When Do Labrador Retriever Puppies Stop Biting and How You Can Stop It?

There are a lot of things to love when it comes to your Labrador Retriever and having them in your home. This is a friendly dog who will want to spend most of their time with the various members of the family, one who is loyal and smart and can have a lot of fun too. But you may notice that this dog is also prone to biting. When will this dog breed stop biting and are there ways that you are able to stop it?

Most Labrador Retriever puppies will stop biting when they are around ten months old. This is the time when they will get their adult teeth in and will not longer feel the same amount of discomfort and more that they did in the past. Since they are usually biting because of the discomfort, providing them with toys when they bite and using firm commands to get them to stop are good steps to take. 

There are many reasons that the Lab is going to bite, but none of them should be allowed. Recognizing why they bite and learning how to get them to stop can be part of the training process and will get them to stop a little bit faster.

Let’s take a closer look at how to get this dog to stop biting and how to make life a little easier with them around. 

When Do Labrador Retriever Puppies Stop Biting?

Biting is a common problem in many dogs. They want to get your attention, they are bored, or they will be dealing with their adult teeth coming in and it starts to hurt them. This is a common issue for all dogs, but if you have a Lab, you may worry that the strength of the teeth is too much and you do not want anyone to get hurt. 

It is important to stop the biting as soon as possible when it happens in your dog. With some gentle distraction and work on it, you will find that the puppy can learn your commands and will stop with the biting. But you may also see that their biting is likely to level off as the puppy gets to 10 months old or so. 

Many times the Lab is going to bite because they are teething. Just like with babies, the teething can be painful for the dog and they need to find a way to get it to stop. Hopefully you can find some hard toys for them to chew on to help alleviate the pain without them biting at you in the process. 

Most Labs are going to stop biting when the teething is done. Since they will stop teething when they are around 10 months old, which is when they will get their adult teeth, you can expect that a lot of the biting and the chewing will stop at that time.

If it goes on for longer than ten months, there is the potential that something else is going on and you may need to work on training or talk to your vet about the problems. 

How to Stop the Biting?

Now that you know a little more about the Labrador Retriever and some of the reasons that they do bite, along with the most likely time to get them to stop biting, it is time to take a look at some of the steps that you can take to teach the dog how to not bite you or others who come into the home. This will take some time and persistence on your part, but it can be done and will make the home more enjoyable. 

It is best to start teaching the Lab to not bite you or others when they are young. It is common for the pet owner to feel that it is fine for the puppies to bite them since they are teething and they may even think that it is cute.

But the more that you allow the dog to bite you, even as a puppy, the longer they will continue this process and there will come a time when it starts to hurt when they clamp those teeth down on you. 

This means that even when the dog is teething, you need to give them something to play with, something that will distract them from wanting to bite at you or chew on your hand. Keep in mind that this may be cute for a little bit, but it will quickly get old and is not as much fun as before. When they go to bite at you, give them a toy or something else that will alleviate the pain of teething, something that you do not mind getting ruined, and let them go to town and have fun. 

If you notice that these dogs are biting you, be firm and tell them no. you can also give them treats when they stop biting and when they choose to put their attention on the toy, rather than on you.

This is the behavior that you want, so giving them a ton of attention and love when they behave is a good way to re-enforce that behavior and get them to do it again, without biting your hand in the process. 

There are several training methods that you can use to help get the dog to behave the way that you would like. Association is a good one, along with positive reinforcement.

Yelling at, smacking, or doing another type of action to the dog is not going to be productive and may actually cause some problems with the behavior of the dog. Repetition is one of the best options to use because it is effective and it does not teach the dog to be aggressive around you or others. 

Why Does My Labrador Retriever Bite?

The next thing that we need to look at is why the Lab is biting in the firs tplace. We have already taken a look at some of the most common reasons, namely that they do it as a way to help their teeth feel better when they are getting the adult teeth. But that is just one of the reasons why the Lab may choose to bite at you. some of the other reasons to consider include:

1. They are bored: It is possible that the dog is doing it because they are bored. They see that this is a good way to get some entertainment, so they continue with it. Be firm with your choices here and do not let them bite you. 
2. They think it is fun: Sometimes the Lab will see the biting as something fun to do. If you make it a game, or at least they think that you have made it a game, they will continue on with it. Take away the fun and they are more likely to stop. 
3. They have nothing to play with: Your dog needs something to play with and bite on. If they do not have these resources, they may resort to biting at you. consider getting them some hard toys that will help with the biting and make them feel better at the same time. 
4. They want to get your attention: The Lab may find that biting you gets your attention for something. Ignore this. Be consistent and do not give them the attention they want from the bite. When they calm down and listen to you, then give them some of the attention, but do not do it before. 
5. They get a reaction from you: Your Lab is going to love it when they can get a reaction out of you. The bigger the reaction that they can get, the happier they are. If they do bite you, try to keep the reaction as small as possible, maybe just a stern, “that hurt, no!” will do it. But if you make abig production out of it, then they will want to do it again. 

All of the reasons above are going to be big determinants in why the Lab is going to try and bite at you, even if you do not want them to act this way. Being proactive and considering some of the right training options will make a big difference and can ensure that you are able to get them to stop this unwanted behavior. 

Getting Your Lab to Stop Biting

Regardless of the reason why your Lab is biting, it is important to get them to stop. This may be cute and fun when they are little, but it is a problem that will quickly grow and get worse if you allow them to have the fun that they want.

Using some of the tips above will ensure that you can gain control over the biting that the dog does and that they will stay safe in the process. Follow them and the dog will be a model citizen in your home.