The Truth About Puppy Biting (and How to Make it Stop)

Originally published January 2020; updated August 2023

Biting is one of the top problems puppy owners face. There’s nothing like feeling those little razors on your skin and clothes to send you racing for answers!

Last year, I shared some quick and easy solutions for puppy biting. This year, I want to add some thoughts to that discussion.

The Truth About Puppy Biting

1. Puppy biting is normal.
   Depending on your puppy’s breed or breed mix, you may experience harder bites or an increased desire to bite (hello Cattle Dogs and Malinois!), but the biting itself is still a normal activity.

   That doesn’t mean you have to stock up on Band-Aids and just deal with it, though. Normal doesn’t mean universally acceptable. Peeing and pooping is normal too, but the puppy can’t do it wherever he wants.

2. Failing to be the Boss or Alpha doesn’t make you more susceptible to puppy biting.
   Puppies bite because they’re puppies. If some of your family members are getting bit more often than you are, it’s not because your puppy knows you’re the Boss, but hasn’t gotten the message about the other people.

   Trying to be Alpha won’t solve anything, but it will create other problems.

3. Most puppy biting is not a sign of aggression.
   As wild as the puppy seems and as painful as the bites are, a truly aggressive pet puppy is uncommon. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, though, so if you’re concerned, contact a qualified professional dog trainer ASAP.
   For steps on preventing your puppy from becoming aggressive check out this blog post.

How To Train a Puppy Not to Bite

To solve puppy biting, the first question to ask is when? When is the puppy biting?

1. When humans try to pet or hold the puppy?

2. When puppy misses or drops the toy during playtime and targets skin instead?

3. When humans are walking or running?

4. When humans aren’t doing anything, but the puppy comes up and chomps on them completely unprovoked?

If you answered, “all of the above” that’s okay and it doesn’t make your pup a monster.

Solving puppy biting isn’t about eliminating the behavior, but about getting the pup to do it on the correct items while preventing him from doing it on the wrong items.

1. When you want to pet or hold the puppy, hold a toy or chew very close to his mouth with one hand while you pet with the other.

2. It’s almost impossible to play with a puppy and not feel teeth on your skin at least once. Keep it to a minimum by playing with an extra long toy, sitting in a chair instead of on the floor, and by taking frequent mini-training breaks to practice calmer thinking behaviors.

3. Gently toss treats away from yourself to keep your pup occupied while you walk.

4. Unprovoked biting often means it’s past time for a nap!

Since last year’s post, I’ve learned (and become thoroughly convinced) that being tired is at the root of a lot of puppy biting problems. More naps = less teeth. Get that puppy into the crate more often for naps and you’ll probably find he isn’t biting as much.

If you need help crate training your puppy, check out the first part of the Koinonia Puppy Series: Crate Training Puppies.

If you’ve tried everything and your puppy is still a little land shark, consider working one-on-one with a professional! I offer in-person sessions in the Austin, TX area; click below to learn more.