Puppy Biting: Surviving the Land-Shark Phase
It's normal — truly
Puppies explore with their mouths and learn bite pressure through play. Mouthing peaks around 3–5 months and fades with teething's end and consistent feedback. Your puppy is not aggressive; they are a toddler with 28 needles.
Redirect, every time
Keep a toy within reach in every room. Teeth touch skin → calmly redirect to the toy and make the toy fun. If the piranha persists, end the game and step away for thirty seconds: the lesson is 'teeth on people switch the fun off'.
Manage the witching hour
The frantic evening bite-zoomies usually mean overtired. A scheduled nap, a stuffed frozen Kong, or quiet crate time prevents the meltdown better than any correction. Cold carrots and frozen washcloths soothe teething gums.
What not to do
No holding the mouth shut, no yelping-and-jerking games from the internet, no rough wrestling with hands. And if an older puppy's biting comes with stiff body language and guarding, that's different — ask a positive-reinforcement trainer to take a look.
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