Learning how to teach a puppy not to bite can seem like a big deal, but with my tips and advice you’ll have this problem solved in no time. The puppy biting stage can be tough, especially when you feel like your puppy is attacking you. But I’m going to show you how to get a puppy to stop biting without using force or frightening tactics. Focus on keeping your biting puppy calm, avoid rough physical play, and redirect biting onto appropriate toys and activities. Spend some time on the training exercise set out above. Play structured games with your puppy every day to teach your puppy a better way of interacting with you. You’ll not only reduce biting but also build your puppy’s confidence in being handled and strengthen the bond between you.
Contents
Today I’ll share the difference between ferocious puppy play, aggression. I’ll look at where your puppy is focusing their pointy teeth too. A puppy biting hands may need a different approach from a puppy biting faces, for example. I’ll also talk you through puppies at different stages of their development. In general, 3 and 4 month old puppy biting problems tend to be the worst, but a 6 month old puppy still biting people is a more urgent problem.
My puppy won’t stop biting – I’ve tried everything!
I feel your pain! You probably have people around you telling you this is ‘normal’, and your puppy will ‘grow out of it’. But if your puppy bites a lot, it feels wrong! The puppy is crazy, behaves like a mad puppy, and the biting is out of control.
If your puppy keeps biting and won’t stop, it’s natural for you to wonder what’s wrong with your puppy and to question whether your puppy’s behavior is normal. And I’ll be able to reassure you on that score.
I can also reassure you that you are most likely not imagining things if you think your puppy’s behavior is more extreme than other puppies. Some puppies are harder to manage and some puppies do bite excessively compared with others. But happily, we can fix that. So hang on in there!
There are a number of ways that some puppies behave that makes the puppy biting stage much worse.
- Growling and snarling
- Repeated attacks
- Hard bites and drawing blood
Not all puppies do these things, but when they do, it makes them harder to deal with! Let’s look at each one in turn, before we move on to some solutions. You’ll find it easier to teach a puppy not to bite if you understand the triggers that set the biting off, and understand how to manage your own puppy’s individual behavior.
Biting And Growling
One thing that often worries people who have a new puppy in the family, is the growling that accompanies puppy biting. It sounds horrific. Great snarls and snaps accompany the biting and the puppy can appear quite demonic as he grabs onto your skin, or clothes. Tugging away with all the strength he can muster.
Ninety nine times out of a hundred this is completely normal play biting. Some puppies just love to make a lot of noise while they play. But just to reassure you, we’ll look in a moment, at how you can specifically distinguish between aggressive biting and puppy play biting.
Repeated Attacks
If your puppy does this you’ll know what I mean. Basically the puppy just comes back again and again. Relentlessly, attack after attack. If you push them away it only seems to make them worse. This is very wearing and can make new puppy parents feel quite helpless and distressed.
This kind of behavior shows that your puppy is confident and determined. Both great qualities in a dog. We just need to channel those qualities into a more appropriate behavior. We’ll talk about that in the training section below.
My Puppy Bites Hard
Puppies do bite hard and it does hurt. And some puppies bit much harder than others. Even to the point of breaking the skin and drawing blood.
Firstly I want to reassure you that even at 8 weeks old, your puppy has learned to moderate his bite in play. Puppies have powerful jaws designed to tear through flesh and crush bones. Those of you who feed your puppy a raw diet will know that even an 8 week old puppy from a medium sized breed can crush bones the size of your little finger. But while it hurts when he bites your fingers, it isn’t a serious or crushing bite. He is attempting to be gentle. He just isn’t very good at it yet.
There are a number of reasons why some puppies bit too hard and we’ll look at those next, but first let’s look at what you might be tempted to do, or what you might have tried to do so far, in order to stop your puppy biting.
How To Teach A Puppy Not To Bite With Discipline
No-one wants to hurt their puppy, but when they are under attack, it’s common for desperate puppy parents to ask how to punish a puppy for biting. As you may have found out, puppies are tough and many puppies will simply bounce back from a smack or a push.
Physically disciplining a puppy doesn’t work unless it is severe enough to really frighten or harm a puppy. And importantly, punishment (verbal or physical) has been shown to increase aggression in dogs. So it’s important that we find alternatives.
My puppy doesn’t stop biting when i yelp!
Some puppies will stop biting you if you let out a loud yelp. The idea is that the puppy is shocked by the sudden noise which interrupts the barking and gives you a chance to distract the puppy with an alternative game.
Unfortunately this doesn’t always work and may make more excitable puppies even worse! Happily, we now have some great very effective alternatives to punishment and yelping.
