Blog Post

How do I stop my Puppy from biting?

Kirsty Everard - Kirsty's Paws • Jun 24, 2022

Top tips to help with Puppy biting

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Puppy biting is a normal and natural behaviour, but it's important that we teach our Puppies it's not okay to be biting us. We need to give our Puppies appropriate guidance, using kind and gentle techniques because they won't just grow out of it.


Puppies bite more when they are over-tired, when they need the toilet and when they get over-excited or over-stimulated.


It’s also worth noting that our Puppies will be teething; during the time from 8 weeks to around 8 months Puppies will be losing all of their baby teeth and gaining their adult teeth – so they’re going to need to chew on things to help soothe the pain.


When Puppies are biting, one of the most important things that’s going on is that they’re getting feedback on how firmly they can make contact before it becomes an issue, if you’ve ever seen Littermates playing with each other this is what they’re doing all of the time, they bite one another and receive great feedback on whether or not that was okay, too much, or caused pain, because Puppy teeth are really sharp and pointy they cause more pain with less pressure and our Puppies learn what is and isn’t appropriate. When it comes to our Puppies biting us, we want to continue that process in a way that’s fair and constructive.


Ouch!

One of the big debates is whether or not we say ouch, this really depends on the Puppy, some Puppies will acknowledge your ouch, some may stop because they are fearful, but some Puppies get even more excited and think yay a Human squeaky toy and bite again!

Regardless of whether you have a Puppy who responds to ouch, or one that doesn’t, this advice will work for you!


There are things we can do to help manage our Puppies biting:


Sleep


Our Puppies need plenty of sleep: 8-12 week old Puppies need 18-22 hours of sleep a day, from 12 weeks Puppies still need 16-19 hours of sleep.

Sleep is a really important, especially when it comes to Puppy biting; our sleep cycles last about 4 hours and in that time we get a lot of deep REM sleep, but Dog’s sleep cycles are around 20 minutes, which means they need a lot more sleep to be able to function properly.


If our Puppies don’t get enough sleep then they’re going to be more irritable, more impulsive and a lot more bitey, so we really need to make sure that our Puppies are getting enough good quality sleep, make sure they have a nice, quiet location to sleep, away from all the noise, and that they’re comfortable doing that.


Diet


Diet plays a huge role in behaviour so we need to make sure that the food we are feeding our Puppies is appropriate.

Diet is a huge topic but essentially we need to be sure we’re not feeding our Puppies anything full of sugars or fillers that give them a huge energy boost, because that energy has to go somewhere!


There is a really good impartial website that you can compare the nutritional values of Dog foods on called All About Dog Food, I definitely recommend giving the food you feed your Puppy a search!


Toilet Training


Our Puppies need plenty of opportunities to go to the toilet: keep to a regular toilet training schedule that suits your Puppy.

If your Puppy suddenly gets bitey out of the blue, take them to their toilet area to see if they need to go, if this is the case you may need to take them to the toilet more regularly.


Chewing


We will need lots of safe chew toys to give our Puppies appropriate outlets for their chewing, help to relieve their teething pain, and to help them relax.


We need to provide a selection of different things for our Puppies to chew, lots of different textures, some that are quite hard, others that are quite soft. There are lots of things we can give our Puppies to help, just be careful to ensure  that they are suitable and always supervise your Puppy with them for safety.


Examples of chews that are available include:


  • Beef tendons
  • Beef trachea
  • Braided lamb
  • Buffalo horns
  • Bully sticks
  • Cow ears
  • Carrots (raw/ frozen)
  • Fish skin jerky
  • Frozen celery
  • Pigs ears
  • Pizzles
  • Root chews
  • Sweet potato chews
  • Whimzees
  • Yakers bars/ Yak milk chews


Enrichment


Enrichment is really important: we need to make sure that we’re giving our Puppies enrichment throughout the day, to provide them with physical and mental stimulation, which will help them to sleep more, and they’ll get a better quality sleep which will really help to reduce biting!


Check out my other blogs for lots of ideas for enrichment!


Engagement


We need to make sure that we’re engaging with our Puppies enough during the day.


