As cute as puppies are, most of them don’t know their manners yet. And that includes the occasional biting. Whether it is out of love or frustration, training them to stop biting is a necessity to set them up for a well-mannered life. The key is not to panic, but to teach them how to use their mouth appropriately. With these tips, you can help your pup grow out of their nippy phase!<\/p>\n
Puppies are naturally curious, and their mouths function a lot like human hands. They use biting and chewing to investigate their surroundings, engage in play, and cope with teething discomfort as their adult teeth come in, typically around 12 to 16 weeks. Biting usually spikes when pups are overstimulated or overloaded with energy, so don’t think they are being aggressive, they are simply learning!<\/p>\n
One of the first lessons we teach our pups<\/a> is bite inhibition. This means learning how hard is too hard. The next time your pup bites, react with a quick, high-pitched “ouch” or help when they bite too hard and immediately pause play time. This will help them understand that rough biting ends the fun, and over time, they will soften their mouths.<\/p>\n If you punish a puppy for biting, it will create fear within your bond and may worsen behavior. Instead, redirect their biting to biting a chew toy. If your puppy goes for your hands, ankles, or clothes, calmly swap in a toy right away. This teaches them what is okay to bite. Teething toys can also soothe sore gums while protecting your fingers.<\/p>\n Sometimes, biting is less about training and more about unmet needs. Puppies who are bored, under-exercised, or overly tired are more likely to nip. Having regular play sessions, short walks, mental stimulation, socialization<\/a>, and nap time will make a huge difference in reducing unwanted biting.<\/p>\n If your puppy’s biting habits do not let up, no matter the different tactics you implement, it may be worth consulting your veterinarian or a certified positive reinforcement trainer<\/a>. Occasionally, biting can be linked to anxiety, fear, or behavioral issues that need extra support.<\/p>\n Puppy biting can feel overwhelming in the moment, but it is often just one small chapter in raising a happy, healthy dog. If you stay consistent with implementing good training tactics now, your future self will thank you when your once-bitey puppy grows into the gentle companion you’ve always wanted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As cute as puppies are, most of them don’t know their manners yet. And that includes the occasional biting. Whether it is out of love or frustration, training them to stop biting is a necessity to set them up for a well-mannered life. The key is not to panic, but to teach them how to… Read More <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274,"featured_media":2352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-puppies"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2350"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2354,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350\/revisions\/2354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/orange-county-dog-training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Redirect Bad Behavior<\/h2>\n
Make Sure Your Puppy\u2019s Needs Are Met<\/h2>\n
When to Seek Help<\/h2>\n