Puppies might be tiny and adorable but their tiny, super sharp teeth aren’t quite so adorable, especially when they’re attached to your hand or busy destroying your favourite cushion. Nipping and chewing is natural, instinctive behaviour for puppies so it’s up to you, as a pet parent, to teach your puppy that chewing toys is ok, but chewing your hand is not.

Read on to see how to create a safe, happy play environment for you and your pup.

Watch a baby and you’ll see that they learn about their world through taste. That’s why they put everything and anything into their mouths. It’s the same with puppies - it’s how they get used to new environments and learn about new things (including your shoes!). Biting is also a normal puppy play behaviour - they often nip at their littermates or mum.

Another reason that puppies bite is teething. Again like babies, a puppy that’s teething will chew on anything to try to find something that’ll relieve the pain of new teeth pushing through.

Biting is a natural, instinctive behaviour and isn’t your puppy being ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’. Like all family members, they need to be taught how to behave and learn what’s acceptable and what’s not.

Bite inhibition - a dog learning that they shouldn’t shouldn’t bite down hard - is a crucial thing for dogs to learn in puppyhood as it’ll stay with them for life. When an adult dog is scared or in pain, they might put their mouth on you or another human. But if they’ve learned bite inhibition, they’ll know not to bite down hard.

Puppy play involves lots of rough and tumble, nipping and play-biting. It’s how puppies learn to play with each other and how to limit their biting. If they bite too hard, their siblings or mum will stop playing with them which they quickly realise is no fun. Or the other dog will loudly yelp, telling the puppy “that hurt!”. These reactions, plus your teachings, help a puppy to learn not to bite too hard.

Here are 5 tips to try next time your puppy starts biting.

1. Be careful with playtime
With their high energy, playtime with a puppy is downright fun. But depending on the play, you might actually be encouraging your pup to grab at you with their mouth. Avoid anything too rough and don’t push them around with your hands. Instead, use your hands in a gentle and soothing way. Think ear scritches, back scratches, and stroking. This helps your puppy learn that hands are good things, not tug or chew toys. Use rope toys for games of tug, not your hands, so they learn that toys are for chewing and playing and hands aren’t.

Accidents happen and your puppy will probably nip you at some point during playtime. Try a sudden, short yelp that sounds a little like a high-pitched bark their littermates made to let your puppy know they’ve bitten down too hard. If your puppy still keeps biting, even after you’ve offered multiple toys, they might have some physical or mental energy to burn. Take them to the garden for a run around.

2. Offer alternatives
Stock up on puppy chew toys so you can ward off any nibbles on your hand or furniture. When you sub out for playtime and introduce toys instead, you’re teaching your puppy what’s ok to bite or chew and what isn’t. Couple with new, positive, non-biting behaviours by offering lots of appealing alternatives. Aim to give your puppy plenty of variety, so chew toys with different tastes, textures and difficulty levels. Once they understand that good behaviour means getting a proper chew toy, your puppy will soon learn.

3. Use positive reinforcement
Dogs respond really well to positive reinforcement - they thrive on attention and it’s a great way to encourage them to repeat good behaviour. Positive reinforcement doesn’t punish unwanted behaviour, instead it rewards good behaviour through treats, praise, play or toys. Every time your pup chooses a chew toy over your hand (or shoe) during playtime, offer a reward.

Remember that stopping your puppy biting takes plenty of patience, love and consistency but they’ll get there.

4. Try time out or game over
If your puppy bites you during playtime, stop play immediately. This teaches your puppy that biting gets them nothing. If you’re training your puppy to sit, you could ask them to sit and reward them with a toy. Or you could turn around and tuck your hands into your armpits as a signal that playtime’s over.

Other reasons an excitable puppy bites include being over-tired, needing the toilet or being thirsty. In which case, try calmly popping them in their crate for nap time, take them outside to toilet, or offer some water. Shouting or physically punishing your puppy never works. Not only does it teach them that biting gets attention from you (even if it’s not positive attention), it can harm your relationship.

5. Understand teething
Like babies, puppies teethe - their baby teeth drop out as their adult teeth push their way down. In puppies, teething usually starts around 12 weeks and goes until they’re about 6 months old. Teething can be sore and painful for puppies and they normally need to chew more than usual.

Stock up on teething toys that’ll save your hands and furniture from their chewing, and also relieve their pain.

We hope these tips help your puppy become a well-mannered dog that knows when it’s ok to bite, and when it isn’t. If you need any further help or have a question we haven’t answered, contact our friendly Pet Direct Customer Care team on 0800 200 240 or email support@petdirect.co.nz