry treats, redirect with toys, and build a toolkit of responses that reduce the chance for biting to succeed.

If you’re struggling, reach out to a force-free professional for guidance. At The Hound Spot, we help hundreds of owners every year work through puppy biting challenges using kind, effective, modern methods. Get in touch because we’d love to help.

You can read more puppy tips in one of our other blog posts here: https://www.houndspot.com/post/puppy-problems