One minute your puppy is playing. The next, they are hanging from your sleeve. The nickname “landshark” is funny until your hands and ankles hurt. Mouthing is common while puppies explore, play and grow new teeth. It does not, by itself, tell you that a puppy is aggressive, but you still need a plan that protects people and gives your puppy a safe way to use their mouth.

First, make the next bite less likely

Notice when it starts. After a rough game? Before a nap? While someone walks across the room? Keep a suitable toy close to those moments and offer it before teeth find skin. Check that the toy is appropriate for your puppy's size and chewing style, and supervise new chews. Give them chances to eat, drink, toilet and rest; an overtired puppy may get more mouthy, but rest is not a punishment or a rigid timer.

If teeth land on skin

Stop moving your hand or trouser leg if you can do so safely. A quick yelp can excite some puppies, so a quiet pause is often easier. When there is a break, redirect to a toy. If your puppy keeps grabbing you, calmly end the game and step behind a gate or door for a short pause. Return with an activity they can do. Do not hold their muzzle shut, shout, or pin them. The goal is to make safe play easy to repeat.

Quick check

What is hardest today?

Choose what fits. Nothing is saved or submitted.

Adjust the plan as your puppy grows

In the early weeks at home, keep play short enough that it does not become a frantic chase. As teething brings sore gums, offer puppy-safe chewing options and ask your vet about mouth pain or teeth that are not falling out as expected. Later, a larger, faster puppy may need better room management: keep children supervised and separated when play gets mouthy, rather than asking a child to handle a biting exercise. There is no universal week when biting peaks or stops. Note whether your setup is reducing the frequency and intensity over time.

When this needs individual help

If a bite breaks a person’s skin, wash the wound with soap and running water and get medical advice promptly. Seek urgent care for a deep wound or bleeding that will not stop. If biting is hard to interrupt, comes with a stiff or frozen body, happens around guarded food or toys, changes suddenly, or makes anyone feel unsafe, stop treating it as ordinary teething. Keep children and other people safely apart from the puppy, and speak promptly with your veterinarian and a qualified, reward-based behavior professional. Pain, fear and guarding need a different assessment. A typical puppy mouth is not a diagnosis for every bite.

Try this today: Put one suitable toy where biting usually begins, pause the game at the first hard nip, and make the next activity quieter. Tomorrow, see whether that one change helped.

Sources

If you want a stage-by-stage guide beyond this one biting question, LANDSHARK covers the first six months with a focus on high-drive puppies. The steps above stand on their own; the book is optional.