Biting can be one of the most challenging aspects of raising a puppy, first time puppy owners are always shocked by quite how sharp those needle teeth are, and how intense the biting can get! But it doesn't have to be that way, we can absolutely reduce the amount of times your puppy sinks their teeth into you with a few simple steps...
The first step is preventing the biting in the first place by making sure we have met our puppies needs. Biting is often much worse when puppies are overtired, overstimulated, understimulated, or hungry!
Sleep is your number one priority
Puppies need 18-20 hours sleep every day. When they don’t get this much sleep they struggle with emotional regulation which leads to more biting.
Balancing play and rest
If there is too much going on, puppies can get easily overstimulated which increases biting! Equally boredom can increase biting too. Focus on using their brains rather than their bodies, teach them tricks, create puzzles for them to figure out, provide new textures and items for them to explore. When it's time for rest give them an activity that involves sniffing, licking and chewing to help them settle.
Basic Needs
Sometimes we can miss the most obvious solution, if they're biting they could be trying to tell you they're hungry or need the toilet.
What to do when the biting starts
1 - Switch focus: Calmly remove whatever they’re biting and offer them something else to bite (A tuggy toy or an edible chew is usually a good option).
2 - Check needs: If switching focus wasn’t enough, check if they need to go to the toilet, are they hungry? Do they need a drink.
3 - Remove access: If you’ve done the above they likely need to sleep. Pop them in their pen or crate with something to chew/lick to help them settle. If they struggle being away from you sit next to the crate/pen but keep your hands away.
What we don’t need to do... You may have been told to shout ‘no’ or yelp like a puppy. This will either get your puppy more amped up which will make them bite you more, or it will make them scared of you which will mean they don’t want to hang out with you in future. Remember they’re just trying to communicate with you, they're not trying to hurt you.
Chewing!
Make sure your puppy always has access to things they can bite and chew. Leave various toys and chews of different textures in places that are easily accessible to them. This will make it easier for them to make the right choice.