Puppies who get bored will find their own entertainment and will look for ways to get our attention and gain interaction from us one of the things they will very quickly learn is that if we have ignored their efforts to get attention because we’re busy doing something else, then if they pull at your clothes or nip you then you will quickly respond so we need to make sure that we’re giving our Puppies the attention they need and we’re the ones who initiate social interactions!


Problem Prevention


Other things we can do to help prevent problems, include tucking in loose ends of clothing, because loose, moving clothing is really fun for our Puppies to chase and grab!


  • Tuck in your shoelaces, stuff the bottom of your trousers into your socks, or tuck your dressing gown cord into a pocket – and have plenty of toys to hand to offer your Puppy instead!
  • Always supervise children and Puppies to ensure there is no mouthing or biting.
  • Avoid handling, or picking up your Puppy when they’re too excited because they will be more grabby and bitey when they’re in an over-excited mood!


What to Do When Your Puppy Bites


The following steps will help you when your Puppy bites, because even with all of these great tips it’s going to happen at some point!


The first thing we need to do is teach our Puppies how to be gentle with their mouths; we need to teach them not to bite hard, or to cause any pain so that they learn bite inhibition


1)     To start with, if your Puppy is mouthing gently then that’s okay, we will build up to stopping this completely, but at first we can teach them that gentle contact is lovely, this is really important for Puppies to learn how to be gentle around Human skin, but we’re not going to allow this mouthing on children at all, no matter how gently!


2)     The moment your Puppy goes from gentle mouthing to firmer contact, calmly swap them onto something else to chew – keep some toys to hand everywhere so that you always have something within reach, as soon as your Puppy causes any pain you can give them a much better alternative!


3)     If your Puppy bites and starts to cause pain, swap them onto something appropriate, except when children are involved - the second your Puppy even touches them with their teeth the toy needs to be provided no matter how gently your Puppy is biting.


4)     If you offer your Puppy a toy and they’re not interested and go back to biting you, then calmly and quietly move away. Eventually your Puppy will learn causing pain removes the interaction with you: if you’re in your Puppy’s pen then leave for 10/20 seconds, if your Puppy isn’t in a pen and you have a stair-gate then stand the other side of that.


5)     When you go back to your Puppy, offer them something appropriate to chew again, your Puppy will learn that if they continue to bite you then the consequence is that they lose your attention for a short period of time, but if your Puppy chews their toy instead you will continue spending time together.


6)     Over time, your Puppy will start to learn that with gentle contact our interaction continues, but if they make firm or hard contact then it stops – this will teach them bite inhibition because they will learn how to be gentle with their teeth.


7)     When your Puppy has learned to just make gentle contact with their teeth, we can start swapping your Puppy onto a toy any time they make contact with their teeth, no matter how gently, because the end goal is that our Puppies learn how to be gentle with their mouths, but don’t continue to do any mouthing.


Troubleshooting


If your Puppy isn’t taking the toy but continues to grab onto you, then we need to stop and have a look at what else is going on, we know that Puppies will bite a lot more when they’re frustrated, over tired or over excited and if your Puppy is in that frame of mind then they’re not going to be able to learn and you’ll get stuck in a cycle where everyone just gets more and more frustrated and it gets really stressful! We want to avoid that, so if you’ve been leaving the room and then offering a toy and it’s really not helping then you’ll need to find your Puppy something else to do that will help calm them down give your Puppy something to sniff, lick, or chew because these are all really calming activities.


You could give your Puppy a snuffle mat, lickimat, or a stuffed Kong in their pen because any of these will help to calm your Puppy down and they’ll most likely have a good sleep! When your Puppy wakes up from a good sleep you’ll see much less of this bitey and impulsive behaviour and they’ll be ready to learn! It’s really important that you don’t worry that this is rewarding your Puppy for biting you, what we’re doing is managing the behaviour so that it doesn’t continue and we’re changing their mind-set in that moment  when Puppies are that frustrated they’re not in a position to learn, so we need to do something to help them out and calm them down, this will help to keep a good relationship with our Puppies and when they wake up they’ll be back in a position to think more clearly and then they will be able to learn.


