How to Stop Puppy Biting, Nipping & Mouthing
Puppy Biting • Nipping • Mouthing • Over-Arousal • Teething • Kids & Puppies
Your puppy is biting you because puppies use their mouths.
That does not mean your hands, ankles, pants, children and furniture need to remain fair game until the puppy magically grows out of it.
Puppy biting, nipping and mouthing are incredibly common. Puppies explore with their mouths, play with their mouths, chew while teething and often become considerably mouthier when they are overexcited, frustrated or flat-out tired.
So yes, some biting comes with having a puppy.
But normal does not mean do nothing.
What your puppy practices today becomes part of the dog you live with tomorrow.
The Basic Rule
Puppy Biting Is Normal. Being Your Puppy's Chew Toy Is Optional.
I don't panic because a twelve-week-old puppy puts teeth on somebody.
I also don't shrug and allow six months of increasingly intense biting because “he's a puppy.”
The puppy needs a predictable rule:
Teeth on an appropriate toy make play continue. Teeth repeatedly on a human make play stop.
Why Is My Puppy Biting So Much?
There is not one answer.
Puppy biting can come from:
Play
Puppies naturally use their mouths while interacting.
Exploration
The mouth is one of the primary ways young puppies investigate the world.
Teething
Teething puppies have a genuine physical need to chew.
Attention
If biting instantly makes humans engage, biting can become very effective.
Movement
Feet, pant legs, shoelaces and running children make excellent moving targets.
Over-Arousal
Excited puppies often become less thoughtful and much mouthier.
Fatigue
An exhausted puppy can look like a puppy who needs more exercise when he actually needs sleep.
Frustration
Puppies may grab, mouth or bite when access is denied or they do not yet know how to regulate themselves.
These reasons often overlap.
A tired puppy becomes over-aroused, chases the child, grabs the pant leg, everybody squeals and suddenly puppy biting has turned into the most exciting event of the evening.
Stop Playing With Your Puppy Using Your Hands
Humans often accidentally help create the very behavior they later complain about.
Don't wrestle with your puppy using bare hands and then become surprised when the puppy believes hands are part of the wrestling equipment.
Don't wiggle fingers in the puppy's face, shove hands into the mouth during play and then decide the game changed when the puppy bites harder than you expected.
Use a toy.
A tug toy gives the puppy something appropriate to grab while keeping your hands away from those ridiculous little needle teeth.
Handling and hand wrestling are not the same thing.
How to Stop Puppy Biting During Play
1. Have an Appropriate Toy Ready
Do not wait until the puppy is attached to your forearm before you begin searching the house for something he is allowed to bite.
Keep toys where puppy activity actually happens.
2. If Teeth Hit Skin or Clothes, Mark It and Stop
Give a simple verbal marker such as “No” or “Ah-ah.”
I do not need screaming, shrieking or a twenty-second lecture.
Stop your movement and stop making the interaction exciting.
For some puppies, a dramatic “OUCH!” only makes the human sound like an excellent squeaky toy.
If squealing makes your puppy come back harder, stop squealing.
3. Redirect the Mouth to the Right Thing
Once the puppy releases you, offer the appropriate toy.
If the puppy grabs the tug instead of your wrist, great.
Play.
The puppy needs to learn what yes looks like too.
4. If the Puppy Immediately Comes Back for You, Play Ends
This is where I stop redirecting endlessly.
You showed the puppy the appropriate toy.
He abandoned it and came straight back for your arm.
The game ends.
Stand up.
Remove your hands.
Step away or use your supervised indoor leash to stop the puppy from chasing and grabbing you.
No anger is required.
The consequence makes sense:
You could not play without using your teeth on me, so access to me ended.
5. If the Puppy Is Completely Wild, Stop Trying to Play Through It
If you're redirecting, stopping, restarting and being bitten again every fifteen seconds, look at the whole puppy.
Is he:
- racing through the room;
- grabbing clothes;
- jumping;
- barking;
- biting harder;
- attacking the leash;
- unable to stay with a toy;
- getting increasingly frantic?
You may no longer have a toy-selection problem.
You may have an exhausted, overstimulated little animal who needs a potty trip, a quiet transition and a nap.
Why Does My Puppy Get Crazy and Bite at Night?
Puppy parents often describe the same phenomenon:
lovely puppy all day,
tiny demon at 7:30 p.m.
