The Hazards of Puppy-Nipping

5/13/2022

One of the most frequent questions that I get asked as a dog trainer is “why is my puppy nipping me and chewing everything”! The answer is always the same - puppy nipping and chewing is a very normal behavior as they use their mouths to explore and learn about the world around them in the same way that human babies use their hands to explore the world. Some breeds of puppies are mouthier than others, but a mouthy puppy does not necessarily indicate that it is aggressive.

Puppy milk teeth start coming in between 2 and 4 weeks of age. In total they have around 28 milk teeth and by the time you get your puppy home at 8 weeks to 12 weeks they will have a full mouth of milk teeth. From that point until your puppy is around 6 months of age, they will begin the teething process as their adult teeth start to push through. Adult dogs have 42 teeth.

Puppy Teething

As puppies go through the teething process this can be a very painful period much like the process that human babies go through when they are teething. As those adult teeth are pushing through, this is the time that your puppy may find things to chew on as the act of chewing helps to sooth their discomfort and helps to calm them down.

It is the time that if your puppy is not properly supervised, they may go for inappropriate objects to chew on such as chair or table legs, remote controls, glasses, shoes, slippers, and phones! If this happens always remember that your puppy has no concept of right and wrong; they do not know it is inappropriate to chew on your new pair of shoes. If it’s there and within reach, they will go for it! So how to do you prevent this? Answer -- Puppy Proof your home to set your puppy up for success in the same way that you would child proof your home to keep young toddlers from accessing things that could be potentially dangerous to them.

This means putting away shoes and items of clothing, and keeping phones and remotes up high and out of reach. Ensure plants are put up high or in a room that the puppy is not allowed to roam, and when you think all is safe what I have found helpful is getting down on the ground to see if there is anything hanging low that a puppy might be able to grab and if so, remove it. Remember this is not forever, it is just for a window of time, and it will keep your puppy safe and your items in the home free from puppy teeth marks!

Helpful Tips to Prevent Puppy Nipping & Chewing

Puppy proofing your home and supervising your young puppy is going to go a very long way to keep them from getting into things that they shouldn’t. Obviously nobody can watch their puppy 24/7 but for the times that you cannot, that is where it will be important to either crate train your puppy or have a dog pen to keep them safe.
Exercise is key for your puppy and the right amount of exercise for any puppy or dog really does help to reduce problem behaviors. Even when they are going through their vaccination process where you do have to be careful where you take them, never to dog parks or a park environment until they are fully vaccinated, a gentle walk around your neighborhood twice a day, a run around in the garden playing a game of tug or fetch or using a puppy flirt pole, all of these means of exercise are great for bonding with your puppy and building that association in their mind that you are fun to be with! Plus, it will tire them out!
A variety of edible chews are also going to help especially when you sense that puppy is getting quite nippy, and the nip is intense. When this happens, and it will, you need to be prepared for that and not get angry or shout. What your pup is telling you is that it is in discomfort and the way to help him is simply by putting him in his crate or pen with something that he can chew on.

Edible chews such as bully sticks, yak milk, Esophagus chews are good things to have in stock for your puppy to chew on. The act of chewing will help those sore gums and will also help to calm him down. *A word of caution: Whenever you give your puppy an edible chew only give him this when you can supervise him and ensure he has access to plenty of drinking water.
Have a variety of puppy teething toys that he can also bite on Puppy flavored chew toys which are not food but are flavored to encourage them to chew on are great so that they are biting down on something appropriate and not you. Benebone or Nylabone puppy chews are good options. Each week check your puppy toys and any plush toys where the stuffing is coming out or hard toys that have been chewed a lot and are beginning to break apart, discard them and replace them as you do not want your puppy ingesting things that can create a blockage inside.
As puppies explore the world around them things that move or dangle down will attract their attention and seem like something fun, including your clothing! Do not be surprised when your puppy grabs onto your pant leg, your long, flowing summer skirt, the shoes you are wearing, your necklace! They are tantalizing them with all that swishing about! So what do you do? Redirection is going to be an important skill to learn and something that really helps is to have tug toys dotted around the home so that when you puppy decides to attack your pant leg and they will, you can quickly grab a tug toy and redirect their attention to that to change their focus. If you have started any training with them, you can then switch into some training which will not only get their mind going into work mode, but it will help to take their thoughts away from your clothes. Be patient, be kind and help to teach your puppy what is appropriate for them to play with and what is not, in a kind way.
When you are sitting and stroking your puppy that is also the time to have either an edible chew or a toy at hand so instead of your puppy chewing on your fingers, he will chew on something appropriate and therefore you are constantly teaching him what is appropriate for him to chew and what is not.
Important Note; Praise your puppy for choosing the right item to play with. If your puppy is moving around and grabs one of his toys and starts to play with it, praise him. The more you praise your puppy for doing the correct thing the more you are reinforcing that behavior. Always remember that at such a young age puppies have no sense of right and wrong, you have to teach them that and what you do not want to get into is a cycle of is telling your puppy off all the time and not praising them when they are doing the right thing or engaging with the right things. Puppies can get very stressed very easily and you do not want them to be afraid of your presence. So always set them up to succeed.

Puppies are fun and are a ray of sunshine that can bring much joy, laughter and happiness to a family. Just be prepared to put in the hard work when they are young, teach them in a positive way, socialize them to their world so that they are confident in their living environment both inside the home and outside and train them so that they understand their boundaries and learn what is appropriate. Once you guide your puppy through the first year of their life you will have a very loyal and happy K9 member of the family.

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