Why do puppies bite?
Unlike us, puppies do not have opposable thumbs, so they manipulate stuff with their mouths, in the same way that we manipulate stuff with our hands. New puppies or young dogs will try to put everything into their mouths, because they are curious about objects and their surroundings.
Therefore, puppy biting is normal canine behavior.
Puppies also play with each other through play-biting. When a puppy bites too hard during play, his siblings may yelp and stop interacting for a short duration. Biting too hard on an adult dog (e.g. their mother), may also result in an undesirable consequence. In this way, puppies learn social rules and boundaries.
There is nothing wrong with dogs or puppies biting each other during play, but it is crucial to teach them to be careful with their mouths when interacting with people.
A puppy who is not taught this lesson, may become a danger to all the people around him, including his owners. Play-biting with humans, especially seniors and children, may cause accidental injuries and ultimately result in forced euthanasia.
If our puppy is biting us or others in an uncontrolled way, it is best for everyone not to engage in rough play with him. Also, do not play games that encourage biting such as Tug-of-War.
How to Deal with Puppy Biting
I deal with puppy biting by training my dog in three important areas –
1. Bite inhibition training
People have thinner and more sensitive skins than dogs do. Therefore, one of the first things that I teach my puppy is to control the force of his bites, especially when interacting with me and others.
2. Redirection and no-bite conditioning
When my dog bites on people, clothing, or unsanctioned objects (e.g. books, wires), I no-mark to let him know that it is an undesirable behavior. Then, I redirect his mouth onto something acceptable, and reward him for doing the right thing. In this way, he learns which objects are off-limits, as well as what he should do instead.
3. Excitement and self-control
An over-excited puppy, who lacks self-control, will tend to bite more often and with greater force. By managing my puppy’s excitement level and teaching him to control his impulses, I set him up for success, and reduce the number of instances where he engages in bad biting behavior.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
~~[Benjamin Franklin]
When dealing with puppy biting issues, I always try to stay calm but firm. I do my best to catch problems early on, and fix them before they escalate in degree and frequency.
If a dog is causing puncture wounds, or escalating his aggressive biting behavior, it is best to get professional help as soon as possible.
In this article, I discuss bite inhibition training and no-bite conditioning. For more on managing a puppy’s excitement level, please refer to Managing Puppy Excitement and Self-Control.
Bite Inhibition
Some dogs may have low bite thresholds. This means that they resort to biting or aggression even with fairly low, seemingly harmless stimuli.
One of my dogs, a Shiba Inu, can get mouthy when he is excited or frustrated, when I restrain him, when I stop him from doing something, and much more. Because of this, it is extremely important to train him to have good bite inhibition.
I start bite inhibition exercises as soon as I bring a puppy home. Even though puppy teeth are sharp, a puppy does not have the jaw strength of an adult, and is not capable of doing as much damage. Once my puppy has a soft mouth, I train him to stop biting on people.
Hand-feeding is a good way to teach our puppies to control the force of their bites. I hand-feed my puppy at least some of his kibble every day. If he bites too hard when getting his food, I do a sharp ouch or yelp, and ignore him for a few seconds. This teaches him that if he bites too hard, the food stops.
If my puppy is taking food from me gently, I praise him and keep the food coming. Often, I will combine hand-feeding with puppy obedience training and dog grooming sessions. Hand-feeding can also help prevent food aggression issues, so I continue this practice throughout my dog’s life.
We can also get Ian Dunbar’s book After You Get Your Puppy, for an overview of bite inhibition training.
Initially, Dunbar may come across as somewhat alarmist. We may feel that if we do not meet his somewhat unrealistic dog socialization and puppy training demands, things are going to go badly. I just try to ignore the alarmist talk, and focus on the bite inhibition and handling exercises, which are quite useful.
I am very thankful that my puppy (now adult dog) has a soft mouth. Because my Shiba Inu has good bite inhibition, we were able to solve many of his subsequent issues, which would have been difficult to deal with if he were biting at full strength.
When Our Puppy Bites …
When our puppy bites, it is important NOT to jerk our hand away. If we jerk away, we will likely get scratched. In addition, sudden and quick movements may make our puppy think that it is a fun game. This rewards the biting behavior, and encourages him to bite on us even more.
In the worst case, quick movements can activate a dog’s prey drive, and encourage aggressive behaviors. Therefore, it is important to control this reflex action, and stay still. In addition, I give a no-mark or yelp as a puppy might do to his litter-mates, when they are playing too rough.
