Mouthing is a normal behavior for puppies. Using their mouth to taste and touch items is one of the first senses to develop and is used to gather information about their world. If puppies spend enough time with their mother (to adulthood), she will teach them about bite inhibition (what is too hard and/or too much). In most cases we get our puppies prior to her having a chance to finish this education.  This means we have to help them understand these parameters so they can safely interact with the human world. Keep in mind that some use of their mouth for exploration is acceptable and natural for puppies under 4 months of age. If biting is repetitive or painful (even just a little) then you should help to discourage that particular use of their mouth.

  • Avoid rough or aggressive play, especially interactions which involve a puppy’s mouth and your hands or feet. The more aroused and excited your puppy is during play, the more likely he is to offer mouth behaviors.
  • Provide appropriate chew outlets, such as rawhide chews , Nyla-bones, frozen food stuffed Kong or Busy Buddy toys, and durable stuffed toys. These toys should be used to redirect your puppy’s urge to chew away from your hands or feet. Smearing peanut butter on your pup’s toys can also help make them more appealing than your hands. Mouthy puppies should be offered a toy before all interactions with people. This sets them up for success by having an appropriate option to mouth before they even have a chance to chew on hands or feet.
  • Should a puppy mouth your hand, you want to remove any and all attention so that this behavior is not accidentally rewarded. This means taking away eye contact, any touching, and keeping silent. Once the pup has calmed down, you can offer him a toy to start the interaction again, or ask for a “sit” before giving the toy to encourage a more desirable behavior. In some cases a high pitched “ouch” can be used to interrupt mouthy behaviors. This should be a high-pitched yelp – one that is loud enough to stop the behavior, but calm enough not to scare the puppy. If your puppy looks fearful or cowers you should avoid the “ouch”. Also, some dogs perceive the “ouch” as fun and attention and may inadvertently find it rewarding. Avoid the “ouch” if mouthing increases.

Sometimes, excessively mouthy behavior can be a sign of fear and/or stress.  Other signs of fear and stress can include: stiffening of their body, cowering, growling, baring their teeth, ducking their head, showing the whites of their eyes (whale eye), trembling, excessive fidgeting (pacing) and urinating (submissive peeing). If their mouthy behavior is accompanied by these signals, or you feel there is any aggression related to the behavior, please reach out to your veterinarian so that you can get help from an appropriate behavior specialist. A puppy with fearful behavior is not normal and if not managed appropriately may lead to future unwanted behavior.