Many people try to find solutions to problems without even knowing what causes the problem. Dog owners are no different; they try to stop their puppies from biting without the knowledge of why the puppy is biting. "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction? Isaac Newton's third law of motion. Everything happens for a purpose and a reason and dog biting is no exception. Puppies will bite and if you keep a close eye on your new pet you can learn why they bite.
The most common cause of puppy biting is the result of teething. Puppies will teeth between 4 to 6 months with a maximum age of 10 months. It is a very painful stage for young pups so they bite to sooth their gums around their new teeth. Their jaws are also weak which limits the amount of force needed to bite so they compensate by gnawing. So with a combination of a weak jaw and sharp needle point teeth the developing puppy will inflict numerous play bites as a feedback mechanism to determine the force of their bites which will also strengthen their jaws as they grow.
The more opportunities your puppy has to play bite with other people, dogs, and other animals the greater the chance your dog will bite as an adult. The responsibility of teaching bite inhibition lays with you the owner.
Another very important factor is socialization. A lack of socialization with puppies between the age of 3 weeks to 3 months with people and other dogs can lead to growling and ultimately biting, Apart from teething and socialization, be aware that puppies explore objects in their environment, they not like us they have paws and not hands so they use their mouths to do their exploration.
As a responsible dog owner do not tolerate aggressive behavior from either a puppy or an adult dog. Also never lose sight in the fact that dogs do what they feel is correct no matter what the situation. In order to avoid biting and behavior problems it is best to prevent them from forming.