Click here to download a free copy of my Puppy Biting Ebook from the freebies page of my website


Click here to watch my video on Puppy biting on YouTube


For more help with training your Puppy click here to visit my online school

Keeping Your Dog Calm at Christmas

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 11 Dec, 2022
Christmas is a time to sit back, relax and enjoy some home comforts, the last thing you need is to have to worry about your Dog so here are some helpful tips for you. Creating a place where your Dog can relax and settle down quietly will help to reduce anxiety and help your Dog to cope with stressful situations. Even if your Dog doesn’t suffer from fear or anxiety, it’s great to have their own safe haven where they can go when they just want to relax for a bit. By giving your Dog the choice to go to their safe haven you will increase their confidence in dealing with uncertain or stressful situations. It's important your Dog views their safe space as the place ever! How to set up your Dog's safe space: ✅ Look at where your Dog naturally likes to go, could you set something up there for them? You could even set up more than one place if you'd like one where you spend the most time and a second in a really quiet spot! ✅ Make sure it's nice and cosy with enough space for your Dog to stretch out, and some comfortable bedding ✅ Try to pick a spot that won't be too hot, or too cold ✅ Make sure their safe space is easily accessible, and that they are never shut in there, it's important your Dog knows that they can come and go as they please from their safe space ✅ Make sure there's a water bowl near your Dog's safe space ✅ Over the next few days set up a safe space for your Dog, in preparation for all the festivities ✅ You could start feeding your Dog's meals in their safe space, and be sure to give them lots of tasty treats there so they start to build up some really great associations!

Interactive Toys for Your Dog

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 11 Dec, 2022
There are so many different toys out there for our Dogs, here is a little selection that hopefully will help to give you some ideas of ways to keep them relaxed, entertained and enriched both physically and mentally!

Keeping Your Dog Safe at Christmas

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 11 Dec, 2022
Christmas is a time to sit back, relax and enjoy some home comforts, the last thing you need is to have to worry about your Dog's safety so here are some helpful tips for you.

Dogs at Halloween

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 30 Oct, 2021
1. Make sure your Dog is comfortable Try to take your Dog out before it gets dark if they are likely to be spooked by people in costumes, you may want to feed them slightly earlier and then take them out for their last wee later when it's a bit quieter. Keep your Dog on their lead and make sure that ID tag and microchip is up to date just incase something scares them and they bolt, make sure that your garden is safe and escape proof too. 2. Create a safe ‘Doggy den’ Provide your Dog with plenty of places to hide if they choose to, if your Dog has a crate you could cover it with blankets, or you could use chairs and blankets to create a new safe space for them, perhaps you have noticed your Dog has found their own safe space that they like to go to? Try not to choose somewhere by a window though so that they're away from any outside noise. Make sure your Dog can come and go from their den as they please. Fill your Doggy dens with plenty of blankets, chew toys and ensure there is a water bowl nearby. Your Dog may be most comfortable with you, or in their usual bed so make sure they have options and avoid confining them to one place. If your Dog prefers to hide away do let them. By giving your Dog a safe space we can help to reduce stress and improve their confidence. Creating a place where they can relax and settle down quietly will help to reduce anxiety and help your Dog to cope with stressful situations. Even if your Dog doesn’t suffer from fear or anxiety, it’s great to have their own safe space where they can go when they just want to relax for a bit. By giving your Dog the choice to go to their safe space you will increase their confidence in dealing with strange situations. It's important your Dog views their safe space as positively and sees it as the place ever! 3. Make sure your Dog is secure If you are likely to be having visitors ensure that your Dog is somewhere secure when you open the door, it may be worth leaving their collar and ID tag on just incase they accidentally escape 4. Turn on the TV or radio The sound from the TV or radio can help to mask outdoor noises, avoid turning the volume up too loudly though. 5. Be available to reassure your Dog Reassure your Dog if they are nervous, but do try to stay calm and act normally, gently stroke them if they are comfortable with that, or you could try playing a game with their favourite toy if they want to. 6. Provide your Dog with a stuffed Kong, or long-lasting chew Giving your Dog something to chew on will have a calming effect and help to keep them occupied; you could also try puzzle toys, or a snuffle matt to keep them busy! 7. Keep Human treats out of your Dog's reach Chocolate is harmful for Dogs, and sweeties are very high in sugar, some may contain xylitol which can be fatal so be sure to keep them away from your Dog. 8. Fill your Dog’s water bowls Make sure that your Dog has access to plenty of water because anxious Dogs pant more and chews may make them more thirsty too. 9. Dressing up If you are going to be dressing up then you may want to introduce your Dog to your outfit beforehand so that they aren't surprised by your sudden change of appearance! If you are thinking about dressing your Dog up then please ensure that they are completely comfortable with the whole process from having the item put on them to wearing it.