Suddenly the puppy is zooming through the house, biting feet, grabbing sleeves, barking, attacking the leash and apparently forgetting everything learned earlier.
Before assuming the puppy needs another long walk or more fetch, look at how much stimulation and how little rest the puppy has already had.
Puppies need a tremendous amount of downtime.
They do not always volunteer for it.
Sometimes the answer is:
- a potty trip;
- a calm transition;
- an appropriate chew;
- the familiar crate or resting area;
- sleep.
Do not make the crate an angry punishment because the puppy annoyed you.
But there is nothing wrong with recognizing that a tired puppy needs help turning himself off.
If crate barking is part of the problem, read: How to Stop Crate Barking & Whining .
Use an Indoor Leash Before You're Chasing the Puppy
I use supervised indoor leashes with puppies for exactly this kind of nonsense.
If your puppy repeatedly attacks ankles, chases children, grabs clothes or becomes difficult to interrupt when excited, a lightweight leash gives you a way to regain control without reaching into the mouth or chasing the puppy around furniture.
Movement feeds puppy biting.
If the puppy grabs your pants and you hop across the kitchen trying to escape, you just became significantly more interesting.
Read: Why I Use a Leash Inside the House .
Why Does My Puppy Attack My Ankles?
Because ankles move.
Pants move.
Robes move.
Shoelaces move.
Bare feet move.
And once puppy teeth make contact, humans frequently start moving even faster.
Don't become fleeing prey.
Stop moving.
Interrupt.
Use the leash if necessary.
Redirect to the appropriate toy.
If the puppy immediately returns to your ankles, end the interaction.
Children and Puppy Biting Need Their Own Rules
Children and puppies can wind each other up remarkably quickly.
Children run.
They squeal.
They wave their arms.
The puppy chases, jumps and grabs clothing.
The child becomes louder and moves faster.
The puppy becomes more excited.
Everybody may genuinely believe they are playing until the puppy bites hard enough to hurt.
I don't want mindless chase-and-nip play becoming the primary relationship between children and puppies.
Do Not Expect a Child to Train an Over-Aroused Puppy
If the puppy is chasing, grabbing, nipping or knocking a child down, an adult needs to step in.
The child should not be used as training equipment while the puppy learns to keep teeth off humans.
Separate.
Regain control.
Reset.
Read: Dogs & Kids: Safety and Better Interactions .
Give Kids Better Games to Play
Puppies and kids can absolutely have fun together.
Give the fun some structure.
Depending on the child and puppy:
- hide-and-seek with Recall;
- scent searches;
- supervised tug with clear start and stop rules;
- simple Sit, Touch or Watch Me games;
- Red Light / Green Light;
- rolling a toy instead of running while the puppy attacks legs.
Teach the Puppy How to Turn Play Off
Puppies are naturally good at getting excited.
I also want them learning how to come back down.
During play, practice:
- Take It;
- Out / Drop;
- brief Sit;
- Watch Me;
- Touch;
- a short pause before play begins again.
The lesson becomes:
You can be excited and still listen.
Read: How to Teach Impulse Control .
Your Puppy Needs Things He Is Allowed to Chew
If you remove every inappropriate chewing opportunity without giving the puppy appropriate outlets, you are making this unnecessarily difficult.
Have a rotation of puppy-appropriate:
- chews;
- tug toys;
- interactive toys;
- quiet chewing options.
Match the item to the puppy's size, chewing style and level of supervision.
No toy is automatically safe for every dog just because there is a puppy on the package.
For more on chewing itself, read: Why Is My Dog Chewing & Destroying Everything? .
Don't Confuse Redirection With Negotiation
Puppy bites your hand.
You offer toy number one.
Puppy ignores it and bites your pants.
You offer toy number two.
Puppy grabs your sleeve.
You produce a chew, a squeaker, a tug and possibly the deed to the house.
Stop negotiating.
You showed the puppy the correct answer.
If the puppy is too wound up to take it and repeatedly chooses human flesh and clothing instead, the interaction is over.
Should I Hold My Puppy's Mouth Closed?
No.
I also do not need to pin the puppy down, alpha roll him, hit the muzzle or turn normal puppy mouthing into a physical confrontation.
You can absolutely remove a puppy from your body if he is hurting you.
Nobody is required to stand still while puppy teeth puncture skin in the name of training.
