
vlaaitje (CC0), Pixabay
One of the things that most concern people who have a puppy is how to teach him not to bite.We talk about Bite inhibition when we are trying to teach the dog to have a “soft mouth,” that is, to bite properly and without harming.
First stage of the puppy with his mother
One of the main reasons why a puppy should spend his first two months with his mother and siblings is for them to teach him to control his mouth:
If the puppy abruptly bites his mother’s breasts when he is breastfeeding, she will get up and leave him without eating. This way he learns to be more delicate with his mouth if he wants to eat.
If during the game with his brothers the puppy bites too hard, the other dogs will complain and if he insists, they will leave by finishing the game. So if the puppy wants to play, he will have to control the bite.

arvndvisual (CC0), Pixabay
The arrival at the puppy’s house
When the puppy comes home, in a second stage, it will be your turn to be the one to teach him to inhibit the bite. He will have to learn that our skin is more delicate and can harm us. How? Doing something similar to what his mother and brothers did:
- Take a toy that you like to play with.
- Encourage him by moving it in front of his head so he can grab it. Without exciting him too much for good learning.
- If during the game he bites you, shout loud (AY!) and wait a few seconds before continuing.
- If he bites hard or insists, shout again and end the game by leaving the room and ignoring the dog.
The sessions should be a maximum of 10 minutes stopping the game from time to time so that the puppy does not get overexcited.
In this way you will get the dog to understand that your skin is something delicate and that he should be careful with his mouth.
What happens if the dog is an adult?
You can proceed in the same way: playing with it and with an object. In addition, you can do the following:
- Take a piece of food and keep it with your hand closed.
- Bring your hand to the dog’s snout and if it bites you, shout AY! And put your hand away.
- Repeat until the dog licks your hand and you open it.
- He should eat the piece of food without biting you, if not, repeat it again.
With these simple guidelines the dog will learn to better control his bite and you can have your hands near his mouth without any worries.