What Can I Put on a LickiMat?

by Kirsty Everard • 20 Sept, 2021
Ideas for your Dog's LickiMat

Keeping Your Dog Safe and Happy at Easter

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 02 Apr, 2021
Tips to help keep your Dog safe and happy at Easter

Free Home-Made Interactive Toys for Your Dog

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 15 Dec, 2020
Stop! Before you next empty your recycle bin let us take a look at some home-made enrichment toys we can create for our Dogs, for free! Always be sure to supervise your Dog with these and if they like to eat any of the materials listed then please avoid using them to be sure to keep them safe. Cardboard boxes: you can use these to pop some of your Dog's food or treats in, for beginners keep the box open but then you can start to pop little holes in, or seal them up for your Dog to get the food out, if your Dog is highly toy motivated then you could also hide a toy for them to find and then have a good play together! Toilet roll inner tubes: start saving those tubes because there are so many things that we can do with them to help provide some mental stimulation for our Dogs; for beginners we can cut those tubes into different sizes, put them in a box and scatter some treats in there for our Dogs to get out, then once your Dog has learned the game you could even fold over the ends of the tubes to turn them into little parcels to make the game more difficult! Plastic Bottles: we can start by making this really easy for our Dogs, grab a plastic bottle, throw away the lid and make a few holes in it, next pop some treats in and let your Dog work out how to get them out; once your Dog is used to this game you can make less holes, or just take the lid off, if your Dog gets really smart you could always leave the lid on but just be careful to make sure your Dog doesn't swallow it Sustainable cardboard packaging: this is great for popping in a box with some of your Dogs food or treats, to start with you can put their biscuits in the box and then pop the packaging on top, but once they are used to the game you could even wrap their food up in the packaging before popping it in a box for them so they have to rustle around to find the food! Paper plates: you can use paper plates to make little parcels for your Dog by folding the plate in half, placing some food in the middle and then folding over the edges! Muffin tins: if you have an old muffin tin these are great! You can begin by just putting food in the trays but then you can start to cover the tops with tennis balls, your Dog will have to use their nose or paw to get to the food! (If you don't have an old muffin tin you can also use the plastic trays that come in multi-packs of biscuits - it's a great excuse to treat yourself!) Pillow cases: if you have an old pillow case you can crinkle it up a little and pop treats in the gaps, much like how a snuffle mat works, or if you have a Dog who is a little more inquisitive and want to up the activity level you could always place their treats, or favourite toy inside the pillowcase and let them work out how to get it out! Blankets: you can start this off quite easily by popping some treats on a blanket and then progress to rolling the blanket so that your Dog has to unravel it with their nose to get the food Plastic cups: you can use these to hide treats under, when your Dog is first starting you can lift them to show your Dog the food underneath and keep them interested, but after a while you'll be able to let your Dog work this one out on their own, over time you will be able to just put food under some of the cups so your Dog has to sniff out the correct ones! Ice cube trays: ice cube trays are fantastic for teething Puppies and are great in the summer months for Dogs of any age to help keep cool, pop some of their treats in the tray with a little water and leave to freeze, you have the option of taking out the individual ice cubes, or allowing your Dog to lick the whole tray to get to their treats! These are all great ideas for you and your Dog but if you would like to look at some of the interactive toys that are available at the moment please do check out my previous blog with some ideas for interactive toys for your Dog that you can buy.

