OUCH!
Puppy biting! It's a problem! But it's a totally normal and important developmental period.
Hopefully, puppies were not sold before 8-10weeks old or this problem can be exponentially more difficult for the new family!
Why? Well, because their mother is their first teacher about using your teeth carefully, and that happens at natural weaning.
Too many times I hear "oh they sold them at 6/7 weeks because the mother was being mean, or the mother wouldn't feed them anymore, or the mother didn't want anything to do with them...." Those are all very important and healthy lessons that puppies should NOT be "rescued" from. Those early learning events imprint good manners and careful mouthing on puppies, skills and inhibitions that make them better pets. They learn from their littermates too; puppies spend HOURS biting each other so they can learn how to use their teeth while they still have sharp little baby teeth.
When puppies come home before that, guess who substitutes for mom and littermates.. YOU! They are not being naughty, or bad, or aggressive.. they are doing exactly what their little brains are programmed to do at this age. They want to learn how to use their teeth and jaws properly so they can be successful socializing well LATER. They can only learn that by biting.. a lot. There is a reason we jokingly call them "land sharks" at that age!
It can be a mistake to expect them to NOT bite at all. There is evidence that puppies that bite a lot socially are actually SAFER as adults than puppies who are not allowed to practice and learning how to bite softer over time. So how can we survive the first 5 months?
You may have been told to YELP. Sometimes that works, on very young puppies. But the window for that to work is pretty short, and then some puppies get more excited by it and it creates more biting.
You may have been told to redirect them to a toy.. this is GREAT advice, but understand they are looking for interaction, not independent play. If you redirect their teeth to a toy but then ignore them, they will go back to biting YOU and they'll refuse the toy next time. You have to play WITH them with the toy. Interactive play.. toss a toy, pull a toy on a string for them to chase, play gentle tugging games. Tease them a little and then let them get it. If their teeth stray onto your skin, use all your willpower to go limp and stop playing, pause. If they move back to the toy YIPPEE GOOD PUPPY, play starts again.
Overtired puppies and puppies with teething discomfort are much worse about biting, and can be grumpy about it. Put them down for a NAP, and have a big stock of interesting and high value chews for this time. Bully sticks, pig ears, frozen applesauce cups, carrots, celery sticks, stuffed kongs, etc. I have a FULL FREEZER for puppy teething, you can barely open the door without something falling out!
Playing with safe, appropriate dogs can be a HUGE help with puppy biting too. They are much better at communicating how much pressure is ok, and where biting is allowed in play. They can often keep up with the maneuvers and help the pup get the play and interaction and lessons their little mind is craving. But make sure it's a dog that both enjoys puppies and also respects the pups needs too. No bullies or dogs that are overly aggressive in "correcting" pups. They don't need to be "put in their place" they need patient role modeling, and consistent gentle guidance!
Happy puppy raising!