I usually yelp when it is an accidental dog bite, for example when my dog gets his teeth on me while taking food out of my hand. Yelping is also appropriate for puppies that are still learning the rules. Otherwise, I use No for adult and adolescent dogs, who should know better.
After the no-mark, I always follow-up with a positive command, e.g. redirect him onto a toy.
1. Redirect Our Puppy onto a Toy
This technique is especially useful for an untrained puppy. It lets him know that it is ok to bite on a toy, but not ok to bite on people.
For example, my dog gets excited and starts biting when I scratch his tummy. Therefore, I used that as a training exercise to get him to bite on a toy, instead of on my hand. Since I can start the exercise anytime I want, I control the environment and make sure that I have multiple soft toys nearby for use. I make sure to reward my dog very well with food and affection when he redirects, so that I further reinforce the behavior.
A toy can also be useful for those cases where the puppy is losing control, and getting a bit too excited or frustrated. Giving him something to redirect his excitement or frustration at, may help to calm him down.
If I do not have a toy handy, I can also redirect by giving my puppy an alternate and simple command that he knows very well, e.g. Sit.
2. Withdraw Attention and Affection
Often, a puppy starts to bite at us because he wants to play or interact. Therefore, if my puppy does not respond to my redirect, then I withdraw my attention and affection. I do this by standing up, folding up my arms, and ignoring him. I make sure not to give any eye contact, not to talk, and not to engage him in any other way.
This is also called a timeout lite.
By doing this, my puppy learns that-
Out of control biting and jumping = No play, no attention, and no affection,
Gentle interaction = Play continues, food rewards, and extra attention.
Sometimes, my puppy may get too excited and escalate his behavior by biting on feet, or jumping and trying to bite on clothing. This is something that I absolutely do not allow because it can be very dangerous, especially with children and the elderly.
If my puppy escalates his behavior, I no-mark, say “Timeout”, and take him to a low stimulus timeout area immediately.
NOTE – In general, I try to set my dog up for success by managing his excitement level. In this way, I keep timeout-necessary episodes to a minimum.
3. Timeout
Most dogs value their freedom to roam around the house and backyard. Dogs are also pack animals, and like being with both human and canine members of the family. Since a timeout takes away both of these things, it is an extremely effective method of dog discipline.
When giving my dog a timeout –
- I make sure to put him in a really boring room, with no windows that he can reach. Currently, my dog’s timeout area is the laundry room.
- I check that the room is safe, and contains nothing that he can chew, play, or interact with in any way.
- Finally, I ensure that nobody gives puppy any attention during his timeout period.
It is better not to use a crate for timeouts. Crates are useful for transportation, management, and more. Therefore, I ensure that the crate is a happy place, where my dog feels comfortable going to for some peace and quiet, for sleep, and to chew on his favorite toy.
I find that a timeout is the most effective way to stop my dogs from biting. However, I only use it when my puppy is deliberately acting out, and not for accidental bites.
Initially, I start with a short 1 minute timeout. If my dog continues to bite right after he comes out, I return him to the laundry room for a much longer period of time (about 15 minutes). Be flexible with the timeout duration, and adjust it according to our dog’s age, temperament, and behavior. Some trainers do not believe in long timeouts, while others may ignore their dogs (timeout lite) for hours.
Do not use timeouts for training mistakes or lack of motivation.
How to Stop Puppy Biting
Some trainers suggest using aversive techniques to stop dog biting. For example, one suggested making my hand into a fist (so my fingers are safe), and then pushing my fist gently in when my puppy bites. This is uncomfortable for the puppy, and he will likely release our hand.
While it did get my puppy to release my hand, it did not reduce his biting behavior. In fact, my dog responds badly to any aversive methods. Doing this made him want to bite on me even more, because he got a reaction, and now has something (my fist) to fight with.
The same thing occurred with spraying water on his muzzle; he just started attacking the water bottle.
Ultimately, aversive techniques were not very effective with my dog, and caused even more behavioral issues. With aversive methods, it is difficult to trick a puppy into thinking that the bad stimulus is not coming from us. This can compromise a puppy’s trust and weaken our bond with him.
Instead, when my puppy bites,
- I first use a no-mark, for example, No or Ack-Ack to let him know that it is an undesirable behavior.
- Then, I redirect him onto a toy or give him an alternate command, for example Sit. If he stops biting and follows the command, then I praise him and reward him with attention and a fun game.