Once everyone is safe, return to teaching.
Why Does My Puppy Jump and Bite Me?
Jumping and biting commonly travel together because both are often about arousal and access to people.
Use the leash before the puppy reaches full launch mode.
Reinforce four feet on the floor.
Ask for Sit when appropriate.
Teeth and flying puppy feet should not make human interaction continue.
Read: How to Stop Dog Jumping .
Socialization Does Not Mean Letting Everyone Wind Up Your Puppy
Puppy owners often try so hard to socialize that every stranger becomes a party.
Someone crouches down, squeals, slaps their legs and calls the puppy.
Puppy launches onto them and starts mouthing.
Everybody laughs because the puppy is adorable.
That was certainly social interaction.
It was not necessarily useful socialization.
I want puppies able to greet appropriately, but also able to observe people, pass people and remain capable of listening around people.
Read: Puppy Socialization: What It Really Means .
What About an Adult Dog Correcting the Puppy?
A stable adult dog may appropriately tell a puppy that a social boundary has been crossed.
That does not mean the adult dog should be responsible for raising your puppy.
If the older dog repeatedly tries to leave and the puppy keeps attacking ears, tails and faces, step in.
Your adult dog should not have to spend puppyhood working as unpaid daycare staff.
When Puppy Biting Is Not Just Puppy Nipping
This distinction matters.
A puppy grabbing a sleeve with a loose, wiggly body during play is not the same behavioral picture as a puppy becoming stiff over a food bowl and biting when a hand approaches.
A puppy who gets mouthy during evening zoomies is different from a puppy who freezes during handling, hard-stares, growls and bites.
I pay attention when biting includes:
- stiffness or freezing before the bite;
- resource guarding around food, chews or objects;
- fearful biting when approached or cornered;
- handling sensitivity with growling, snapping or biting;
- repeated hard bites disconnected from ordinary play;
- punctures or significant injury;
- unsafe behavior around children;
- behavior becoming more intense rather than improving.
Do Not Dismiss This
“He's Only a Puppy” Is Not a Safety Plan
Puppyhood is not a reason to panic about every tooth.
It is also not a reason to ignore resource guarding, fear, repeated hard biting, serious handling sensitivity or behavior that is already putting people at risk.
Early information is useful.
A Puppy Bite Can Still Hurt
Developmentally normal does not mean harmless.
Puppy teeth are sharp.
Children, older adults and people with fragile skin can be injured quickly.
If the puppy cannot safely interact with somebody without repeatedly biting, use separation and structured interactions while the puppy learns.
A Special Note for Seniors, Fragile Skin & Blood Thinners
Puppies bite, scratch, jump, grab clothes and dart under feet.
Even a sweet, completely normal puppy can unintentionally cause a real injury.
Take extra precautions if you:
- have thin or fragile skin;
- bruise easily;
- take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication;
- have balance or mobility concerns;
- have another reason a puncture, scratch or fall creates greater risk.
Use:
- long sleeves when appropriate;
- stable footwear;
- gates and pens;
- the supervised indoor leash;
- planned rest periods;
- toys within easy reach.
Protective clothing is not the training plan.
It is a layer of protection while the puppy is learning.
If a bite or scratch breaks the skin, clean it appropriately and contact your healthcare provider if you have difficulty stopping bleeding, significant bruising or concerns about the wound.
Consistency Changes Puppy Biting Faster Than Chaos
Your puppy does not need a different reaction every time teeth appear.
The puppy needs the household to agree on the rule.
- We do not invite the puppy to bite hands.
- We provide appropriate toys and chewing outlets.
- Teeth on humans interrupt the interaction.
- The puppy gets another opportunity with the correct toy.
- Repeated biting ends the game.
- Wild mouthiness makes us look at arousal and fatigue.
- Children and puppies are actively supervised.
- Everyone follows the same rule.
What Progress Actually Looks Like
Progress does not necessarily mean the puppy wakes up one morning and never touches skin again.
At first you may redirect twenty times a day.
Then the puppy begins reaching for the tug instead of your sleeve.
The evening biting still happens, but the episodes shorten.
The puppy releases more quickly when the game ends.
Eventually the puppy starts bringing you a toy when he wants interaction.
The mouth becomes softer.
Choices improve.
That is progress.
Want the Bigger Puppy Picture?
Puppy biting rarely exists by itself.
