How to Stop Your Puppy From Biting Hands
Puppies need to chew and bite things, including hands, as part of their normal development. But biting and mouthing hands during play and when being petted can be problematic if they’re too hard or persistent. This is a behavior that can be easily corrected by teaching your puppy to bite gently and redirect her to acceptable chew toys.
Puppies puppy biting hands learn bite inhibition during their natural interactions with other puppies, especially those of the same age and breed. If you watch a group of puppies playing, they often chase each other around, pouncing and wrestling with each other. Sometimes a puppy will accidentally bite his playmate too hard, injuring the other pup and making him or her yelp. The yelp interrupts the play and sends a clear signal that this is unacceptable behavior. After a few painful “ouch!” moments, the offending puppy usually stops biting and then resumes gentler play. By imitating this behavior with other humans, your puppy will eventually learn that it’s important to control the force of her bites so that people don’t get hurt.
Some dog trainers suggest that you give your puppy a high-pitched yelp when she bites your hand during play, acting as if you’re injured. This sends the message that you don’t like having your hands bitten and will hopefully cause her to stop playing as well. However, some puppies may actually be reassured by this and continue to play more aggressively. Regardless of how you choose to address the problem, it’s important that all family members consistently apply the same rules to prevent your puppy from being rewarded for her mouthing and biting of hands.
If yelping does not work, you can try using a time-out procedure to curb the biting behavior. When she delivers a hard bite, yelp and then remove your hand from her reach (negative punishment). Then wait for 10 to 20 seconds while she looks at you or moves away, until she reengages with her play or begins to chew her favorite toy.
Many puppy parents have found that it’s helpful to always keep a tug toy or chew toy nearby so that they can quickly redirect their puppy’s attention to something else when she starts biting her hands during play. Once she’s engaging with the toy, you can praise her and then resume your play.
Some dog owners have also found that giving their puppy a taste of bitter spray or other strong-tasting substance when she bites her hands can help deter her from doing this, as well. However, this method should only be used if you are comfortable with it and your puppy has been trained to recognize the smell of the bitter taste. Otherwise, it may be confusing for your puppy to learn that she tastes bad when she nips and might become confused or distrustful of you if her mouthing is interrupted by this unpleasant sensation. If you use this method, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after each application of bitter spray.