Why is my puppy nipping and biting family members?

Biting is a normal, natural and necessary puppy behaviour. Dogs learn bite inhibition as puppies by play biting. The good news is that the more a puppy bites (and receives appropriate feedback!) the safer its jaws will be as an adult!

Puppies have very sharp, needle-like teeth, but very little jaw strength. This means that their bites hurt a lot, but do very little damage to us. That is why it is really important that a puppy learns their bites can hurt long before they develop jaw strong enough to inflict injury.

Puppies begin to learn bite inhibition whilst with their littermates. Puppies that bite too hard stop getting played with by their companions. They soon learn that the fun stuff can continue by biting less hard.

Why is bite inhibition so important?

Well-socialised dogs are unlikely to want to bite people, because they like them! But ALL dogs can react to fear or pain by snapping or biting. It is thus important that they have developed sufficient bite inhibition as a puppy so as to not cause injury should this happen. Dogs with good bite inhibition will seldom break the skin even when provoked to bite.

Bite inhibition is the single most important part of a puppy's education, because it can be fatal. Dogs that bite people are not acceptable house companions and are often euthanased.

How do I teach my puppy not to bite or nip?

There are 2 steps involved in teaching bite inhibition;

1. Inhibit the force of the bites.
2. Lessen the frequency of the bites.

It is very important when teaching bite inhibition that we only use our HANDS to allow our puppy to chew on. Hands are very sensitive and will quickly feel how strongly a puppy is chewing us. No chewing on arms, clothing or hair is permitted here!

Step 1- Inhibit the force of the bites

Start by inviting your puppy to play bite. This means you need to invent a word or phrase that your puppy will associate with the onset of rough play. It needs to be a phrase that no-one else will ever tell your puppy or use inadvertently! For that reason, we suggest the phrase "KILL ME." Once you have told your puppy to "KILL ME," let them have your hand to chew on. Puppy biting is pretty predictable- it starts gentle then gets harder and harder. Once you have felt a bite that seems harder than the rest, make a high pitched yelp or "OUCH" noise. Your puppy will no doubt hesitate for a second or even back off. You then need to spend a short time to 'lick your wounds,' that is, stop the play and sit back and whimper a bit. Then invite your puppy back, make them do a sit or drop (to apologise) and start the play again by saying "KILL ME."

If your puppy does not respond to your yelp of pain, then stand up, call your puppy a "BULLY!" and leave the room, shutting the door behind you. Allow the puppy 2 minutes of reflection so they can associate the end of play time with their 'too hard' bite, then return to the room for a sit/ drop apology and resumption of play.

The next step involves eliminating the biting pressure completely, even though the bites your puppy gives you no longer actually hurt you. Wait for a slightly harder bite than normal before over-reacting completely; whimpering, pretend crying, and stopping the game immediately. Slink away from your pup so that he/she starts thinking "whoa, these humans are so sensitive, I can't bite them at all when I play." Which is exactly what you want your puppy to think!

A puppy should not exert ANY pressure at all on you once it reaches 4-5 months of age.

Step 2- Lessen the frequency of the bites

Once your puppy has learnt to mouth gently, with no pressure at all, it's time to start reducing the frequency of the biting. A puppy needs to be taught that mouthing is ok, but it must stop when requested. To teach this command, it is useful to teach "off" using food as a distraction and as a treat. Hold the treat in your hand, say "off" and when your puppy doesn't touch the food for just one second, you say "take it" and give the treat.

Once the puppy has mastered this, increase the length of non-contact time with the treat. Puppies will learn they get the treat quicker if they wait patiently. It also encourages them to take the food gently from your hand. Once they understand "off" you can use food as a lure to reward them for letting go when mouthing. Say "off" and show the treat, then give it to them when they let go.

After your pup has successfully let go of you and been given the treat, resume your game with them so that it doesn't always signal the end of a great game. Your puppy will learn that the best reward for stopping mouthing is to be allowed to mouth again! If your puppy ever refuses to let go when requested, say "BULLY!" and leave the room. Give them 2 minutes then return, do a sit/drop as an apology, then resume playing.

By using this method, your 5 month old puppy should never mouth unless on request, never exert any pressure, and let go when requested. Ideally, all mouthing should be discouraged from 6-8 moths of age. This is important as dogs can learn to mouth harder and harder as they age, and their jaws are a lot stronger at this age as well. Keep up bite inhibition exercises throughout a dog's whole life to prevent this!

Remember that a puppy must be taught bite inhibition before it has adult teeth!