Many people asked me “How did you deal with Gatsby’s puppy biting? Is there a way to stop puppy biting?” Let me tell you, it was rough! Being bit by Gatsby at 10 weeks old was painful and it was frustrating. His teeth were needle-sharp. They pierced my skin and he even tore up my designer jeans! It was so bad that I had to wrap microfiber towels around my arms and wear sneakers around the house so he wouldn’t bite my feet. It was awful!
I’m sorry to tell you this, but this is a puppy teething phase that all us puppy parents must go through. The good news is that it’s only a “phase” and it’s not permanent. Puppy biting during this teething phase is normal and if your puppy is not biting, I would actually be worried. Puppy teething starts at 3-4 months. Gatsby gradually grew out of the biting stage around 8-9 months. Trust me, you will get through this stage. Before you start getting all mad and possibly even thinking of giving up your puppy, let’s take a deep breath and understand WHY they bite.
- Puppies are like human babies! Just like human babies, puppies go through a teething phase. Just like human babies, they try to soothe their painful and irritated gums by chewing on anything they can fit into their mouths. And just like human babies, they explore their world using their mouths.
- Puppies play rough. When they play with their littermates, they mouth and sometimes don’t really know how hard they are biting until one of their sibling squeals. Puppies at this age are still learning about bite inhibition.
Tips for you on how to deal with puppy biting during their teething phase:
Have A LOT of chew toys around and make sure they are all different in texture
Every time your puppy starts to get mouthy redirect him to chew a toy instead. You can also wet some small hand towels, knot it like a pretzel and freeze it. This helps soothe their gums when they are teething. Just make sure you watch your puppy to make sure they don’t swallow the chew toys or the towel.
Make your puppy forage for treats or food – This will mentally tire out your puppy
Take any box, stuff it with paper and throw some treats in there (tissue boxes and cereal boxes work great). You can also use a bath towel, place treats on it and then roll it up. Your puppy will use their nose to sniff out the treats and unroll the towel. Another great one is to use your empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls, stuff some paper with treats in there and close up the ends. We also used many dog puzzle games to mentally tire out Gatsby. By the time they are done foraging these treats, they will be exhausted and sleeping for hours! Here are a few that I’ve tried:
Paw puzzle toy – toys like these can help improve your dog’s IQ and help get them tired at the same time.
Snuffle mat – this playmat can keep your puppy occupied and challenged for awhile looking for treats. If they are busy foraging for treats, they won’t have time to bite you.
You can also make your own snuffle mat too. Here is a step by step DIY guide.
Do not react
Get up and leave or cross your arms. Do not interact with them. They will find you are boring and look for something else to do (unless your puppy is like Gatsby. He was biting my jeans, I got up to leave and he never let go. My designer jeans were history).
Train them to sit
This method really worked out for me. Every time Gatsby started to bite or got mouthy, I would use the verbal cue “sit” to request him to sit down and would reward him with a treat for doing so. He started to catch on and later gave me automatic sits.
Here’s what NOT to do:
DO NOT hit your puppy
Doing this will only break your bond with your puppy. You don’t ever want to rule with fear. Kindness always wins.
DO NOT yell “NO!”
Think about this one. If you yell “NO!” to your puppy every time they bite, you are only marking that behavior. You are teaching them that when they bite, they should associate that with “NO!”. Now every time you yell “No!”, your pup is going to think “Oh! They want me to bite!” You only want to mark desired behaviors. Get it?
I hope this helps you deal with your puppy teething situation. It’s definitely not the most exciting stage of puppyhood but just know that it is not permanent. If you work with your puppy, I truly believe you will get through this stage together. Just remember that it will only get worse before it gets better.
For those of you who are wondering how I learned all of this, it’s from Gatsby’s trainer, Paul Kearney at Pawesome Dogs.
Until next time,
Elaine