Our system involves focusing on the other meaning of word discipline: as education, rather than as punishment. What we will be doing, is a combination of both management and training. So we’ll show you both how to prevent puppy biting, and, how to train your puppy not to bite in easy stages. First let’s look at why puppies bite the humans that love them.
Why Do Puppies Bite?
Your puppy is almost certainly not actually getting aggressive. There are lots of potential reasons for puppies to bite. These include:
- Teething
- Play
- Being from a mouthy breed
- Over excitement
Biting and Teething
Puppy biting can worsen as a result of teething issues. Teething makes a puppy’s mouth sore and itchy at times and biting down on toys, furniture and even your fingers, can provide a puppy with relief.
Puppies cut their first set of teeth before they are weaned and leave their mothers. The teething that you see is actually the adult teeth coming in. Teething is complete by about 7 months of age but many puppies have stopped biting before then. Many puppies have stopped biting completely by six months of age and biting is usually subsiding by the time that the puppy is heading towards five months old. This is if the puppy has been managed appropriately.
You can certainly help by providing your puppy with chew toys while they are cutting their adult teeth, but it’s likely that teething does not play a huge part in most homes where puppy biting is a big problem. By far the biggest cause of biting is puppy play.
Puppy play biting
Puppies naturally bite one another in play, and when you bring your puppy home, he’ll do the same with you. To him, it’s all a game, and he has no idea that it hurts or upsets you.
Puppies that bite too hard are also often more excitable and impulsive than puppies that are more gentle. This means your management of the puppy will focus more firmly on reducing excitement levels and calming your puppy down. And I’ll help you with that.
Mouthy Dog Breeds
Some breeds of dog are more mouthy than others. Herding dogs and sporting dogs, like German Shepherds and Labs, are more bitey as puppies than those from breeds that don’t use their mouths as much. The German Shepherd puppy biting phase can last longer than for other breeds, and because they are bigger it might feel more upsetting too. Especially if they end up drawing blood.
Your puppy might be biting more than your neighbor’s puppy because they are from a naturally more nippy breed. But all puppies bite to some extent.
Biting When Excited
The biggest contributing factor to play biting is over-excitement. So a more excitable puppy will bite more than a calmer puppy. And every puppy will bite more when they are over-excited or highly aroused by their environment. This also applies to puppies that bite when they take food from your fingers. A puppy in a very new situation where they lack confidence may bite when you give them a treat, even though they don’t bite at home.
You’ll notice we haven’t mentioned aggression in that list of biting causes. And the reason for that is because it is so rare for a very young puppy to bite out of aggression. Let’s take a closer look and put your mind at rest on that one.
My Puppy Is Hurting Me
Puppy bites can hurt. There’s no doubt about that. But this doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with your puppy or that they are going to grow into an aggressive dog. Play biting puppies bite hard and growl fiercely. Some puppies do occasionally draw blood. But these are not normally savage or crushing bites and the puppy is clearly enjoying himself. Whereas fear is at the root of all canine aggression and a fearful puppy is not having fun.
Fierce but fun!
The play biting puppy will launch himself at the target of his bite. Whether it is your slippers or your fingers, with equal tail-wagging enthusiasm, hanging on grimly and grabbing repeatedly when the item is removed from him. All this, shocking though it may seem, is normal, and is not a sign that your puppy is going to be an aggressive dog!
The puppy that is a cause for concern is the puppy that is frightened. Because although puppies rarely bite through aggression, the nervous puppy may become aggressive as he matures.
Is my Puppy Afraid?
A scared puppy may bite and scared puppies can grow into scared adult dogs so this is something you need to address quickly. You will know that your puppy is scared because he will first try to avoid whatever it is he is scared of.
He won’t pursue your slippers or fingers, or your sleeves, but may try to hide in his bed or under the furniture and may bite when you attempt to remove him from his hiding place. A really frightened puppy will sometimes give off a distinctive musky smell.
This hiding, and retreating, and the scared smell are warning signs that you have scared your puppy badly, or that you have purchased a poorly socialised puppy. In this situation you need to get specialist help right away. Your vet should be able to advise you.
For the vast majority of puppy owners then, biting is normal puppy behavior. And before you start to work on a solution, it’s good to be clear as to what is going on with your own puppy. So why do puppies bite so much? Let’s find out.
Why is My Puppy Biting?
To work out the cause of your puppy’s biting, have a think about what is happening just before they start biting you. Were you teasing them with a toy? Did you have your hands around the puppy’s face? Were you feeding treats to the puppy?
