A natural part of being a puppy is using ones mouth to explore and investigate. Nipping and biting from a puppy is rarely malicious or a sign of aggression. However, this doesn’t make the teeth on skin any less painful. Redirecting nipping behavior is not only important to stop the immediate pain, but as a puppy gets bigger nipping becomes more and more serious, and while the urge to nip will reduce in time, an adult dog needs to know that nipping and biting are inappropriate for the safety of canine and human alike. Redirecting the chewing/biting behavior is a much better solution than punishment training. Remember this is just a natural dog instinct and really isn’t bad behavior. Give a puppy a chew toy when patting him, or if he starts to nip. Provide no encouragement or attention if they do nip, simply say no and leave them alone. Praise a puppy for appropriate behavior. Don’t play rough with a puppy as this will only be cute while they are small, and will teach them bad behavior for the future. Be patient and consistent. This is an important puppy lesson. Be particularly careful with young children and puppies. This is typically a well intentioned pair that can accidentally cause the other problems. Sharp teeth are typically not appreciated by little kids and pulled tails and fur are often not appreciated by puppies.