- If he continues to bite, I start with a timeout-lite by first withdrawing my attention. I do this by standing up, folding my arms, and turning away from him.
- If he escalates his behavior and starts to jump or bite on my clothing, then I quickly remove him to his full timeout area.
I always try to set my dog up for success by managing his excitement level. When he starts biting, I try to redirect and turn things into a positive learning experience. I only escalate my response when I absolutely have to, and I try my best to minimize those instances.
Hello there!
I have a 10 week old beagle and all he ever does is bite! It isnt some playful soft biting rather hard biting and since it took us some time to control our reflexes, it has broken skin quite a few times.. It is my first dog and i decided on this breed after much consideration! My mother had a ferocious doberman who we had put finally put down.. Though it stil broke our hearts.. Now everyone we know has started making comparisons and it is making me really anxious.. I hav tried to sensitise him, scold him, smack him with a rolled up news paper and all it does is agitate him more n then he literally blindly starts attacking us! 🙁 The only thing that slows him down is a spray bottle but only long enough to enable us to get to higher ground… Trainers are impossible to come by where i live.. I am just wondering if there is a point of no return? If so when/how will i know? We have grown to love him soo much but he is yet to play with us without hard biting… 🙁 i tried rewarding him today and he just got really mad at me for not giving him all of the treats at once!! dont know what else to do!!
I also had a difficult time with my Shiba Inu, Sephy. After a while, I realized that training is not just about giving rewards or punishment – timing, consistency, energy, and technique are all extremely important. In addition, management and setting up a calm and structured environment at home, also helped a lot with Sephy.
Therefore, the first thing that I did was try to learn as much as I can about dog training and dog behavior. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, so here is where I get my dog behavior information.
Dog behavior is also very context dependent, so I also got help from several good professional trainers. Having someone there to observe Sephy’s behavior, within the context of his surrounding environment was very helpful. A good trainer can help me with reading Sephy’s body language, understanding what triggers his behaviors, and guide me in coming up with a good plan for rehabilitation.
I think that dog training is a bit of a misnomer, because it is more about people training than anything else. It is about me learning how to control my own energy and stay calm, how to provide the right response, how to time my responses properly, how to set up a consistent set of rules and a fixed schedule, how to motivate my dog to follow those rules, how to set my dog up for success, how to manage him so that he does not keep repeating undesirable behavior, and more.
Here is more on how I trained my puppy.
Here is more on how I deal with bad behavior.
Here is more on how I discourage my puppy from biting.
Trainers were helpful for me with Sephy because they helped me to learn more about dog behavior, faster. But in the end, it is about training myself, acquiring the knowledge necessary to understand my dog, and properly communicating with him in an effective manner.
So I have a 9 week old female collie/ black lab mix, name is priscilla and I got her when she was 6 weeks old. She has an issue with biting. Ive tried to replace my hand with a toy but then she just drops the toy and goes back to my hands, toes, nose, hair, arms, legs, elbows, ears, eyebrows, anything she can get a hold of. She always plays, there is never a time when she doesnt bite. I yell no and ouch but it doesnt change anything. She recently started to bite very hard, shake her head n growl but shes wagging her tail; the only way she stops is if i scream very loudly. She refuses to go into her cages, she sees them as punishment or something because she will just cry and cry without stopping. I was told to let her cry just like a baby, I tried and listened to her cry for 2 hours. She was using the wee wee pads but now she wont use them, she will go to the bathroom everywhere but on them, including right next to them. I dont know what to do, please help me . I have an email if anyone is really willing because im not sure what else to do, i wanna train her myself not have someone else train her.
Hello Sarah,
When I had problems with my Shiba Inu puppy, it helped to visit with a professional trainer. We did private lessons. The training was more for me, so that I could learn timing, consistency, energy, how to read my dog’s body language, and everything else that is important in communicating with my dog. It was helpful to have someone there to guide me in these things.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
In addition, I also read up a lot on dog behavior.
http://shibashake.com/dog/where-to-get-dog-training-and-dog-behavior-information
I do bite inhibition training with my dog to teach him to control the force of his bites.
I make sure to always stay calm and consistent while interacting with my dog. My Shiba is very sensitive to my energy so if I am stressed out, frustrated, angry, or worried, he will pick up on that, get even more stressed himself, and act even more crazy.
More on what I do when my dog bites me.
