Dear Miss Behavin’: Our 4-month old pup has recently started biting a lot and I am not sure why. How do I get him to stop biting so much?
It sounds like your puppy is getting his adult teeth which usually starts around 4 months. Increased biting is normal during this time. Here are some tips to get you through this stage of his life.
You will want to make sure that he has plenty of appropriate chew items to choose from and that they ae everywhere he is. Try finding things that will last for a little bit of time, like bully sticks or no-hide rawhide. I also like to use frozen full-size carrots. This can help to sooth some of the inflammation in his gums. If you find him biting on something inappropriate, interrupt it and redirect to one of his chew sticks.
You will also need to revisit your initial play biting training. I like to use an Ouch routine to let the pup know when they have made the wrong choice. When the pup bites me, I will say Ouch! and they should back off at that point. Most puppies will not and they will continue to bite, which is what we initially wanted to when they were younger to have an opportunity to give appropriate feedback. I would now try to direct them to an appropriate item, such as a chew stick or give them a carrot to chew on. You can also give some timeouts for over the top behavior. Remember that your timeouts should be short and that and you will want to allow him to make additional mistakes so that you can continue with giving appropriate feedback to your pup. Consistency is a big key for success with this exercise, everyone needs to be on board.
If you are still struggling with your pup, please reach out to our Behavior Department to schedule a 1:1 consult to address your situation. We are offering in-person and Zoom sessions.