Were you wearing fluffy slippers, Did you have a long item of clothing dragging on the floor? Had the puppy been playing with children? Working out the reason for their biting can help you to solve the problem, and absolutely assists in avoiding situations that will set it off while they are still small.
The chances are, your puppy is biting during rough play, or trying to engage you or your kids in rough play. And we’ll talk about alternatives to rough play in a moment. But maybe you are wondering if you should just stop worrying and wait for your puppy to grow out of this phase. Maybe everything will be okay if you just do nothing?
Is It Normal For Puppies To Bite?
The answer to this is 100% yes! All puppies bite. Every single one. And you really should be reassured that there is likely nothing abnormal at all about your puppy’s biting.
And the good news is, it’s a phase that will pass a lot quicker if you take a few simple steps set out below.
Do Puppies Grow Out of Biting?
To some extent biting is a phase caused by natural puppy playfulness and teething. And it’s a phase that puppies do grow out of. Some puppies do stop biting with very little input from their family. Which is great.
But this doesn’t happen for everyone. And some small puppies get so overexcited and so bitey when they are overexcited that people end up avoiding the puppy and failing to make that all important bond.
So it’s important to be pro-active about reducing biting. And to know how to stop a dog from biting when they are past the very young puppy stage. And most of us will benefit by using the techniques explained below to hasten the day when biting is over. So although biting is part and parcel of owning a baby dog, it’s something you just need to work through and manage in the right way.
If people have been exciting him, or rewarding him for attention seeking behavior then biting can persist. And it can be much more of a problem in bigger stronger puppies than in little ones. We’ll look at that in a moment. You can hasten the point at which your puppy has stopped biting altogether by some ‘no bite’ training.
Bite Inhibition
This ability, that your puppy has, to moderate the power of his jaws in play, is called bite inhibition. It is something that his mother started to teach him when he was just a few weeks old. And now it is your turn to take over and complete the training process.
How To Stop A Puppy From Biting
We are going to look at the two different aspects involved in how to stop your puppy from biting. We can physically prevent puppies from biting and we can train puppies not to bite. Both of these are good strategies. It’s helpful to know which strategy to use in which situation.
Prevention is important when you can’t be training or when the puppy is overtired or over excited. Or when children are getting upset, or visitors are winding your puppy up.
What To Do When A Puppy Bites
Prevention usually involves interrupting the biting behavior before it gets going, so as soon as you see the puppy getting excited and starting to nip. You’ll need to redirect the puppy into an alternative and more acceptable behavior, such as chewing on a toy. Or, it may involve you temporarily separating him from his playmates. Whether that is you, your kids, or other dogs.
In mild cases you may simply be able to put a toy in your biting puppy’s mouth(paid link) and get him tugging on that instead of on your fingers. When your puppy is getting quite excited that may not be possible, and you’ll need to put some physical space between you.
If you are on the floor with the puppy stand up. And if you are standing up, turn and walk away from the puppy. If he follows and starts biting again step over a barrier so that he can’t get at you. This is where dog gates(paid link) come in very handy with small puppies. A standard baby gate works fine for most breeds of dog.
Managing the Puppy
You may have to pick up your biting puppy to remove him from the scene (if he is biting your children for example, rather than you). If he bites your hands and clothes as you try to restrain him, put him on the other side of a barrier or in his crate or puppy playpen(paid link) for a short while.
Although the puppy does learn from them, these are useful management techniques to enable you to control the situation. They help you to keep your puppy calm, and prevent the biting escalating through excitement.
Over-Excited puppies
Puppy play biting is directly linked to excitement. The more excited your puppy gets, the more and the harder he will bite. And the harder it will be to interrupt and distract him. Getting a puppy hyper and dealing with biting at night is especially common as you have family members home that have missed her and want to play. This is often the case when it comes to your puppy biting kids.
How to stop a puppy from biting when excited
Rough play excites puppies and noisy play does too. Children tend to squeal when they play and get very physical with puppies.
One of the first rules we all need to learn when playing with dogs, especially big dogs, is to stand up and stand still when the game gets too much. This standing tall, still and upright is a dog body language signal and it means ‘play stops now’.
Puppy time out
Puppies don’t really understand the concept of ‘time out’ in the way that children do. But sometimes its necessary to separate the puppy from their playmates and end the game. And that may mean putting the puppy in their crate for a few minutes and giving the puppy a chance to calm down.
How To Teach A Puppy Not To Bite Through Gentle Play
It is also important that you manage the amount of time your puppy spends with people who get him over excited. This usually includes small children. And will probably include a proportion of your visitors who simply won’t be able to resist squirming around on the floor with the puppy.
