One of the downsides of puppies is those sharp little Landshark teeth!

Nipping is normal behaviour for a puppy, but it’s important to discourage it so it doesn’t become a habit or a problem behaviour when they’re older.

OM NOM NO NO

As puppies play with their littermates, they learn bite inhibition – when a puppy bites too hard, the other puppy will yelp to tell their sibling that it hurts.

You can mimic this behaviour that your puppy has already learned. When your puppy nips, react by giving a loud, sharp ‘Ouch!’ and let your hand go limp. When your puppy stops, praise them and go back to playing. 

REDIRECTION OVER REWARD

Redirection is a great way to discourage nipping by changing your puppy’s focus. There are a lot of ways you can do this – try a mini-training session by asking for a ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘watch me’ and then redirect with a toy! You’re rewarding them for listening to your cues, not the nipping, and their mind will be on something else now.

Another form of redirection is offering a toy that your puppy likes. If your puppy tries to nip or mouth your hand, remove your hand with a strong “NO” and offer a toy to them. Your best friend when redirecting nipping is a good chew toy! Make sure you have chew toys that your dog likes – it gives them something more appropriate to chomp on and it’s something they already enjoy. Having age-appropriate chew toys can also help soothe your puppy’s gums when they are teething.

PUSHING THE BIG RED BUTTON

If this doesn’t work or they repeat nipping or mouthing, withdraw your attention from them. You can try simply turning around and ignoring your puppy, but you may need to leave the room entirely. Place puppy in a safe space like a crate or exercise pen and walk out of the room. Wait outside for a minute or two, come back in, and resume play. If your puppy nips again, repeat this exercise until they realize that nipping stops interaction and won’t get the attention they are looking for.

If your dog makes this connection and plays without nipping, keep the play going to encourage this positive behaviour.  If your dog starts to get too excited, you can give them a time out so they can settle before continuing interaction. It is okay to place them in a crate for this, but remember to set a timer to release them once they are calm. 

Another form of redirection is offering a toy that your puppy likes. If your puppy tries to nip or mouth your hand, remove your hand with a strong “NO” and offer a toy to them. Your best friend when redirecting nipping is a good chew toy! Make sure you have chew toys that your dog likes – it gives them something more appropriate to chomp on and it’s something they already enjoy. Having age-appropriate chew toys can also help soothe your puppy’s gums when they are teething.

PUPPY PLAYTIME

It’s a good idea to play non-contact games, like fetch or go find, especially when your puppy is learning. If you do play tug of war make sure you set boundaries so that your dog listens and responds to you, even when they’re in an overly stimulated state. Avoid wrestling as this can aggravate mouthing tendencies.

Lastly, remember that puppies need lots of sleep! If you notice your puppy is nipping more than normal they may be overstimulated or tired and could use some quiet time.

Be patient with your puppy and stay calm. Nipping is a frustrating behaviour to deal with, but they’re learning! Stay positive, focused, and redirect those puppy teeth, and they’ll get it in no time!

Check out our other posts about how dogs learn and other ways to get to know your dog better – A Dog’s Brain!

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