Puppies are playful and curious—sometimes, they get a little carried away. If you’ve been wondering how to stop puppy biting before those adorable little teeth turn playtime into recovery time, you’re not alone.
Nipping is one of the most common behavior challenges new puppy owners face, especially during the puppy’s early socialization and teething phases.
The good news? Puppy biting is completely normal and fixable. With patience, consistency, and the right training strategies, you can teach your pup to play gently and respect boundaries. In this guide, we’ll walk through the most common causes of puppy biting and provide practical, positive solutions to stop the behavior before it becomes a habit.
What Causes Puppies to Bite?
Understanding why your puppy bites is the first step in addressing it effectively. Biting isn’t a sign of aggression in most young dogs—rather, it’s part of how they explore the world and interact with their environment. Recognizing the root cause will help you choose the most effective training technique.
They’re Curious
Puppies use their mouths like toddlers use their hands—to investigate and explore the world around them. That includes toys, shoes, furniture, and, unfortunately, your fingers. During the early months of development, they learn what’s safe and what isn’t by chewing and mouthing everything they can get their teeth on. This curiosity is normal but needs to be redirected toward appropriate chew toys.
Teething and Puppy Biting
Just like human babies, puppies experience discomfort during teething. Between 3 and 6 months of age, they lose their baby teeth and their adult teeth begin to grow in. This process can be uncomfortable and lead to increased chewing and nipping. Offering safe, textured chew toys is a key part of helping your puppy through this stage without resorting to inappropriate biting.
Playful Biting
Many puppies bite during play because they don’t yet understand bite strength or boundaries. This behavior is especially common in litters, where siblings wrestle and nip constantly. While playful biting is natural, it’s important to teach your puppy that you are off-limits.
Tips to Stop Puppy Biting
Now that you understand why puppies bite, let’s look at how to get a puppy to stop biting using kind, consistent, and effective training methods. These strategies are all rooted in positive reinforcement and can be used individually or combined to help your pup learn what’s okay to chew and what’s not.
Teach Bite Inhibition
Bite inhibition means teaching your puppy to control the force of their bite. This is a natural skill dogs learn from their littermates. If one puppy bites too hard, the other yelps and stops playing. You can mimic this at home by making a high-pitched “OW!” sound the moment your pup bites too hard. Then pause playtime briefly. Over time, your puppy will associate gentle play with continued interaction and rough bites with a loss of fun.
When Biting Starts, Playtime Ends
Another way to stop playful nipping is to end play immediately when biting begins. If your puppy bites during a game, stand up and walk away without a word. Wait 30–60 seconds before resuming. Repeating this consistently helps your puppy understand that biting means no more attention, which they cherish more than anything.
Offer a Chew Toy Instead
If your puppy gets mouthy during play or cuddles, have a chew toy handy. The moment they start nipping, calmly redirect them to the toy. This not only satisfies their urge to chew but also reinforces what’s appropriate to bite. Soft rubber toys or puppy-safe teething rings are great options.
Time-Outs
If redirection and ignoring don’t work, a short time-out can help. Place your puppy in a safe, low-stimulation space (like a gated area or playpen) for 30–60 seconds. The goal isn’t punishment. It’s to help your dog calm down and understand that biting leads to separation. Time-outs work best when used consistently and calmly.
Give Your Puppy a Healthy Energy Outlet
A tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy. If your dog is constantly nipping, they may simply need more physical or mental stimulation. Daily walks, structured playtime, training exercises, and puzzle toys all help burn energy in a productive way. Puppies with a consistent routine are less likely to act out with biting.
Use Positive Reinforcement
Whenever your puppy plays gently or responds well to redirection, reward them. This can be a treat, a gentle pat, or excited verbal praise like “Yes! Good puppy!” Reinforcing the behaviors you want, rather than just reacting to the bad ones, is an effective method for how to stop puppy biting.
Enroll in a Puppy Program at Metro Dog!
Puppy biting is a common phase, but it doesn’t have to be a long one. With the right approach, you can teach your puppy to play gently, chew appropriately, and respect boundaries.
Sometimes, hands-on guidance makes all the difference. That’s why Metro Dog offers puppy training in Richmond, CA designed to help you raise a confident, well-mannered companion. Our play and train programs cover everything from socialization, leash skills, basic commands, and how to stop a puppy from biting—all in a supportive, distraction-free setting.
If you’re ready to put an end to biting and build better habits from the start, join one of our training classes today!
Puppy Biting FAQs
How do you discipline a puppy who is biting?
Discipline doesn’t mean punishment. It means teaching. If your puppy bites, calmly remove them from the situation and place them in a quiet space for a brief time-out (30–60 seconds). Once they’re calm, bring them back out and resume normal interaction. Repeat this process consistently to help them learn that biting leads to lost attention, not play.
At what age should puppies stop biting?
Most puppies begin to curb their biting between 4 and 6 months of age, especially once teething ends. However, some dogs may continue gentle nibbling or play-biting until about a year old. Ongoing training, socialization, and offering chew toys are key to managing the behavior as they mature.
How do you train a puppy not to bite you?
When your puppy bites, react with a sharp “ouch” or yelp to mimic what a littermate might do. Then briefly stop engaging. This means no eye contact and no talking. This helps your pup associate biting with lost attention. Once they’re calm, reward their gentle behavior with praise or toys. Over time, they’ll understand what is expected of them.
What command stops a puppy from biting?
The “leave it” command is highly effective for stopping unwanted behavior, including biting. With consistent training, your puppy will learn that “leave it” means to back off or drop interest in whatever they’re targeting. Always reward them when they respond correctly to reinforce the behavio