The best way to stop a puppy biting fast, is to stop physical games. That included ruffling the fur on your puppy’s tummy with your hands, pushing or pulling the puppy around, and teasing the puppy with toys near their face and snatching them away.
Limit such play and call a halt to it if your puppy is biting. With medium to large breed dogs, physical rough and tumble play is not a great idea. It can lead to dogs bowling people over or humping them, neither of which is very pleasant.
Stopping play when it gets rough is a good management strategy and it is a form of training too. Over time, your puppy learns that biting and rough play loses him his playmates and that people simply leave if he is being mean.
Different Types Of Biting
Not all puppies bite in the same way. Some puppies are obsessed with biting peoples’ feet, others with hands. Some puppies snap at faces, and other bite at leashes or snatch treats. Le’t have a look at how we deal with these specific problems
Dog biting feet when walking
A puppy biting feet is one of the most common problems in the first few weeks, but it can persist for longer. This is a form of play biting that occurs in puppies that are very triggered by movement. And of course you can’t walk around without moving! However, there are several things you can do.
Ditch the fluffy slippers for a few weeks, and tuck in any laces you are wearing. Wear shoes rather than bare feet for a few weeks too
Trigger points for biting are often when you enter or leave a room. Especially if you step over a baby gate to do so. Have a little pot of kibble to hand and throw a few pieces behind you just before you leave the room. This distracts the puppy and helps to break the habit.
Puppy biting hands
The first step in getting a puppy to stop biting hands, is to think about how you are interacting with your puppy. Make sure you avoid games that involve pushing or pulling the puppy, or placing your hands around their mouth and face.
Save petting and stroking for when your puppy is sleeping and relaxed, not for when they are playful or excited. The training exercise below will show you how to make a puppy stop biting at your hands when you go to groom them or leash them.
How To Teach A Puppy Not To Bite
The idea of this exercise is to teach a puppy to accept being stroked and handled in any way, without touching us with his teeth. You’ll need to choose an event marker that tells your puppy you liked what he just did. The event marker is a distinctive sound. I suggest you use the word ‘YES’, but a clicker (paid link)is also and excellent choice. He gets a treat immediately after the event marker, and no treat if he doesn’t hear it.
So for example – if you put your hand out near his face and he goes to nip or even mouth your fingers, you say nothing – just take your hand away. But if you put your hand out near his face and he sits still and doesn’t attempt to mouth you, then you say YES and give him a treat(paid link). Your aim is to be able to stroke your puppy’s face and ears.
Even around his mouth, without him making any attempt to bite you. But don’t expect to get there in one go. You’ll need to start with something less challenging, like a gentle movement of your hand nearby. You can also make it easier for him by starting this training when he is calm and not distracted. Later on you’ll be able to do it when he is more playful and even when he is excited. But for now, keep things simple.
(paid link) No Bite Training Exercise
Here’s a summary of the first stages
- Get your puppy’s attention
- Move your hand towards him in the direction of his muzzle, but not close to him
- If he moves his mouth towards your hand take your hand away and try again with more distance between you
- If he ignores your hand say YES and give him a treat (put it on the floor)
If he can’t resist your hand no matter how far away it is, hold a treat over his head in your right hand and move your left hand towards him while he is focusing on the treat. This is a type of ‘lure’ and you don’t want to do it too often – you can find out more about luring in ‘stage one dog training.’ It can be a good way of getting the training started so that you have chance to say YES and give the puppy the opportunity to learn what you want him to do.
Over the next few sessions, you can work on getting your hand closer and closer to the puppy. Until you are brushing the sides of his face without him making any attempt to mouth or bite at you.
Progress to touching and holding his collar, stroking his ears, grooming him, examining his paws and so on, all the time rewarding him for the correct behavior. Anytime the mouthing returns, back up to a point where he can succeed and move forward more slowly again. Remember, training a puppy not to bite is a process, not a single event. Tackle it one stage at a time.
How To Teach A Puppy Not To Bite Through Inhibition
Some experts feel that puppies should be allowed to mouth and even bite gently for a week or two before being prevented from biting altogether. Simply follow the instructions for managing your puppy (above) when he bites hard. But allow him to mouth you when he bites gently without much pressure.
This is a great way to teach a dog excellent control over his mouth. After a couple of weeks of this, you can progress to the training exercise I outlined in the previous section.
But my Puppy is still Biting
If you’re experiencing 4 month old puppy biting, 5 month old puppy biting, or even 6 month old puppy biting, you may be getting worried. You may feel he should have grown out of it by now. The older biting puppy is a slightly different problem and we’ll look at that below.
