The puppy teething stage is not for the faint of heart. The severity of your puppy’s biting will also vary due to breed, age, time with mom, and time with littermates. Some breeds are inherently more mouthy than others and that’s normal. The more time spent with mom will help because she will usually correct biting too hard. Same goes for littermates, they may yelp if someone plays too hard though that’s not always the case. (I’m picturing a litter of Malinois puppies ripping each other apart and loving it )
But the point is, this is all a very important part of puppy development. They use their mouths to explore and express. And as their teeth come in they will also use their mouths to relieve mouth aches.
What can you do to tolerate those little razor blades on you? Prepare! (See part 1) Have so many more chew toys then you think you will need. As many different textures as you can find. My boyfriend and I have joked whenever Zion jumps on the couch to hurry and find his pacifier (any bone within reach) or your fingers will be paying the price. Lol
Redirect. Redirect. Redirect.
Your puppy WANTS to bite. Needs to bite. Give them something to bite or it will be you. Your couch. Your blankets. Your shoes. You name it
I always have a toy ready to occupy the puppies mouth during snuggles. If you find that your puppy is behaving very extremely with the biting this could also be a sign of them being over tired. I would suggest giving some type of stuffed enrichment or bone and put them to bed to settle. (See part 3 for crate training)
Correcting your puppy may be difficult at this stage. You may find yelling at your puppy makes them want to bite you more lol remember, puppies do NOT speak English. They do understand energy and the more energy you give them the more energy they will give you back. I personally conditioned and calm but stern “off” (we will talk more about this in part 5) which works most of the time. Otherwise I redirect with a toy, remove myself from play, or put him away with a bone to settle.
*If a puppy is latched on to you, gently slip a finger in their mouth using their lip as a barrier. When they feel the pressure of their own tooth on their lip they will let go. Do not squeeze their mouth or hit them. This is a very gentle and effective way to remove yourself from the jaws of the piranha
The issue of chewing things they aren’t supposed to work the same way. If my puppy starts chewing on a pillow, I give him something else to chew that’s more appropriate. If he continues to go after the pillow I may remove the pillow off the couch or remove him off the couch. Simple as that. This goes for all things. If your puppy has time to chew up something they are not supposed to you are giving them WAY too much freedom.
Mouthing later in life you can absolutely be more strict and use heavier corrections but at 12-16 weeks old this is all very normal and expected.
We might reprimand a 7 year old child for pulling hair but we gently remove the fingers of a baby for doing the same thing.
Your 3 month old puppy is a baby. (With razor blades for teeth
)
Puppy biting is exhausting for everyone. It’s one of the hardest parts of puppyhood and one of the top causes for puppy blues and then eventually rehoming puppy. Remember this is a very normal phase. They WILL grow out of it. (Unless it’s a Malinois and then you just have to do bite sports so they bite other things instead of you
– Trainer Morgan
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