Does your puppy nip at your fingers and toes? Or nip at your ankles when you are taking them for a walk? This usually happens because your puppy is playing with you and is still developing the social skills to know what counts as appropriate play. Until you have helped them learn some boundaries, they will use their little sharp teeth to communicate with you. In this blog, we will discuss “why do puppies play bite?” and steps you can do to teach better behaviors.
In this blog, we will be discussing chewing and playbiting. Dogs may chew on you or household items, while play biting will be directed towards people and pets. Let’s first start by discussing why puppies chew on household items.
How to help puppies from chewing on everything
Puppies use their mouths to explore their environment, communicate with you, and it can be soothing for teething puppies. You may notice your puppy chewing on your curtains, blankets, shoes, and pillows until they learn what they are allowed to chew on.
Most puppies finish teething by the time they’re about six months old. Some puppy owners believe that inappropriate play biting and chewing is because their puppy is teething. But even if your puppy is teething, you shouldn’t be the target of their biting.
To help stop this behavior, you can encourage your puppy to chew on toys instead. We recommend getting 8 to 12 chew toys and rotating them so your puppy doesn’t get bored. Appropriate chew toys include Benebones, Kongs, Nylabones, and white bones. Now that we know why puppies chew on everything, let’s dive into why your puppy may be focused on chewing on you and other people.
Is your puppy play biting for attention?
Playbiting can be attention-seeking behavior. After all, they will often get a quicker response from you or others when communicating with their little sharp teeth. You can tell if they are play biting for attention by monitoring their body language. If they are wiggling around, jumping, and wagging their tail, they are showing friendly body language. This isn’t a cause for concern, and is a normal behavior with puppies.
Abnormal playbiting
There are a few behaviors that can be classified as abnormal playbiting. These include:
- If your puppy bites you to stop you from touching them or their toys.
- If your puppy’s bites are breaking the skin more than two to three times with the same person.
- If it is fear-related biting that is directed towards a groomer, vet, or stranger.
- When a puppy picks something up (such as a sock, acorn, sticks or rocks) and quickly swallows it.
How can abnormal play biting be treated?
If your puppy bites when being touched, it is likely that they are touch-sensitive. Body-handling exercises can help develop a positive association with being handled. You can use kibble or higher-value treats to build this positive association. Have your puppy face you while they are sitting and lying down, and touch different parts of their body (such as a front paw or their ears). Each time, say ‘good’ and give them a treat. You should see a change in their behavior within a few days. For more information on abnormal playbiting, you can check out our article on “Puppy playbiting: normal vs abnormal”.
We are here to help
If your puppy is showing signs of touch sensitivity or fearful behavior we recommend that you contact a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. You can contact our pet behavior team for a free consultation. Unfortunately, touch sensitivity and fearful behaviors can worsen as a dog gets older, so it’s best to address these behaviors early.
Beyond the Dog Kansas City offers one-on-one personalized training programs at your home and local neighborhood. We also offer board and train retreats and virtual consultations with our co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage.
