You bring home a fluffy, sleepy bundle of joy, and within a week those needle-sharp teeth find your fingers, ankles and favourite jeans. Puppy biting — often called the “shark phase” — is one of the most common complaints Aussie puppy owners bring to the vet. The good news? It is completely normal, and with a consistent, gentle approach your pup can learn to keep those teeth to themselves.
Why Do Puppies Bite, Anyway?
Puppies explore the world with their mouths the way human babies explore with their hands. Biting and mouthing is how they learn about textures, tastes and what gets a reaction. It is not aggression, and it is not your puppy being “naughty”.
There are a few reasons your pup is chomping on everything in sight:
- Play behaviour: puppies bite each other during play, and your hands have simply joined the game.
- Teething: new teeth pushing through sore gums make puppies want to chew constantly.
- Breed instinct: herding breeds like kelpies, cattle dogs and border collies are naturally “mouthy” — it is how they move sheep.
- Attention: even a yell or a push is attention, and puppies quickly learn that biting makes you react.
Understanding why your puppy bites is the first step, because it tells you what to fix: not the puppy, but the behaviour.
The Puppy Teething Timeline
Most puppies arrive at their new Aussie homes at 8 weeks with a full set of sharp baby teeth. Between 12 and 16 weeks, those baby teeth start falling out to make way for 42 adult teeth — usually all through by around 6 months of age.
Teething explains a lot of the chewing. If you brought home a spring puppy, expect the worst of the mouthing to peak right as the weather warms up and your pup spends more time in the backyard. Keep an eye out for tiny teeth on the floor, and don’t panic if you spot a “double tooth” — the baby tooth often hangs around for a few days before the adult tooth pushes it out.
How to Stop Puppy Biting: Five Steps That Work
You don’t need harsh corrections to stop puppy biting. These five force-free steps, used consistently by everyone in the family, will teach your pup that gentle is what gets them what they want.
1. Redirect to something they can chew
The moment teeth touch skin, calmly offer a chew toy instead. Puppies need to chew, so give them plenty of legal options: rubber teething toys, rope toys and treats stuffed in a Kong. If your pup takes the toy, praise them warmly.
2. Try the “yip and pause”
When your puppy bites too hard during play, let out a high-pitched “yip!” — the same sound a littermate would make — and stop the game for a few seconds. This teaches bite inhibition: your puppy learns that hard bites end the fun, while gentle play continues.
3. End the game with a time-out
If the mouthing keeps going, calmly stand up, cross your arms and ignore your puppy for 10 to 20 seconds, or leave the room briefly. No yelling, no drama. The message is simple: biting makes you go away.
4. Reward gentle play
Keep some treats in your pocket and reward the moments your puppy licks, sniffs or plays without using teeth. Capture the calm — what gets rewarded gets repeated.
5. Set your pup up to succeed
Tired, overexcited puppies bite more, so make sure your pup gets enough sleep — they need up to 18 to 20 hours a day. And think about what games you play: rough wrestling and fast tug-of-war can teach your puppy that grabbing skin is part of the fun.
What NOT to Do
Old-school advice about smacking noses, holding muzzles shut or “alpha rolling” a puppy is not just outdated — it can make biting worse. Punishment teaches puppies to be afraid of you, and a scared puppy is far more likely to grow into a dog that snaps when it feels threatened.
- Never hit or smack your puppy for biting.
- Don’t yank your hand away dramatically — it can look like a game and encourage chasing.
- Avoid shouting; a calm, boring response works far better.
- Skip the “dominance” myths — modern veterinary behaviourists and organisations like the RSPCA recommend force-free training.
Teething Comfort and Chew Safety
If teething is driving the chewing, a little comfort goes a long way. A frozen (not rock-hard) Kong, a chilled carrot, or a wet face washer that has been frozen in a baggie can soothe sore gums. There are also plenty of puppy-specific teething toys at Aussie pet shops designed for this exact stage.
Chew safety matters too. Supervise your pup with new chews, and skip cooked bones — leftover lamb chops and chicken bones from the barbie can splinter and cause serious internal injuries. Keep shoes, charging cables and kids’ toys out of reach, and remember that a bored puppy left alone in the backyard will find something to chew, so give them safe options and rotate their toys.
When to See the Vet or a Trainer
Most puppies grow out of mouthing by around 5 to 6 months of age, once their adult teeth are in and they have learned the rules. But there are times to ask for help. If your puppy is older than 6 months and still biting hard, if the biting comes with growling or stiff body language, or if your pup guards food and toys, book an appointment.
Start with your vet to rule out pain — dental problems and sore joints can make a puppy grumpy — and ask about puppy preschool, which many Aussie clinics run. A qualified, force-free trainer can also work with you on bite inhibition and give your pup safe opportunities to socialise. Puppyhood is short, and with patience and consistency, those shark teeth will soon be a funny memory.
