Welcome back, fellow dog lovers! Today, we’re diving deep into a common question that plagues new puppy owners: “Why do puppies bite?”
If you’ve ever experienced those adorable little teeth sinking into your fingers or witnessed the sharp nibbles during playtime, fear not! In this post, we’ll explore the reasons behind this natural behavior and provide some valuable insights on how to properly navigate this stage of your young furry friend’s development.
Exploration and Teething:
One of the most common reasons why do puppies bite is because, much like human infants, puppies use their mouths & sharp teeth to explore the world around them!
Those tiny chompers are their primary tool for investigating new textures, objects, and even their littermates.
Additionally, puppies experience teething, a process that starts around three to four months old, during which their adult teeth start pushing out their baby teeth. This discomfort and the itching sensation in their gums often lead to increased biting behavior to alleviate discomfort.
Playful Nature:
Puppies are bundles of energy, and play is critical to their development.
Playful biting allows them to engage with their environment and learn necessary social skills from their littermates.
Through these play-biting interactions with their litter mates, puppies learn boundaries of acceptable play behavior and develop crucial bite inhibition.
Bite inhibition is a skill that helps puppies and dogs control their bite force.
Lack of Socialization:
Proper socialization during a puppy’s early weeks and months is vital for their well-being.
If a puppy has yet to have the opportunity to interact with other dogs and people, they may not have learned the appropriate way to interact and communicate.
Consequently, since they have yet to learn the appropriate play skills, they may resort to biting or nipping more often to express themselves or seek attention because they never learned boundaries or bite inhibition.
Attention-Seeking:
Puppies are attention magnets. They crave human interaction and often bite or nip to get your attention. Whether it’s because they want to play, go outside, or desire some affection, they quickly learn that sinking their teeth into your toes or hands often results in a response from their beloved human.
Genetics:
Your puppy’s breed will also play a factor in why do puppies bite!
For centuries, we have selected and bred dogs with specific characteristics and traits. Thus, dogs bred to love the act of “biting” will be predisposed to want to bite and latch on to things such as ankles, sleeves, hands, etc.
Lack of Fulfilment
If you haven’t noticed yet, puppies need lots of attention and needs that must be met!
If you don’t take the time to “satisfy” your puppy’s innate needs, you’ll quickly realize that your puppy will take it upon itself to find a way to meet their needs.
For instance, your puppy’s need for play, if you don’t take the time to play with your puppy appropriately, you’ll realize your puppy will begin finding out ways to meet their own need for play, which leads to your puppy chasing your ankles and biting!
Managing Puppy Biting:
Below are a few ways you can go about managing your puppy’s biting and their sharp teeth! If you want the complete puppy biting guide, click here.
Redirect their attention:
When your puppy starts nibbling on your fingers or clothing, offer them a chew toy or bone as a distraction. Encourage them to bite and chew on appropriate items, redirecting their natural urge to bite onto something more suitable.
To make this work, make sure you’re proactive and offer your pup the toy before they even try biting you!
Socialization:
Introduce your puppy to various people, dogs, and environments during their critical socialization period. Read our complete puppy socialization guide here
Enroll them in puppy classes or schedule a free puppy training consultation here so we can help your puppy have positive experiences and learn appropriate behaviors from a young age.
Conclusion:
When understanding why do puppies bite, you should understand that puppy biting is a normal part of their development, rooted in their instinctive behavior and desire to explore and communicate.
By understanding the reasons behind their biting tendencies and implementing proper training techniques, you can guide your puppy toward becoming a well-mannered adult dog.
Patience, consistency, and lots of love are vital to helping your furry friend grow into a happy, bite-free companion. So, embrace those tiny teeth and embark on this beautiful journey of canine companionship!
Ready to begin your puppy’s training?
Contact us here or Give us a call to schedule your free dog training consultation and set your pup up for success!
