Puppy biting can be quite worrying for a new owner, leading them to wonder if they've bought an agressive puppy, however, play biting and mouthing are perfectly normal behaviours for young puppies, especially when they're teething.
Play biting is a natural part of a puppy's development and teaches the puppy that biting hurts - better for them to learn early before their jaws have developed the strength to do some real damage.
Teaching Your Puppy Bite Inhibition
Puppies learn to control their biting during play with their mother and siblings. This is known as bite inhibition; the ability to control how hard (or gently) the puppy bites. If, during play, the puppy bites its mother too hard, she will yelp loudly, and she may also bite back. This will usually have the effect of stopping the puppy in its tracks, unsure of what to do next.
If the puppy bites again, the mother may yelp louder this time, but will also growl or snarl quite visciously at her offspring - giving a very clear message that his behaviour is unacceptable.
She will then turn away and have nothing to do with her puppy for a few minutes, until he's learned some manners. If the puppy is persistent, she may grab the puppy by the scruff of the neck and gently shake him to calm him down. The siblings also play a part in teaching each other not to bite too hard.
If you watch puppies playing, you will see that when one puppy is bitten too hard, it will yelp and move away from the aggressor, and play stops immediately. As puppies love playing, the aggressive puppy will soon learn to inhibit its biting if it wants to play. Puppies need to be taught that it's not acceptable to bite humans, no matter how hard, and when you bring your puppy home, it's important to continue with teaching your puppy bite inhibition. If your puppy's biting is not controlled early, he may grow up to have behavioural problems later in life.
Puppy Biting - Timing
Puppies need to learn to develop a 'soft mouth' as early as possible, as the window for doing so closes at around 4 - 5 months. Coincidentally, this is about the same time they get their adult teeth!
Some General Dont's
allow your Staffordshire bull terrier puppy to get away with biting and nipping; if you do, he may develop behavioural problems later in life.
smack your puppy for biting. If he's a sensitive puppy, you may hurt and scare him, which could make him afraid of you. If your puppy is not so sensitive, or is a dominant puppy, he may think you're playing with him and, his 'game' may become more aggressive - he may bite you even harder.
despair, keep following the advice given below about how to stop your puppy biting.
Some General Do's
be consistent when teaching your puppy not to bite. Explain your training method to each family member and ensure they follow the same process.
let visitors know that puppy biting is not allowed. Explain and, if necessary, demonstrate, your training methods to your visitors.
repeat the training often as it may take many repetitions before your puppy understands what you want form him. Initiate play regularly so that you can train your puppy not to bite.
ensure that young children are supervised at all times when playing with puppies.
praise and reward your puppy when he gets the training right and when his behaviour is good. This will teach your puppy that you approve of what he is doing, and will reinforce his good behaviour.
How To Stop Your Puppy Biting
Being bitten by sharp little puppy teeth can be very painful - you will need to teach your puppy that biting hurts.
If your puppy bites you, catches your skin with his teeth, or tries to bite at your clothes, yelp loudly, and say 'No' in a firm, disapproving tone, to let your puppy know that he hurt you. It's okay to over-react and sound a little more hurt than you actually are - the objective is for your puppy to understand that his bite hurt you and that biting humans is wrong.
Stop playing with your puppy and turn away from him, ignore him for about 60 seconds, before beginning play with him again.If your puppy is persistent, you could try giving him a rubber bone to bite or chew on to help get your message across that he may chew his toys and bones, but that biting hands and fingers is not allowed.Learn how to stop your puppy chewing furniture, slippers, socks, etc., and teach him that he's only allowed to chew on his own toys.
If your puppy doesn't show any interest in his chew bone, and bites you again, repeat your loud yelp and 'No' and, either move away and ignore him, or leave the room for a few minutes. (If you do leave the room, ensure the room is puppy proof and safe). Your puppy will soon learn that biting you is wrong and that if he does bite, his play sessions will come to an abrupt end. This is the same message that the mother gives when teaching her pups not to bite, and that's only one of the reasons why it's very important not to remove your puppy from the litter too early. Your puppy will probably continue to bite, but his bites should now be 'softer' as he's beginning to learn how much bite is enough to allow the fun to continue, and how much bite will stop play.
Your next step is to move towards teaching your puppy not to bite at all.
Even though your puppy's bite no longer hurts you, continue to yelp, and say 'No' when your puppy's teeth touch your hands. Your puppy will eventually stop trying to mouth your hands, and will automatically stop play if his teeth accidently touch your hands. Teaching your puppy bite inhibition, and stopping the biting process altogether, may take up to 4 weeks to complete successfully, so please be patient.
It may be that your puppy is teething, in which case, ensure he has plenty of safe puppy teething rings and bones.
We strongly recommend above training method, which also works on slightly older puppies.
If you have an adult dog with a bite problem, don't try to tackle it yourself - seek immediate, professional help from a qualified dog behavioural therapist.
