Now is the time to curb those sharp teeth!

Puppies play bite because that is how puppies explore the world. It is also how they teach each other the very important skill of “bite inhibition.” Other dogs and puppies are great at reacting appropriately when a bite is too hard - they yip and nip back, or they refuse to play.

Unfortunately, humans aren’t as good at teaching the bite inhibition lesson. We tend to tolerate too much biting, and then when we do react, we overreact with too harsh a punishment and create other problems. Here are some ways to overcome your pup’s puppy biting challenge:

1. Time Out! When your puppy bites too hard or gets too rough stop playing with him instantly. You can simply stop playing with him and ignore him for 3-5 minutes. If he persists in biting at you, give him a time-out in a crate or ex-pen, or remove yourself from the room. This helps to teach your puppy that biting makes the fun go away and is so effective some owners find it is all they have to do to solve puppy biting problems.

2. Bite Toys Not Hands.  Redirects your dog's biting to appropriate chew toys. Don’t encourage him to bite at your hands or clothes, have a toy ready. This gives your puppy an outlet for his natural desire to bite and tug.

3. Allow Some Biting.  For the first few weeks and be tolerant of soft biting. Puppies need to bite and chew some to explore their world and learn manners. Bite inhibition (controlling the strength of the bite) is an important skill for dogs to learn. This is taught in part by teaching your dog hard biting is not allowed in play. As time progresses you can use the methods outlined here to teach that you don’t want your puppy to bite at all in play.

4. Don’t Get Physical. Avoid getting into a physical battle with your puppy with outdated training advice such as gagging your puppy or biting him. Softer more submissive puppies may become frightened by harsh correction used for biting, while bolder puppies may react aggressively. Remember this is a normal behavior for puppies to bite and it is not a sign of “aggression”.

5. Gotta Chew.  Provide plenty of chew toys for your puppy. Due to teething, puppies need to chew. If you don’t provide an outlet for this urge your puppy will find his own in the form for your furniture, possessions and hands! It is best to keep a variety of chew toys around for your puppy to choose from. Two favorites are Kongs and Nylabones. If your puppy is pointy headed, the openings of a Kong may be too large and allow their jaw to get caught. If this is a danger to your puppy use them only with supervision or choose other similar toys with smaller openings such as a GoodieShip or Biscuit Ball.