by Julie Brewer MSc
Puppies bite for many reasons, often figuring out the reason for the biting is the best way to help them and yourself to live together happily.
Reasons Why Your Puppy Is BITING
Most puppy biting isn’t meant to cause us harm, but those needle-sharp teeth can still really hurt! It’s not surprising that puppy biting is a behavior most owners are worried about.
There are common reasons why a puppy might be biting. Once you recognise the reasons there are things you can do to change the behaviour.
They are JUST BEING A PUPPY
Viewing the world as one big chew toy is a normal part of puppy development. Your puppy WILL sometimes try to chew on your fingers and nip your pant legs, even if they are not feeling sleepy, overstimulated, or frustrated.
Your puppy IS going to bite/chew/gnaw on something, be sure to provide them with access to a variety of safe toys, chews, and bones in different textures. This makes it easy for them to make good choices when deciding where to put their needle-sharp teeth. Calmly remove your hand and offer an alternative item. Provide opportunities to play with other puppies, this is a great way to help your puppy how to be careful when using their teeth in play, but strong supervision and interruption is advised to make sure that your pup is not learning to be a bully and that the other puppy is enjoying the interaction.
Your Puppy is in Pain
Puppy’s can often suffer from gastrointestinal or oral pain, especially when teething. If your pups faeces are not fully formed then it is possible that they are suffering gut pain and you are best to have a vet check a faeces sample to check for parasites and bacteria which might be causing this. Some puppies have sensitive stomachs especially when introduced to new foods, but repeated bouts of diarrhoea, even when the the faeces are sometimes normal can be a sign of a medical issue. It goes without saying that diarrhoea which is very runny, continues longer than 48 hours or contains blood must be treated immediately.
Puppies who are 14 weeks or older are likely to be teething. This can be extremely painful and pups will often be looking for an outlet for that pain, chewing more. Pain can cause behaviour changes, just like it does for us, you are not yourself when you are feeling poorly, perhaps you can be a bit snappy?
Your Puppy is TIRED
Young puppies need a lot more sleep than you might think, some studies suggest 16-20 hours of sleep each day. Much like a human baby or toddler, puppies get fussy and cranky when they are tired, but they don’t yet have enough self-awareness to recognize they need a nap to feel better. Puppies might not rest when they think they are missing out on something interesting. Provide them with a quiet place, where they can still hear and see you but learn to rest without being in contact with you. I like to place a pen and comfortable bed area, with chew toys close to me. Some puppies will not rest unless you are being quiet and still, just like babies they need to feel safe, and you need to wait until they are properly asleep before you try to move around.
Give your puppy scheduled rest periods and quiet times throughout the day. Provide your puppy with a quiet places to rest during scheduled nap times. If you have a very lively, active household, make sure your pup’s resting place is in a quiet, low traffic spot where they won’t be constantly disturbed by household commotion. Use a crate, stair gate or door to help the pup learn that it is down time, but do not force them to be entirely alone as this is extremely stressful for a puppy and can lead to future problems.
Your BODY LANGUAGE is saying “BITE ME”
There are some things we humans do that might encourage biting. Sitting on the floor for prolonged periods of time with an excited, active puppy can make you appear to be an activity toy for the puppy. Making high-pitched squealing noises and quick, jerky movements might cause the puppy to instinctively react to the hands as if they are prey encouraging chasing and nipping.
Sit on your knees when playing with your puppy. Sitting on your knees, instead of on your bum makes it easier for you to quickly straight up and remove access to your lap if your puppy gets mouthy.
Avoid making too many squeal-y, overly excited sounds around your puppy (though a higher pitched “pup-pup-pup” or kissy noise is a great way to entice your puppy to come to you). Keep your movements controlled. If your puppy nips at you, try freezing instead of jerking your hand away. If your puppy continues to be excited take yourself away until your puppy calms down.
