There’s hardly anything cuter than puppies. Simply adorable, the way they frolic and encourage their humans to play. It’s hard to resist them, but before you know it, your wagging-tailed companion has discovered your hand as a chew toy or the puppy is nipping at your feet or arms. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Biting is not at all amusing in adult dogs. Therefore, you should teach your puppy not to bite as soon as possible.
- A Look into the Mouth: The Puppy’s Teeth
- The Teething Process
- Bite Inhibition: Why Does a Puppy Bite and When Will It Stop?
- Why Puppies Bite During Playtime
- How Can I Stop a Puppy from Biting?
- Which Toys are Suitable When the Puppy Bites?
- Why Chewing is Important for the Dog
- What Can I Give My Puppy to Chew On?
A Look into the Mouth: The Puppy’s Teeth
A strong set of teeth is indispensable for a dog. But they’re not there immediately: puppies are born not only blind and deaf but also toothless. They don’t need teeth for suckling on the mother’s teats.
But by the third to sixth week of life, it’s time: the small milk teeth start to emerge. With two fangs, six molars, and six incisors in the upper and lower jaw each, the puppy’s milk teeth have a total of 28 teeth. One noticeable feature of these first teeth is that they are much sharper than those of an adult dog. And as a dog owner, you often feel this!
The Teething Process
It’s only between the fourth and seventh month of life that dogs undergo what’s known as teething. The fully developed set of adult dog teeth comprises a total of 42 teeth.
The exact timing and duration of teething depend on the breed. But it usually occurs when the puppy has already moved into its new home and the separation from the mother and littermates has taken place.
One of the important lessons now is to teach your four-legged friend what he’s allowed to chew on with his teeth and what he’s not. Not so easy, because especially during teething, a puppy chews and bites on anything he can get between his teeth. Some puppies bite on leashes, shoes, or table legs, while others snap at their humans. If a puppy bites in the face or snaps at other body parts, it’s high time to put a stop to it.
Tip:
Avoid rough tug-of-war games during teething – this can promote dental misalignment in the worst case. Choose chew toys without squeakers: the “rewarding” sound of biting can be encouraging and counterproductive for the dog.
Bite Inhibition: Why Does a Puppy Bite and When Will It Stop?
Normally developed dogs don’t bite without reason or a valid excuse. This is regulated by bite inhibition, a behavior that ensures dogs don’t injure each other during fights – and of course, this should also include their human pack members.
However, bite inhibition is not innate. Young dogs learn this behavior in interaction with parent animals and littermates, starting around the fourth week of life. This is one of the reasons why premature separation of the animal from the litter can lead to socialization disorders: if the dog hasn’t learned that he shouldn’t bite during play or out of frustration or anger, you must consistently teach him that. Your dog won’t stop the undesirable behavior on his own.
Snapping and biting by puppies and adult dogs are often the result of poorly developed bite inhibition and/or inadequate dog training.
Why Puppies Bite During Playtime
During playtime, nipping is a natural behavior for puppies. Once the puppy starts getting teeth, it wants to try them out and may bite one of its littermates, for example. However, the littermates won’t tolerate such behavior and will snap back, causing pain in return. This leads to harmless puppy play fights, during which the bite inhibition described above develops. The puppy learns that after a bite, there’s a biting back – something unpleasant follows.
As the puppy gets older, the teething process begins, often causing uncomfortable pressure and itching. The puppy chews and gnaws more to relieve itself. During this time, no object is safe, and fingers and toes can also become chew toys if you don’t set boundaries for your furry friend.
Additionally, the puppy may bite in these situations:
- During dog play as an exuberant invitation
- Out of frustration or boredom
- When excited
- When exploring unfamiliar objects
While this behavior may still seem cute in a puppy, it can become dramatic in an adult dog. Therefore, immediately and consistently discourage your puppy from biting or nipping.
How Can I Stop a Puppy from Biting?
With the following tips and tricks, you can reliably discourage biting and nipping in your puppy:
- Chew Toys: Always have a chew toy handy during playtime with the puppy, which the puppy is allowed to bite and nibble on.