You are probably also dealing with:
- house training;
- crate training;
- chewing;
- jumping;
- socialization;
- leash skills;
- sleep;
- boundaries;
- general puppy insanity.
That is why I built the New Puppy Guide.
Get the New Puppy Guide With Training in Mind .
Questions Dog Moms Are Searching
Puppy Biting & Nipping Q&A
Why is my puppy biting me so much?
Puppies bite during play, exploration and teething, and often become much mouthier when tired, frustrated or over-aroused.
How do I stop my puppy from biting my hands?
Stop using hands as toys. Interrupt teeth on skin, redirect to an appropriate toy and end the interaction if the puppy immediately returns to biting you.
Why does my puppy attack my feet and ankles?
Moving feet, pants and shoelaces trigger chase and play. Stop moving, interrupt the behavior and redirect to an appropriate toy rather than turning yourself into something fun to chase.
Why does my puppy bite my clothes?
Loose, moving fabric is extremely attractive to many puppies. Stop movement, interrupt and redirect. Repeated clothing grabbing should end the interaction.
Why does my puppy bite harder at night?
Evening biting often increases when a puppy is overtired and overstimulated. A potty trip, calmer transition, chew and sleep may help more than additional high-energy exercise.
What is the puppy witching hour?
Many puppies become unusually wild, mouthy and difficult to regulate during the evening. Fatigue and accumulated stimulation are common contributors.
Should I yelp when my puppy bites me?
Some puppies pause when a person yelps, while others become more excited. If yelping makes your puppy come back harder, use a calm verbal marker and end movement instead.
Should I hold my puppy's mouth shut when he bites?
No. I do not use holding the mouth closed, hitting the muzzle or alpha rolling as the teaching plan for ordinary puppy mouthing.
Why does my puppy bite when I tell him no?
Some puppies become mouthier when frustrated or highly aroused. The answer may be better management, less escalation and teaching the puppy what behavior should happen instead.
Why does my puppy jump and bite me?
Jumping and biting often occur together when puppies become highly aroused. Use an indoor leash, interrupt access and reinforce calmer interaction.
Why is my puppy biting my kids?
Running, squealing and rapid movement can trigger chase-and-nip play. Adults should supervise actively and separate puppy and child when the puppy becomes too aroused to interact safely.
Should I let my older dog correct my puppy?
Stable adult dogs may give appropriate social feedback, but the adult dog should not be forced to manage a relentless puppy. Step in when the older dog repeatedly asks for space.
How do I know if puppy biting is normal or aggressive?
Loose, playful mouthing is different from biting accompanied by freezing, hard staring, guarding, fear, serious handling sensitivity or repeated hard bites that cause injury.
Can a puppy have resource guarding?
Yes. A puppy who freezes, hovers over food or objects, hard-stares, growls, snaps or bites when approached should not be dismissed as ordinary puppy mouthing.
When should I get help for puppy biting?
Get help when biting is associated with fear, resource guarding, handling aggression, repeated punctures, serious child-safety concerns or behavior that is becoming more intense rather than improving.
Will my puppy grow out of biting?
Development and teething help reduce normal mouthiness, but puppies also practice what works. Teaching appropriate mouth behavior now is better than relying on maturity alone.
Does my puppy need more exercise because he keeps biting?
Maybe, but not always. Puppies often become more mouthy when overtired or overstimulated. Look at exercise, arousal and sleep before simply adding more activity.
Puppy Is Destroying Things Too?
Chewing and biting overlap, but destructive chewing deserves its own plan.
Stop Destructive ChewingPuppy Cannot Turn Off?
Wild biting can be part of a bigger over-arousal and regulation problem.
Understand Over-ArousalKids & Puppy?
Build the relationship safely instead of letting chase-and-nip become the game.
Dogs & Kids SafetyPuppy Teeth Need Rules
Teach the Mouth You Want on the Adult Dog
Puppies play.
Puppies chew.
Puppies get tired, ridiculous and mouthy.
That is normal.
What they practice is still important.
Give them appropriate things to bite.
Make human skin and clothing consistently unproductive.
End play when the puppy cannot keep teeth off people.
Use management before things become chaotic.
Pay attention to sleep and arousal.
And if the biting does not look like loose, ridiculous puppy play, take that information seriously.
The little land shark is practicing for adulthood every day.
Get Help With Concerning Puppy Biting