Biting and chewing are perfectly normal behaviours for a puppy. Pups bite in play as it is all part of the learning process - they need to bite in order to learn bite inhibition. They also bite as they lack the self control of an older dog and get very excited when playing. Puppies chew as they are teething and chewing eases the pain of the new teeth coming through.
Bite inhibition
Bite inhibition is one of the most important lessons of a puppy's life. It is a process by which the puppy must be taught the power of his jaws and the incredible fragility of human skin. Why so important? Because there will be times in every dog's life that it has cause to tell another dog, a person or a child to back off. We people are too good at ignoring the subtle signals that may be given before the dog feels the need to nip, and children won't understand at all. Who can guarantee that nobody will trip and fall on the dog, or accidentally shut his tail in a door? A "nip" from the dog who does not understand the power of his jaws is likely to be a good hard bite, whilst the warning nip from one who was properly taught bite inhibition will indeed just be a nip. Thus, bite inhibition is a supremely important lesson for any puppy, most especially family pets. It is well worth putting in the effort to train correctly.
The process of learning bite inhibition begins at the age puppies begin to bite in play - around 6-7 weeks old, and continues for several months. The very first lessons about bite inhibition come from the puppy's littermates, but since we humans interrupt this learning process by rehoming our pups at around 8 weeks of age, the bulk of teaching must come from humans. We must take over where the natural learning process was interrupted.
Young puppies are equipped by nature with a set of needle-sharp baby teeth. This is for the very purpose of bite inhibition training (it's as important to dogs that they don't accidentally maul each other as it is to humans). The young puppy has very little power in his jaws so it is essential that teeth be extremely sharp so that it will hurt when he bites. The bulk of the bite inhibition learning thus takes place between 6-7 weeks and about 4.5 months - whereupon those needle-sharp little daggers will all fall out and be replaced by the pup's much blunter adult dentition. That is the period of time you have to get the basics of bite inhibition instilled in your pup's mind.
Contrary to what one might think, teaching bite inhibition does NOT revolve around discouraging the puppy from using his jaws. If you don't let him bite, how can he possibly learn what hurts? You should never, therefore, hit or strike out at your puppy when he bites. Never push your fist down his throat, bite him back, hold his muzzle closed, smack his nose, yell at him or any other punishing action (it's amazing what some people suggest you do to baby puppies). That sort of punative (abusive) action *might* stop him biting you, but it won't stop him biting others and more importantly, will do absolutely nothing to teach him what he should be learning - about the power of his jaws and the fragility of your skin. So what happens when somebody shuts his tail in a door in 2 years time? They get bitten severely, that's what. So don't take those sorts of shortcuts. Instead, put the time and patience into training the puppy the right way and the right things from the outset. Here's how:
When your puppy bites you there are several ways you can handle this. The first technique in your arsenal should be to yelp in pain. For some pups, a small high pitched yelp of "ouch" is quite enough and they will respond by backing off for a bit. Others are far more persistant and rambuncious. For these pups a loud squeal of pain followed by turning away to nurse your "wounds" and ignoring the biting puppy is needed. For the truely determined, you may need to get up and leave the room to make your point. A couple of minutes on their own is all that is needed, then you can return for another try. Of course, the puppy is going to bite you again. So you react again, and leave again if necessary. After some time (this may be a couple of weeks for the most persistant of pups) the puppy will start to realise that when he bites too hard, his game stops and nobody will play with him. He will then try biting less hard (he wants to play, after all). This is the turning point in your training.
Just occassionally, it isn't going to be convenient for you to spend time on training bite inhibition when your puppy is trying to play, and hence is trying to bite you. On those occassions, redirection or distraction with a toy or a bone that he can bite to his hearts content may be a suitable alternative. Do try to respond as often as possible with training bite inhibition though. The more time you're able to put into this, the sooner the puppy will learn what the limits are.
You should try to ensure that all biting and mouthing is on bare skin only, preferably your hands. If he is biting trouser legs, shoes or the sleeve of your shirt, you cannot feel the pressure with which he is biting. And if you cannot feel it, you cannot provide the puppy with feedback on the force of his bite. So do not allow biting of clothing - always stop the game, ignore the puppy and leave the room if necessary.
As time goes on, you should gradually lower the threshold at which you squeal in pain when bitten. The puppy, now understanding that the problem is how hard he bites, will respond by lessening the pressure he puts into his jaws. By about 4-5 months, you may be at the stage where the puppy is now mouthing you only. This is success! The puppy now understands that any interaction between his jaws and human skin must be without any pressure whatsoever.
You shouldn't stop your training just yet though. Mouthing you in play may be OK (that's up to you to decide), but it wouldn't necessarily be OK for the dog to mouth other people - particularly children. You therefore need to continue your training so that the dog first ceases mouthing upon request, and later does not use his mouth at all except by request.
For this part of the training, you need to teach the dog an "off" or "leave it" command. See our page on teaching "off" for more information.
Chewing
Puppy chewing is also normal. When teething your pup will chew practically anything. So if you find your new $100 pair of shoes in pieces, do not scold your puppy, rather scold yourself for leaving them out so the pup could get them! Take care during the teething time to make sure there is nothing dangerous lying around for your pup to chew - this includes electrical cords. Provide appropriate chewing toys for your pup, the best of which are raw bones. To stop them chewing on furniture purchase a product designed for this. There are many good brands available at your vet or local pet store which have a very bitter taste to a dog but will not damage your furniture.
Chances are your puppy will chew on something inappropriate. When you see them doing this scold them with a verbal reprimand ("Agghh" is good said in a deep voice), remove the object from them and then give them something they are allowed to chew instead. If you consistently do this it will not take long before your pup understands the 'rules' about chewing. Remember, to them there is no difference between a chair leg and a chew toy, but because you are training fairly and consistently they will soon only chew the toy. Puppies will grow out of the need to chew when they finish teething. Expect to have bouts of chewing until your pup is around 15 to 18 or so months old.
