Puppy Biting: How to Prevent It and How to Stop It

While the Havanese is a gentle breed, as puppies they can be just as nippy and mouthy as any other breed! Absent their mother and littermates, any puppy will quickly fall back into a pattern of nipping. You want to stop this behavior young before your Havanese grows and their teeth become larger!

Never use physical punishment or yell at your Havanese puppy to discourage nipping! This will cause your puppy to be fearful of you. Instead, when your puppy nips you during play, simply make a yelp or other abrupt, loud noise, then stand up and end the play session. If your puppy attempts to continue by nipping at your feet, then simply leave the room. Once they have calmed down, you can return and resume the play session.

You can’t fix puppy biting overnight! Be patient and consistent.

Try to use toys that will keep distance between your hands and your puppy’s mouth. This will remove some of the opportunity to nip at you. Do not use your hands during play as this will confuse your puppy!
Outside of play sessions, you can offer toys or chews in place of your hands, fingers, feet, or toes. This is called redirection. You are redirecting your puppy’s attention away from something disallowed to something allowed.