More on how I control my dog’s biting.
More on how I crate train my dog.
More on how I potty train my dog.
hi my sibe nooka is usually soooooo calm but she has started snapping when i pet her
Hello!
I recently adopted a 9week old Husky-German Shep mix and am having some issues. I had to relocate to my parents house and now the training has become a nightmare. My parents are…well they have two dogs who are seriously untrained and down right spoiled and I’m worried they are already influencing my husky.
My father thinks rough play where she (the husky) growls and bites is hilarious and encourages the bad behavior. And my mother is a very…angry sort of disciplinarian who thinks all roads lead to screaming/instant discipline/and rolled-up newspapers.
In two weeks, she has gone from super sweet to loud/barking and now biting. Any suggestions to this stressed out owner?
With my dogs, consistency and calm energy are very important. If I shout and get angry, they will pick up on my energy, get even more stressed or over-excited themselves, and behave in an even more erratic fashion.
To get my dogs to stay calm, I need to stay calm myself. I also make sure that everyone in the family stays calm, teaches my dog consistent rules, and follows consistent training techniques. Otherwise, my dog gets confused as to what is required of him, gets anxious, and develops even more behavioral issues.
Moving homes can also be very stressful to a dog. When I moved, I set up a fixed routine right away for my dog, and consistent house rules. In this way, I create as much certainty as possible, which helped Sephy to relieve stress. I also exercised him more, in quiet hiking trails, where he can relax and enjoy exploring.
More on what I do with my puppy for biting. Another article on puppy biting.
More on dog barking.
Study from UPenn on using physical corrections.
Hitting a dog as a form of discipline.
I would stop any rough play that involves biting straight away. Tell your father it is unacceptable and would he think it would still be a laughing matter if it caused someone else to get hurt.
Getting mad never helps and owner or a dog. You must be calm but firm. Aggression could be seen as a challenge to a dog or just noise.
I would recommend getting a training plan in place for all the humans and dogs at the house to regain order and consistency
Hello,
I am trying to stop my sisters husky from biting and last night I cracked. I shouted so loud she jumped out of her place. I try a d look after her because my sister works long hours but I am seriously reconsidering this. I have taught the dog good food behaviour no begging and waiting till the food is down. Even taught her the sit command. Problem is that her dominance behaviour has worsen the past few days. I know for a fact that my brother in law has resulted to beating her up for peeing on beds and she is actually scared of him. When she is at my house, she wants my sit on the couch and she jumps on me. Her only way of play is biting and her bites have become stronger instead. Yelping or replacing my hand with a toy, holding her lower jaw, holding her mouth nothing works. If I timeout she begs for play and cry. Also keep in mind that she is 10 weeks old but hasn’t walked outside yet due to ha ping her shots about two weeks ago.
Yeah puppies, especially Husky puppies are very high energy and are going to need a fair amount of supervision, attention, and training. Some things that helped with my Husky puppy-
1. Redirect her energy towards positive, structured activities
I did a lot of Frozen Kongs with my Husky puppy. This helps to keep her engaged, and helps her to calm down before nap time.
I play structured games with her, that have clear rules. This was helpful for teaching her impulse control, and a good outlet for her puppy energy. I do leash training with her in the backyard, as well as obedience training, grooming exercises, and more inside the house.
I do supervised play sessions with my other dogs. If that is not an option, puppy classes or supervised puppy play-groups with *healthy puppies* are good alternatives for dog-to-dog socialization.
2. A fixed routine and a consistent set of rules
My puppy is more calm and able to learn more quickly when there is a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules. A fixed schedule helps to reduce stress, and helps my puppy be certain about what to expect in her daily routine as well as what to expect from me and the people around her.
If a puppy gets punished for going on furniture one day and gets rewarded on another, then she will get confused and not know what I want from her. Therefore, I make sure to coordinate with all the people in the house to make sure we are on the same page in terms of puppy rules, rewards, and consequences.
3. Calm energy
My puppy learns best when I am calm and have a plan. If I get frustrated, stressed, or angry, she will pick up on that energy, become stressed herself, and have a much harder time understanding what I want from her. To teach my puppy to be calm, I try to be very calm myself, and communicate with her in a consistent way.
Here is more on how I trained my Husky puppy.
Here is more on how I potty trained my Husky puppy.
Here is more on how dogs learn.
Here is more on bite inhibition training.
