Many new puppy owners struggle with how to stop puppy biting. It is important to remember that puppy biting is a normal part of development, but you must teach your puppy how to interact with people appropriately. Puppies often use their mouths when they are excited, tired, overstimulated, playing, or trying to get attention. The goal is not simply to tell your puppy not to bite, but to prevent unnecessary biting, teach appropriate alternatives, and reinforce calm behaviour.

Consistency is key. Everyone who interacts with your puppy should follow the same approach so your puppy can clearly understand which behaviours earn attention and which behaviours cause the interaction to end.

Understand when your puppy tends to bite and what triggers it so you can manage the situation and prevent your puppy from rehearsing the behaviour.

For example, if your puppy tends to become mouthy in the mornings after going outside, put your puppy straight into their exercise pen and give them a slow feeder or enrichment activity. This can help prevent jumping up and nipping.

Keeping a simple log of every biting incident so you can identify patterns and triggers:

• When it happened
• Where it happened
• What happened immediately beforehand
• Who was involved
• Your puppy’s energy level
• How much sleep they had gotten
• What stopped the biting

Over time, this will help you identify predictable situations and make changes to prevent the behaviour before it starts.

• Physical exercise: Take your puppy on walks to new places and let them sniff, play fetch, and arrange play dates with appropriate dogs. Aim for approximately 30–60 minutes of more intense activity per day, adjusted for their age, breed, and individual needs.
• Mental stimulation: Practice training, teach tricks, take your puppy on car rides, and expose them to new places such as stores, parks or busy streets where they can sniff and explore.
• Sleep: Most puppies and dogs need 15-18 hours of quality sleep per day. If your puppy is not getting enough, plan structured downtime in their crate or exercise pen.

The best way to reduce biting is to prevent situations where your puppy becomes overly excited or learns that biting is a fun way to get attention.

• Avoid petting when your puppy is overstimulated. If they are very excited, wiggly, jumping, or using their mouth, give them some space and allow them to settle before offering attention.
• Avoid games that encourage biting. Don’t play games that involve your puppy jumping up, grabbing at your hands, or nipping at your clothes. Instead, use appropriate toys to direct play away from your body.
• Keep interactions calm. Excitement can quickly turn into overstimulation and mouthing. Keep your interactions with your puppy calm and predictable, particularly during times when you know they are more likely to bite.
• Use management tools when needed. Crates, baby gates, and exercise pens can help give your puppy a chance to settle before they become overly excited and start biting.

When you are petting your puppy, pay attention to their body language to determine whether they want to continue being petted.

Signs that they may want the interaction to stop can include:

• Averting their eyes
• Frequent blinking
• Licking their nose
• Yawning
• Shaking as if they are wet
• Scratching around their collar area

You can also try petting them briefly and then stopping. Give them an opportunity to initiate more attention. If they do not, don’t continue petting them.

If your puppy jumps up and nips to initiate play, seek attention, or even while being petted, it’s important to recognize that any interaction, even telling them “no” or pushing them away, can unintentionally reward the behaviour. If biting consistently results in attention, your puppy is likely to repeat it. To help break this cycle, prevent your puppy from having unrestricted access to people during times when they are overly excited or prone to nipping.

Use management tools such as a crate, exercise pen, or baby gate to create opportunities for your puppy to settle before interacting with family members. Keep play and handling calm, and avoid games or behaviours that encourage excessive excitement, jumping, barking, or mouthing. If your puppy begins to jump or nip, resist the urge to yell, scold, or wave your hands, as this often adds excitement rather than discouraging the behaviour. Instead, calmly end the interaction by standing up and walking away.

If your puppy continues to bite, quietly guide them to their crate, exercise pen, or another safe area with an appropriate chew or food-stuffed toy, allowing them time to relax before rejoining the family. By consistently rewarding calm behaviour and removing attention when biting occurs, your puppy will quickly learn that gentle behaviour is the best way to earn interaction.

We often ignore our dogs when they are behaving appropriately and give them attention when they are doing something we don’t want them to do. So some puppies learn that nipping is the key to getting things like play or attention.

When your puppy is calm, actively reward that behaviour with treats, praise, or gentle petting. The goal is to teach them that calm behaviour is what earns attention, not ‘bad’ behaviour.

Teach your puppy that sitting calmly in front of you is the behaviour that makes good things happen.

Ask for a sit before:

• Getting attention
• Receiving food
• Going outside
• Putting on their leash to to for a walk
• Starting a game (like Tug)
• Getting access to other things they want

If they jump or nip, simply ignore them and wait for them to return to four paws on the ground. The goal is for them to learn that calm behaviour and four paws on the floor are what get them access to the things they want.

Tug can be a great way to teach your puppy how to play appropriately.

• Always start the game yourself.
• Wait until your puppy is sitting and waiting patiently in front of you. The game does not start if they are jumping or barking.
• Present the toy and say “get it” to start the game.
• When you want them to drop the toy, hold the toy still, say “drop it,” and place a treat near their nose.
• When they drop it, wait for them to sit patiently again before restarting the game.
• If their teeth come into contact with your skin at any point, say “ouch” and immediately end the game by taking the toy away.

Teach and practice the following skills with your puppy:

• Drop it
• Leave it
• Place

These skills are covered in the Puppy Kindergarten and Household Manners courses.

The key to reducing puppy biting is prevention, management, and teaching your puppy what to do instead. Make sure their physical, mental, and sleep needs are being met, avoid situations that cause unnecessary overstimulation, and consistently reward calm and appropriate behaviour.

Remember that puppy biting takes time to improve. Your puppy is still learning how to interact with the world, and every calm interaction is an opportunity to reinforce the behaviours you want to see. With consistent management and practice, your puppy will gradually learn that calm behaviour, appropriate play, and four paws on the floor are the best ways to get access to the things they want.

Puppy biting is normal behaviour. Puppies explore with their mouths, play with their mouths, and often bite more when they are excited, overstimulated, tired, or seeking attention.

Most puppies gradually become less mouthy as they mature and learn appropriate ways to interact. Consistent management and training can help speed up the process.

Puppies often become more mouthy when they are overtired or overstimulated. If biting increases after a busy period, offer your puppy an opportunity to rest in a quiet, comfortable space.

Stay calm, avoid turning the interaction into a game, and remove your attention. You can calmly stand up and walk away. If your puppy continues, use their crate or exercise pen with an appropriate chew or enrichment activity to help them settle.

Generally, avoid repeatedly saying “no” or scolding your puppy. This can add excitement or attention to the interaction. Instead, calmly disengage and teach your puppy what behaviour you want them to do instead.

Avoid games that encourage your puppy to chase, grab, or bite hands and clothing. Keep an appropriate toy nearby and redirect play onto the toy. Reward your puppy for choosing the toy and for keeping four paws on the floor.

It is best to establish clear boundaries around biting people. Games such as tug can teach appropriate play, but if your puppy’s teeth make contact with your skin, calmly end the game and try again later.

Your puppy may be overstimulated, excited, uncomfortable, or simply finished with the interaction. Watch their body language and keep petting sessions short. Stop periodically and see whether your puppy chooses to initiate more interaction.

Learn your puppy’s triggers and manage them proactively. Make sure they are getting enough sleep, exercise, and mental stimulation; keep interactions calm; avoid overstimulating games; and use crates, baby gates, and exercise pens when necessary.

Seek professional help if the biting is unusually intense, causes significant injury, is accompanied by stiff or fearful body language, appears aggressive rather than playful, or is getting worse despite consistent training and management.