Oh the joy of a new family member. Until they start rehearsing biting you like prey that is!
Not to worry, all young pups go through this stage, it is quite normal and important.
But how to handle it effectively and with compassion?
1st, as soon as the puppy nips, let out a high-pitched ‘Ouch!’ and pretend to be genuinely hurt with a cry or yelp.
You want the pup to feel guilty, so star studded performances are a must, as our canine friends are all too clever at sniffing out imposters.
2nd, immediately turn your attention away from them, and walk away. Totally ignore them as you count to ten.
After this, you can re-engage with them and praise them for keeping their puppy teeth away from you and being sweet.
If it happens again, even if it only just happened a minute ago, repeat the whole process from start to finish. You are in this way extinguishing bad behaviour and reinforcing them for being sweet.
And always remember to socialise a puppy to a variety of people young and old, lots and lots of other dogs and anything else they may encounter in their environment. The window of opportunity closes around 16 weeks of age.