- Consistency: If your puppy bites forbidden objects or tries to snap at you, react firmly and consistently: Take away the forbidden object from the little biter, accompanied by a corresponding verbal cue like “No!” or “Bad!” But at the same time, offer the puppy the toy and praise it if it gets distracted by it.
- Clicker: If you have experience with clicker training, you can apply the principle to anti-biting training: Withholding biting behavior is positively reinforced with the click sound of the training aid.
- Play Break: If your puppy can’t be distracted from playful biting attacks, exit the game. Get out of the game with the command for “No!” to make the puppy pause and ignore it for a few minutes or send it to its place. This way, the little one learns that too rough behavior drives away playmates.
- Alpha Behavior: This is even more effective if, in the event of a bite, you briefly behave like a dog: growl at the puppy, mimic a snap, briefly grab the little rascal firmly, and then ignore it. This approach resembles the typical reaction of a higher-ranking dog and will impress the puppy.
- Caution: When interacting with the young dog, avoid sudden movements. This also applies to petting: it’s better to massage than to pat. The dog might reflexively try to snap at frantic hands.
Additionally, don’t engage in wild biting games with the puppy and refrain from making undifferentiated vocalizations if possible: both can encourage the inexperienced puppy in its play drive and lead to biting.
Young dogs learn bite inhibition best in interaction with their peers: for this reason, it’s essential to attend a puppy school with your puppy. There, your wild quadruped can compete with other puppies and playfully learn these important behaviors for the rest of its dog life.
Which Toys are Suitable When the Puppy Bites?
Since biting and chewing on objects are part of a puppy’s healthy development, it’s beneficial to provide the dog with “allowed” chew objects. This way, you fulfill its natural need and reduce the likelihood of it targeting shoes, socks, or even table legs and sofas. You can learn more about why puppies and even older dogs nibble on objects in our guide “Dog Chews Everything“.
Chew Toys for Puppies:
- Rubber balls
- Chew rings
- Play ropes
- Chewing sticks from specialty stores
- Dog stuffed animals
Why Chewing is Important for the Dog
Chewing is good for dogs. The so-called chewing drive is entirely natural and doesn’t stop after the puppy stage. Chewing serves the following functions for dogs:
- Dental health: Removal of plaque and prevention of cavities
- Species-appropriate activity
- Release of tension
- Relaxation
- Strengthening of the jaw muscles
To allow your puppy to satisfy its drive and prevent it from chewing on clothes, furniture, or sticks, it’s essential to offer it the right chew snack.
Anything that could be dangerous for your puppy in the apartment and garden should be removed from its sight and reach as much as possible. This includes toxic plants like cyclamens, ivy, geraniums, or laburnum, as well as power cables and multiple sockets, and cleaning agent containers.
Caution:
Under no circumstances should you feed animal bones. These can splinter and cause severe injuries in the throat, esophagus, and gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, even non-splintering bones can cause severe blockages in the intestines.
What Can I Give My Puppy to Chew On?
There are plenty of alternatives to animal bones that provide your puppy with fun and variety while being completely safe for the dog:
- A real tough nut – and thus guaranteed long-lasting entertainment – is beef scalp. Most dogs gladly accept and work on these sticks or plates. They contain many proteins and minerals but are low in fat.
- Cow and pig ears keep the “chewing muscles” moving. Pig ears are fattier and are usually consumed more quickly. Dried pig ears are especially suitable for small dogs who would have chewed on a cow ear for too long, literally.
- Chewing items made of buffalo and cowhide are also popular with passionate “nibblers”. Buffalo hide bones are particularly useful during teething. However, they are also enjoyed by older dogs, especially if they have a hearty tripe filling. Some dogs go crazy for chew shoes or discs made of cow or buffalo hide. Both last a long time.
- Chew sticks are popular snacks for in-between: They are often made from twisted beef hide and are also suitable for smaller dogs.
- Dental care sticks contribute to your dog’s dental health. They are supposed to help prevent plaque buildup and can be fed once a day.
Important:
Note that chew items are often very high in energy. You should take this into account when calculating the daily ration of dog food.
