One way puppies can explore the world and learn about things is with their mouth. They pick up everything from the ground and bite stuff because they have no other way to explore and learn about physical objects. They do not have hands and thumbs as we do, so they can’t explore things that way.
Puppies will also play bite because they are in a heightened state of arousal; to them, it’s fun. One way to help control this is not to overstimulate your puppy while your hands are in its face. Tire them with exercise and mental stimulation first, then try again. It’s tough for puppies to do anything terrible when mentally tired.
In addition, puppies that are 8-12 weeks old don't know any better. They can't control their bite. When the puppy is with the litter mates, they start playing with each other and learn from the other puppies how hard they should be biting when playing. The other puppies' sound when they are bitten too hard is a high-pitched yelp to let the sibling puppy know they are hurting them.
When you get your puppy, you must continue teaching bite inhibition because the puppy hasn't learned enough control of its jaw, and its razor-sharp puppy teeth can cause a lot of damage.
"Puppies will play bite more when they are in a heightened state of arousal."
What You Can Do to Stop Play Biting
I will give you a method to control puppy biting right now. It's a method I often use with similar behavior problems called correct it, and redirect it.
When the puppy's teeth start to touch any part of your skin, hands, arms, or face, use the sound “AH AH” very quickly and firmly. You're going to interrupt the puppy's train of thought, and then you're going to redirect that puppy to choose something to bite instead of you. The redirect object can be a toy, bully stick, bone, or whatever your puppy loves to chew. You have to do this very quickly. You can't do the “AH AH” and give them something else to chew three minutes later. Do it right away.
I got Dixie when she was 10 weeks old, and she started to play bite me; I instantly prevented her from associating that the behavior was allowed. The first time her teeth touched my hands or my fingers, I immediately corrected it. I never allowed her to associate that play biting was acceptable.
What most owners do, which doesn't work because the play biting is being reinforced, is saying the commands “no,” “stop,” or “off” while adding the puppy's name. It sounds like this: “Dixie, no, stop, down. Leave me alone. Somebody, Hey, somebody, come and take this dog, bring her over there, do something with her. She's biting me too hard”. That's not good because all that vocalization overstimulates the puppy, and they get more excited and bite harder.
Important Tips About Puppy Play Biting
The second the puppy's teeth touch the skin on your hand or arm, the sound “AH AH” interrupts the action and thought pattern. Redirect the puppy to bite on something else, such as a toy.
Mark the good behavior of not biting with a “yes.” Reward the behavior you want with a treat immediately after the “yes” marker. When the puppy continues the good behavior, say “good girl or good boy” and give them another treat.
Don’t overuse vocalization when the puppy is overstimulated and excited. Do everything possible to prevent the puppy from getting into a high state of arousal when your hands are near their mouth to help eliminate the possibility of play biting.
Please do not play with your new puppy on the floor or sofa until it learns the play-biting rules and has good bite inhibition.
Make sure that the puppy is not over-aroused in the house. I recommend that the home is like a yoga studio or library, very calm and quiet for them to relax. Then, you can allow them to play outside at the park, daycare, or similar places.
An Alternative Method
I recently started using a new method to stop play-biting that I want you to try. This method teaches your puppy to kiss instead of bite or use its tongue instead of its teeth.
When your hand approaches the puppy's face, say “kiss,” when they lick your hand, mark the behavior with a “yes” and give them a food reward. You want to repeat this process and practice daily for several weeks to reinforce the behavior.
My clients have had great success with this method, provided you don’t mind your puppy licking your hand a lot. Since you are reinforcing the licking, they will continue to do that more often. I think it’s way better than play biting, but I will let you decide which method will be best for you and your new puppy.
Request a FREE Phone Consultation for puppy or dog training today.