Your puppy hasn’t learned how to be CAREFUL with their teeth
Knowing how to use your teeth and mouth in a socially appropriate way requires practice, and feedback. Any technique which stops the puppy from practicing these skills might result in a dog who has not ability to control the pressure of their bite. Don’t be tempted to hurt or scare a biting puppy.
Give your pup consistent responses to their biting, if they are hurting you then stop moving, stop playing, stop feeding, take your hands and if necessary yourself away. We want our hands to be the bringers of all the great things, puppy’s are social beings, the loss of access is the only punishment required. As your pup gets older they should become more sensible in the use of their teeth, and you should act as if you are much much more sensitive to their mouths, so that eventually they become extremely careful.
Your puppy is OVEREXCITED
Young puppies have not yet learned to regulate their emotional arousal. When then become overly excited or aroused, they start to lose inhibition and self-control, which leads to them to bite more.
Imagine your pup’s excitability on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is totally calm and relaxed, and 10 is a full-on case of the puppy zoomies. When you see your pup’s excitement level creeping up to a 7 or 8 during play, help them learn to stop by reducing the amount of stimulation, removing yourself or the target of their excitement (other dog/child) for a while until the pup calms down a bit. You can do this by modelling calm, relaxed behavior yourself: slow down your movements, blink your eyes softly, and stay quiet or speak only using low, slow tones. If you are holding your puppy make sure your hands are placed so that biting does not make you let go, take a deep breath and let it out slowly, let your puppy go when you feel them relax a little. With practice, your pup will quickly learn to take their cues from you that it’s times to take a break and settle down. You can also practice playing “wind up/calm down” with your pup, where you play but carefully monitor their excitements levels, only restarting the game when they control themselves.
They are FRUSTRATED
Just as very young children may feel the desire to hit, slap, or kick when frustrated, young puppies will often use their teeth to display frustration and anger. It is easy to view frustrated biting as a puppy being nasty. But try to remember that frustration is not a nice emotion to experience, and it is often caused by feelings of confusion or a lack of control.
If you see your puppy becoming frustrated, first try to identify the source of frustration (for example, being restrained, being brushed, having a toy taken away, etc.). Recreate easier versions of that scenario and reward your puppy for doing whatever it is you’d like them to do INSTEAD of biting and nipping. In addition, impulse control games e.g. The Bowl Game, are a great way to help your puppy learn more productive, socially appropriate ways to cope with feelings of frustration.
Your puppy DOESN’T WANT TO BE TOUCHED
Sometimes being touched is over-exciting, sometimes the way you are touching them is irritating and sometimes they just want a break.
We don’t want puppies to learn that biting and nipping is an effective way to make human hands go away. Instead, we want to teach pups that they can say, “yes, please” or “no, thank you” to petting without having to use their teeth.
This is called the CONSENT TEST
- First, only pet your puppy when they are already calm and relaxed (remember overexcited puppies are more likely to bite).
- Pet your puppy for just 3-5 seconds at a time, then pause and take your hands away.
- If your pup nuzzles or moves toward your hand, pet them again. But, if they move away or just quietly lay in place, they are telling you they don’t really care about or want pets at that time.
- Over time, you can start to present your open hands to your pup as an invitation that asks, “Would you like some pets?” If they approach and curl into you, that’s a great big, “Yes please!” But if they don’t, they are saying “No thank you” in a manner that is far less painful than pointy puppy teeth.
They NEED THE TOILET!
If your puppy suddenly becomes wild-eyed and starts zooming around, biting at your hands, feet, and clothes, they may very well need to go to the toilet.
Puppies especially those who are starting to understand that the toilet is outside, but are not sure how to get there, can become quite upset. Learn to look for the signs that your pup needs to go and be prepared to let them out. Getting your puppy onto a scheduled toilet time really helps because they are able to predict that access to the toilet will be available.
Little Tykes Dog Hub offers regular Puppy Socialisation sessions where you can learn how to help your pup become a perfect member of human and dog society.
Book via https://littletykesdoghub.as.me/
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