Why does a puppy bite its owner?

It can be unpleasant to be nipped or bit by your dog, and it may even make the owner worry about the temperament of their dog. Even the friendliest dogs have been known to snap or nip, and dogs don’t always bite out of fear or aggression. Discovering the potential causes of your dog’s biting can help you address the issue at hand and, with some effort, discourage your dog from biting in the future.

# They are saying “NO THANKS” to petting

When you pet puppies for too long, many of them will start to bite or mouth. This can occasionally be attributed to the puppy becoming overstimulated from all the scratching, but many other times, your pup is pleading with you to please give them a break.

We don’t want puppies to discover that biting and nipping works well for getting human hands to disappear. Instead, we want to show puppies that they can express their wishes for or opposition to being pet without using their teeth.

Try this:

First, only pet your puppy when they are already calm and relaxed (remember reason #2 – overexcited puppies are more likely to be bitey).

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. Watch the video below to learn petting do’s and don’ts that work for both puppies AND adult dogs:

Avoid Harsh Verbal or Physical Corrections

Physical and verbal punishment only teaches a puppy to suppress a behavior, not how to behave. If you discipline your puppy, it will develop fear and anxiety.

Start off with a good supply of various puppy-safe toys, such as soft rubber toys, a puppy-sized rubber ball, a rope toy, and a stuffed toy with a squeaker.

Encourage your puppy to play by showing them the toy and rolling or moving the toy around.

Whenever your puppy grabs onto the toy, offer plenty of verbal praise.

If your puppy grabs your hand or clothing, do not immediately pull back. Instead, make a yelp and move away.

If the puppy follows you and continues to bite your feet, ankles, or legs, leave the room briefly and close the door. It will send a clear message that every time your puppy bites you, you will stop interacting with them.

Wait 10-20 seconds, then come back out.

When your puppy comes running to you, immediately engage them with a toy.

They will quickly discover that biting the toys is more entertaining than biting you.

What to Do About Puppy Mouthing

It’s crucial to teach your puppy to control his mouthy behavior. This lesson can be taught in a variety of ways, some of which are superior to others. The ultimate goal is to teach your dog to never mouth or bite anyone. However, the first and most crucial goal is to teach him that because people’s skin is so delicate, he must always be very gentle when using his mouth.

Teach Your Puppy to Be Gentle Bite Inhibition Bite inhibition is the capacity of a dog to regulate the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog that hasn’t developed bite inhibition around people doesn’t understand how sensitive human skin is and therefore bites too hard, even when playing. A dog who has been trained to use his mouth gently when interacting with people may be less likely to bite someone hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in an environment other than play, such as when he is scared or in pain.

Puppies usually learn bite inhibition during play with other puppies. When puppies play together, there is a lot of chasing, pouncing, and wrestling. Puppies also bite each other all over. A puppy will occasionally bite a playmate too hard. The painful bite victim yells and typically stops playing. The yelp often surprises the offender, who also briefly pauses playing. However, pretty soon, both playmates are back in the game. Puppies gain the ability to control the force of their bites through interactions like these, ensuring that no one is hurt and that playtime can continue uninterrupted. If puppies can learn to be kind from one another, then people can teach them the same lesson.

Let your puppy mouth on your hands when you’re playing with him. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, yell loudly as if you are hurt and let your hand fall limp. Your puppy should be startled by this and stop mouthing you for a moment. (If yelping doesn’t seem to work, try saying in a stern voice, “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” ) Praise your puppy for stopping or for licking you. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. No more than three times in a 15-minute span should you repeat these steps. Yelling by itself may not be effective, so you can try the time-out method instead. Time-outs are often very effective for curbing mouthing in puppies. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he jerks and looks at you or around, take your hand away. If he starts mouthing off again, either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or get up and walk away for 10 to 20 seconds. Return to your puppy after the brief time-out, and encourage him to play with you once more. It’s crucial to instill in him the idea that playful activity that isn’t painful will continue. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. You can slightly tighten your rules once your puppy stops giving really hard bites. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Continue yelling at your puppy, then ignore him or put him in time out for his nastiest bites. Do the same for his subsequent hardest bites as they fade away, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very delicately, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you experience little to no pressure at all.

Next, teach your puppy that human skin shouldn’t be touched by teeth.

Substitute a toy or chew bone when your puppy tries to gnaw on fingers or toes.

Puppies often mouth on people’s hands when stroked, patted and scratched (unless they’re sleepy or distracted). If your puppy gets all riled up when you pet him, distract him by feeding him small treats from your other hand. This will help your puppy get used to being touched without mouthing.

Encourage noncontact forms of play, such as fetch and tug-of-war, rather than wrestling and rough play with your hands. Once your puppy can play tug safely, keep tug toys in your pocket or have them easily accessible. If he starts to mouth you, you can immediately redirect him to the tug toy. Ideally, he’ll start to anticipate and look for a toy when he feels like mouthing.

If your puppy bites at your feet and ankles, carry his favorite tug toy in your pocket. Whenever he ambushes you, instantly stop moving your feet. Take out the tug toy and wave it enticingly. When your puppy grabs the toy, start moving again. If you don’t happen to have the toy available, just freeze and wait for your puppy to stop mouthing you. The second he stops, praise and get a toy to reward him. Repeat these steps until your puppy gets used to watching you move around without going after your feet or ankles.

Provide plenty of interesting and new toys so that your puppy will play with them instead of gnawing on you or your clothing.