Dogs and Fireworks

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 29 Oct, 2020
Many Dogs are scared of fireworks, throughout the year we can work to desensitise them to the sounds of those loud bangs, but here are some ways to help keep them comfortable during fireworks season. Where possible try to implement any changes gradually, over a few days, so that your Dog’s routine isn’t suddenly changed. 1. Take your Dog for their walk before it gets dark Try to make sure you take your Dog out before fireworks are likely to start going off, you may want to feed them slightly earlier too and then take them out for their last wee when the fireworks have finished. Keep your Dog on their lead and make sure that ID tag and microchip is up to date just incase something scares them and they bolt, make sure that your garden is safe and escape proof too. 2. Create a safe ‘Doggy den’ Provide your Dog with plenty of places to hide if they choose to, if your Dog has a crate you could cover it with blankets, or you could use chairs and blankets to create a new safe space for them, perhaps you have noticed your Dog has found their own safe space that they like to go to? Try not to choose somewhere by a window though so that they're away from any outside noise. Make sure your Dog can come and go from their den as they please. Fill your Doggy dens with plenty of blankets, chew toys and ensure there is a water bowl nearby. Your Dog may be most comfortable with you, or in their usual bed so make sure they have options and avoid confining them to one place. If your Dog prefers to hide away do let them. By giving your Dog a safe space we can help to reduce stress and improve their confidence. Creating a place where they can relax and settle down quietly will help to reduce anxiety and help your Dog to cope with stressful situations, including fireworks. Even if your Dog doesn’t suffer from fear or anxiety, it’s great to have their own safe space where they can go when they just want to relax for a bit. By giving your Dog the choice to go to their safe space you will increase their confidence in dealing with uncertain or stressful situations, like fireworks. It's important your Dog views their safe space as positively and sees it as the place ever! 3. Shut the windows, close the curtains and leave the lights on Making sure the windows are closed will help quieten the sound of the fireworks. Closing the curtains and keeping the room lit will help to keep your Dog cosy and hide any flashes of light from the fireworks. 4. Turn on the TV, radio or play some music The sound from the TV or radio can help to mask the sound of the fireworks, avoid turning the volume up too loudly though. Classical music has been shown to have calming effects - in one study Dogs who were played classical music were found to rest more, spent more of their time being quiet, and less time standing than when exposed to heavy metal, pop and conversation. Classical music with a single instrument at a slower tempo has been especially shown to produced relaxed behaviors in Dogs. Dogs seem to relax when exposed to music with a tempo of 50-60 beats per minute, interestingly this doesn't just include classical music, but reggae and some types of soft rock have been shown to reduce heart rate and lower stress too! Why not play a selection of calming music and see which encourages your Dog to relax most! 5. Be available to reassure your Dog Reassure your Dog if they are nervous, but do try to stay calm and act normally, gently stroke them if they are comfortable with that, or you could try playing a game with their favourite toy if they want to. 6. Provide your Dog with a stuffed Kong, or long-lasting chew Giving your Dog something to chew on will have a calming effect and help to keep them occupied; you could also try puzzle toys, a snuffle matt, or a lickimat. If your Dog is really anxious be mindful that they may not want to eat but it’s certainly worth a try! 7. Fill your Dog’s water bowls Make sure that your Dog has access to plenty of water because anxious Dogs pant more and chews may make them more thirsty too. 8. Try some calming remedies - Adaptil is a synthetic pheromone which can help to promote calmness and reduce anxiety by sending 'comforting messages' to your Dog, you can buy plug in diffusers for your home, or it is available as a spray - Scullcap and Valerian Tablets are a natural way to help promote relaxation and reduce anxiety 9. Extra inspiration If you would like some ideas for free home made interactive toys to help keep your Dog occupied, or ideas to put on a LickiMat please check out my other blogs too! 10. Start preparing for next year If your Dog is anxious of fireworks please do get in contact with me so that we can arrange an appointment to help them in preparation for next year.

Making the Most out of Your Dog's Meals

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 02 Aug, 2020
Great and simple ideas to help make your Dog's meals more interesting

Helping to Prevent Separation Related Problems with Your Dogs After Lockdown

by Kirsty Everard, Kirsty's Paws • 28 Apr, 2020
Helping to Prevent Separation Related Problems with Your Dogs After Lockdown
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