Help! My puppy won’t stop biting!

So you picked up this adorable little puppy and you were full of excitement about your future together. You read up on toilet training and how to teach your puppy to sit and come back when called. But now your biggest issue is that your puppy is biting EVERYTHING. There are teeth marks on your furniture, your favourite pair of shoes are destroyed, all your clothes have holes in them but the worse victims are your poor hands and feet. You're probably starting to worry that you've brought home some demon puppy who'll grow up to be an aggressive beast.

The good news is... Your puppy is NORMAL and you're definitely not alone. Biting is one of the most common behaviours people struggle with when they have a young puppy. This isn't your fault and your puppy isn't aggressive.

The even better news is... There are some really easy changes you can make that will help reduce your puppy's biting so you can start to enjoy having a puppy again. You don't even need to train your puppy not to bite you.

Puppies love to chew shoes and there’s an easy solution - keep your shoes out of their reach

Puppies bite for various reasons but all of them are a communication. Your puppy is only a baby and they don't speak the same language as us. They still haven't learnt to communicate with humans or regulate their emotions. One of the few ways they can tell us how they're feeling is by biting. There are 5 main reasons your puppy is biting:

Your puppy is too tired

Young puppies, like human babies, need A LOT of sleep and most aren't getting anywhere near enough. When you first bring your puppy home they'll need 16-18 hours sleep every day and shouldn't be awake for more than an hour or two at a time. Puppies often struggle to settle down to sleep in a busy home and can easily become overtired and grouchy. And tired puppies are bitey puppies. If you structure your puppy's day to give them lots of quiet time to sleep then they'll feel and cope much better, meaning they'll bite you much less.

Your puppy is too excited

Puppies, like toddlers, are awful at calming themselves down. They just don't know how to do it and it's your job to teach them and make sure they don't get overexcited and overstimulated. Puppies often bite during play because they've got themselves so hyped up and they have no idea what to do with all that energy. Keeping play sessions really short (only 1-2 minutes) and often (5-10 times a day) will give your puppy a chance to have fun with you and get all their energy out without them getting so worked up they bite you. By giving your puppy something to chew after these play sessions you can help them chill out and start to teach them how to calm themselves on their own.

Your puppy is teething

Teething hurts and puppies are looking to relieve that pain. Your puppy will already be teething when you bring them home at 8 weeks and they'll go through the worst of it at 12-16 weeks. They need something to chew on to soothe their sore gums and if you don't give them something appropriate they'll end up chewing on you or your stuff. Cold, hard chews are best for teething puppies. Carrots and frozen bananas are great cheap and healthy teething soothers. Freezing a wet rope chew is another really easy, cheap option for teething puppies.

Your puppy needs to chew

Chewing is a normal dog behaviour and all dogs need opportunities to chew. Puppies aren't born knowing what they are and aren't allowed to chew - it's your job to teach them, if you don't they'll just chew on you and your stuff. Providing your puppy with things they're allowed to chew will help them meet their need to chew in a safe, appropriate way. Reward them when they choose to chew their stuff so they know they've made a good choice. Make it easy for your puppy to make the right choice by moving anything they're not allowed to chew out of their reach, putting your stuff behind a closed door or using a puppy pen to block access to things you can't move. Give your puppy a range of different textures so they can choose what they like to chew. There are even safe wood chews that don't splinter for puppies who love gnawing at your furniture - look for coffee wood, olive wood or root chews.

Your puppy is scared

Puppies don't really know how to tell you that you're doing something that worries them. One of the only ways they can is to bite you. If your puppy regularly bites you when you pick them up, fuss them, clip on their lead or take their stuff from them then they're telling you to stop. This doesn't mean your puppy is aggressive, is scared of you or will grow up to be a dangerous dog. They're communicating with you the only way they can, it's your job to listen. Stop what you're doing and spend some time building up a your puppies trust in you.

These rope chews are great teething soothers for puppies - just get them wet and freeze

By making sure your puppy has enough sleep, only has short play sessions, has access to a variety of things they're allowed to chew, can't get to things you don't want them to chew and avoiding putting your puppy in situations that worry them, you'll reduce how often they bite and the intensity of the biting. It won't stop your puppy biting completely because it's a natural behaviour and they use their mouths to explore the world. But you'll find it much easier to just take your hand or feet away and offer them one of their toys to chews. As your puppy grows up, they'll grow out of the bitey stage easily and the only things you'll have had to teach them is how to calm themselves down and what they're allowed to chew - two very useful skills every adult dog needs.

Need more support with your puppy’s training?

You can get personalised support to reduce your puppy’s biting and teach them all the skills they’ll need for your life together with the Your Young Adventurer 1-2-1 puppy training programme.

Written by Juniper Indigo, dog trainer in Tiverton and Exeter