Provide plenty of opportunities for your puppy to play with other puppies and with friendly, vaccinated adult dogs. Playing and socializing with dog buddies is important for your puppy’s development—and if he expends a lot of his energy playing with other puppies, he’ll feel less motivated to play roughly with you. Consider enrolling your puppy in a good puppy class, where he can have supervised playtime with other puppies and learn some important new skills! Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) in your area who offers puppy classes.

Use a time-out procedure, just like the one described above—but change the rules a little. Instead of giving your puppy time-outs for hard biting, start to give him time-outs every time you feel his teeth touch your skin.

• Give a loud yelp as soon as your puppy’s teeth make contact with you. Then immediately walk away from him. Ignore him for 30 to 60 seconds. Leave the room for 30 to 60 seconds if your puppy follows you or continues to bite and nip at you. (Before leaving your dog alone in a room, make sure it has been “puppy-proofed” Never leave him alone with potentially harmful or destructive objects. (Following the brief time-out, enter the room and calmly carry on with your interaction with the puppy.
• As an alternative, while your puppy is being trained in time-outs, you can keep a leash attached to him and let it dangle while you watch over him. Then, when your puppy mouths you, rather than leaving the room, you can grab hold of his leash and direct him to a calm location, tether him, and turn your back on him for the brief time-out. Then untie him and resume whatever you were doing.

If a time-out isn’t viable or effective, consider using a taste deterrent. Spray areas of your body and clothing that your puppy likes to mouth before you start interacting with him. If he mouths you or your clothing, stop moving and wait for him to react to the bad taste of the deterrent. Praise him lavishly when he lets go of you. Apply the bad taste to your body and clothes for at least two weeks. After two weeks of being punished by the bitter taste every time he mouths you, your puppy will likely learn to inhibit his mouthy behavior.

Be patient and understanding. Playful mouthing is normal behavior for a puppy or young dog.

Do not be reluctant to seek the assistance of a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) as mouthing issues can be difficult to treat. A CPDT will provide group or one-on-one lessons that can greatly help you and your dog with mouthing. To find a CPDT in your area, please refer to our article Finding Professional Help.

Avoid waving your fingers or toes in your puppy’s face or slapping the sides of his face to entice him to play. Doing these things can actually encourage your puppy to bite your hands and feet.

Do not discourage your puppy from playing with you in general. Play builds a strong bond between a dog and his human family. You want to teach your puppy to play gently, rather than not at all.

Avoid jerking your hands or feet away from your puppy when he mouths. This will encourage him to jump forward and grab at you. It’s much more effective to let your hands or feet go limp so that they aren’t much fun to play with.

Slapping or hitting puppies for playful mouthing can cause them to bite harder. They usually react by playing more aggressively. Physical punishment can also make your puppy afraid of you—and it can even cause real aggression. Avoid scruff shaking, whacking your puppy on the nose, sticking your fingers down his throat and all other punishments that might hurt or scare him.

Most puppy mouthing is normal behavior. Some puppies do, however, bite out of fear or frustration, and this behavior can indicate future aggression issues.

Puppy “Temper Tantrums” Puppies sometimes have temper tantrums. Typically, a puppy will throw a tantrum when you force him to do something he dislikes. Even something as simple as keeping your puppy still or handling his body could frighten him. Tantrums can also happen when play escalates. A puppy temper tantrum is more serious than playful mouthing, but it isn’t always clear how to tell the difference between the two. (Even human “puppies” can have tantrums during play when they get overexcited or upset.) A playful puppy will typically have a relaxed body and face. Although his face might appear wrinkled, you won’t notice much tension in his facial muscles. Your puppy’s body may appear very rigid or frozen during a tantrum. He might growl or pull his lips back to reveal his teeth. His bites are almost always much more painful than mouthing normally while playing.

Avoid yelling like you’re hurt if your puppy starts to act out while you’re holding or handling him. By doing that, your puppy might continue or escalate his aggressive behavior. Instead, be very calm and unemotional. Don’t hurt your puppy, but hold him firmly until he stops wriggling without constriction, if at all possible. Let him go once he has calmed down for a moment or two. Then make plans to contact a qualified professional for help. Because your puppy won’t simply outgrow repeated fits of frustration biting, it’s important to assess and address the behavior as soon as possible.

When and Where to Get Help You can ask a qualified professional to advise you whether your puppy is mouthing normally and to help you develop an effective treatment strategy. Please seek advice from a qualified professional, such as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behavior (Dip ACVB), if you suspect that your puppy’s biting fits the description of aggressive or fearful behavior. If you are unable to locate a behaviorist in your area, you may be able to find assistance from a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). However, you must make sure that this person has professional training and experience in successfully treating fear and aggression issues, as CPDT certification does not require this knowledge. To find one of these specialists in your area, please refer to our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help.

FAQ

Why do puppies bite their owners?

Puppies spend a lot of time playing, chewing, and exploring new things. Puppies engage in all of these routine activities by using their mouths and their razor-sharp teeth. Puppies frequently bite, chew, and mouth on people’s hands, limbs, and clothing when they play with them.

How do I get my puppy to stop biting the owner?

If your puppy begins to nibble on your fingers or toes while you are playing, offer a toy as a substitute. Again, stop the play session right away if they continue to nip. You could also redirect your dog if you’ve been teaching him to sit by asking him to do so and then rewarding him with a toy.

Why a dog bites its owner?

There are several causes for a dog to act aggressively toward family members. Conflict aggression, fear-based aggression, defensive aggression, status-related aggression, possessive aggression, food-guarding aggression, and redirected aggression are among the most frequent causes.

Why does my puppy bite me for no reason?

For young dogs, puppy biting is a common process of socialization. When playing, if a dog nips too hard, their playmate will alert them by yelping, which instructs your dog not to play rough.