I had a lot of difficulties with my Shiba Inu puppy. As a result, we visited with several professional trainers and that was helpful.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
It took a fair amount of time, repetition, consistency, and patience, to train my puppy. It takes time to learn to communicate with a puppy, and change instinctual behavior.
Hi, I have been reading you website tonight. NILIF was suggested to me for my dog that we adopted 2 months ago. He is a 7 years old Llasa Alpso, he came to Massachusetts with a group of dogs from the Hurricane Sandy area. He has been in 3 foster homes and 2 adoptions and has been returned each time for biting. I did not know how bad his aggression was but we have him and want to get him to stop. His aggression is possession and sometimes just being stubborn and controlling. We know now that we need to be very firm with him and make him work for everything. I will be using your method of training in hopes to getting to stop attacking us. thank you and wish me luck Linda
Four paws up to you for adopting a dog in need! 😀
For more serious aggression cases, it may be best to get help from a good professional trainer. Dog behavior is very dependent on context and temperament. During Sephy’s “difficult period”, we visited with several trainers and it was helpful to have them observe him, his environment, and routine. The trainer also helped us better manage Sephy, so that we could deal with his issues in a safe way.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Some of my experiences on resource guarding.
I just wanted to say thank you for all of the amazing articles! I just got a new puppy a few weeks ago and she’s an absolute terror — Australian Shepherd, Husky, German Shepherd Mix. She’s super smart, but hyper active and not shy to challenge our authority. I must have sat for over an hour and read practically every entry on your site and they were all so insightful, and interesting! Thank you!
Haha, yeah an Aussie and Husky mix would certainly make for a very energetic and brilliant dog! She sounds like quite a character. Would love to see some pictures. Which breed do you think she looks most like? I have always thought it would be really interesting to see a Husky/Aussie mix. What is her name?
Big hugs to your girl!
thanks so much for this article. after trying the other things on your list, (and while i had tried this initially when she was younger with varied success) i returned to the yelping when she bites (we have a three-month old shiba) and it was amazing. she looked at me like she really didn’t realize it was hurting before and has been drastically better since then and only occasionally needs reminders. it’s harder to get my husband on board with it (i guess he feels a little silly doing it), but luckily enough the idea seems to have transferred to all biting and not just me. i had trained her not to bite ME with a NO command, but that didnt seem to extend to my husband or anyone else with which she felt comfortable enough to be playful.
i knew she was sweet, but i never really reckoned on playing to her little sentiments to get such success.
thanks so much!
Congratulations on your Shiba puppy! I am glad that she is responding so well.
Remember though that Shibas may keep challenging the rules again and again. That is part of their charm. 😀
The Nothing in Life is Free program works well with Sephy, and timeouts worked well in terms of teaching him not to bite on people.
Big hugs to your Shiba puppy.
This is a great article, really helpful. I was wondering if you could give me some advice; as a first time dog owner who owns a 5 year old cat as well, would it be a stretch to hope that I could adopt a shiba pup (as a family pet) ? Thank you!
I don’t have a house cat so this is not something I have much experience with. However, this thread in the Shiba Inu forum has a good discussion on Shibas and cats-
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/7120/problem-with-cats/p1#Comment_125511
Couple of articles on how to train a dog to live with a cat-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-dog
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/chase-this-not-that
Thanks for the tips. We just adopted a 3 year old pit bull mix. She was extremely calm and docile for the first week as she was sick with a URI, yet we were made aware that she still exhibits lots of “puppy” behavior once the meds kicked in. She walks great on the leash, listening to “with me” and “wait” commands, yet starts to bite when I run with her or if she sees a squirrel, forget it! I may try your “find it” technique or bring her rope toy outside with us to redirect the biting. She also bites when we play, more so just open-mouth play. Getting up and ignoring her seems to help. On top of all this, we have two cats who are living in the bedroom right now because she gets so excited when she sees them and wants to chase. Any ideas on how to curb this? I’m trying to do introductions with treats while she is in her crate. This works and she is very calm during these times. It’s just when she is on the leash during a meeting that she goes crazy! She is due to be spayed once she finishes her medication, so I’m hoping this may calm her somewhat along with training.
Four paws up for rescuing a dog in need! I am glad she has found such a good home. 😀
I do not have any house cats, so this is not an area that I have very much experience in. Here are a couple of articles that I like for cat training-
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/chase-this-not-that
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-articles/introducing-your-cat-to-a-new-dog
Big hugs to your girl!