I have a 4-month-old Labrador puppy. When we play with him or just walk past him, he jumps up and bites our hands and legs really hard. I've tried distracting him with toys, but he still keeps trying to nip. Is this normal behavior or do I need to do something about it?
It's completely normal for a puppy at this age - he's exploring the world through biting and playing the way his littermates play with him! The main thing is not to ignore it, because the biting habit can stick around and cause problems when the Labrador grows up and gets stronger. When the puppy bites, immediately stop playing and ignore him for a couple of minutes - dogs learn quickly that biting = end of fun. Also give him more chew toys and be patient, it'll pass in a few months!
Puppies' baby teeth start falling out around 3-4 months, and the process lasts several months, so your Labrador right now has an increased need to bite and chew on everything - it's totally normal physiology, not misbehavior. Plus at this age puppies haven't learned to control how hard they bite yet, so during play they just don't realize it hurts. The problem is that if you don't stop this behavior, it gets reinforced, and by 6-7 months your growing dog will start treating your hands and feet like toys.
You've gotta fix it though. When the puppy bites, don't just try to redirect their attention to a toy - that's a weak signal. Better to abruptly stop playing: pull your hand away, stand up, and ignore the puppy for a few minutes. The idea is for them to understand that when they bite, playtime ends. At the same time, give them plenty of safe chewing objects - firm rubber toys, rawhide chews. And try to avoid games on the floor where they can nip at you - games with a ball or frisbee are better.
Getting annoyed at bites works too if you yelp loudly and sharply, then walk away from the puppy - they'll start associating biting with unpleasant consequences. Labradors are smart dogs, and after a couple weeks of consistent action your pup will get the boundaries. It's way easier to correct at this stage than to deal with the habit once they're a full-grown dog.
The main thing is to react clearly to bites: the moment the puppy nips you, stop the game and turn away for a minute or two, completely ignoring him. I had a similar situation with a Labrador - the guy was naturally bitey, but once I stopped playing with him right after a bite, he figured out in a few weeks that biting = end of fun. Yeah, he's going through a teeth change right now and it does ramp up the urge to bite, but that doesn't mean you can just let things slide - otherwise in half a year you'll already have a problem. Give him plenty of chew toys, especially the ones you can chill in the fridge, they ease the pain in his gums.
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