5 month old to 6 month old puppy biting
Dealing with a 9 week old puppy biting is normally accepted as normal. If a two month old puppy bites you sigh, look lovingly at them and work out the problem. But when your 6 month old puppy is still biting it can be frustrating. You thought they would have grown out of it by now!
When it gets to dealing with an 8 or 9 month old puppy still biting its a little soul destroying for their long suffering family. But do be assured that this is still within the range of normal. Especially for certain breeds. Lab puppies for example can keep biting a little longer than other calmer dogs.
When will my puppy stop biting?
Not many puppies are still biting in a troublesome way by five or six months old, so provided you are not still playing rough physical games with your puppy, you can expect some respite by that point.
But those puppies that are still biting at six months or older, are are usually causing their owners a lot of concern.
Older puppies that bite in play have often learned that this gets them a lot of attention. They have discovered that people squeal and shout and get quite cross.
How to get a dog to stop biting – 6 months and over
Sometimes these people push and shove the dog around which young dogs quite enjoy when they are playing. For these dogs it is important that you stop all physical play, with all family members. If a puppy is biting hard at your hands when you try to interrupt his game. Or an older puppy is getting out of hand biting at clothing, you need to put your puppy on a harness and house-line ( a short trailing leash). This will enable you to control your puppy, and take him to a calming place, without handling him.
You can just pick up the end of the line and lead him away. Older biting puppies are often bright and bored. And the best approach to avoiding future episodes of bad behavior is a structured programme of training and interesting activities. A professional dog trainer using modern positive training methods will be able to help you with these.
How to play with puppy without encouraging biting
Managing a biting puppy does not mean you need to stop playing with your puppy altogether. On the contrary, you probably need to play more often with your puppy, but in a more structured way.
And that means playing puppy games together
Puppy games are extremely simple and fun exercises that you can work through with your puppy that occupy your puppy’s mind, prevent boredom and lay the foundations for more formal training exercises later on.
Ann says
Dear Pippa,
thank you so much for this helpful and reassuring article! It’s the first helpful read I’ve had so far. Talking to other dog owners wasn’t helping me really as I thought I surely must be doing something wrong, as they kept saying “oh it will pass”.
I have a 5 month old German Shepherd from a working line of security dogs, and she does like to play attack and bite.
I’ve so far tried the textbook approaches:
When I push her back, saying “no”, it will only encourage her.
Ignoring her won’t work either because she just hangs on my sleeve growling. Walking a way to “end the game”means her attacking my ankles.
A “time out” in another room helps to calm her down sometimes.
What does help most is redirecting her to a toy that she is allowed to bite and pull. I take this toy (a rope or a little tire with a rope attached) on every walk.
It’s only playful biting, when she gets too excited, but I sure hope I can get this under control before she grows up to be a 30 kg German shepherd.
I have one question though- she never does this to my husband or other friends meeting her, she just play-attacks ME. I’m her owner (my husband has another grown up German shepherd). Why is that? Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks a lot! I just ordered your book Total recall!
Regards,
Ann
Shirley Sikora says
Hi I have an 18 month old German Shepherd she doesn’t like my husband ,she attacks him whenever she can I would like to know is there a way I can train her not to be so aggressive,when other people come over she is a perfect Angel but when they leave she will attack my husband what can I do to break her of this habit,I need help with her
Rachel says
Hi, useful article and reassuring comments/questions too. I have a 4 month old small doodle who really loves to bite. Putting his harness/lead on/stroking his head and he bites hard. When we are out walking he jumps and nips our legs. He seemed to enjoy training when he first arrived with us at 9 weeks but now ignores even the command ‘sit’. Trying to walk him 3 times a day for 20 minutes during the week whilst working from home and longer walks at the weekend. Have tried the ‘ouch’ , ignoring, putting in crate, clicker training for good behavior. Nothing working.
Edgar says
They say don’t yell at them but it sure settles mine down when they think they have disappointed me…
Edgar says
Oh I forgot I can get her to sit when I get my KFC chicken skin out and break off pieces. She just has this way of all of sudden biting. She has drawn blood on both arms and my ear and she is just 3 months old. She bit me 15 minutes ago and I left her have it verbally. She has sat down and hasn’t moved for the past 10 minutes.
Krysta says
I have a almost 7 month old golden doodle. He tends to nip and bite at me alot. It starts with barking but I can’t even pet him without him wanting to put his mouth on me. He does this to my 5 year old when she is just sitting as well but won’t do it to my husband.
I have tried blocking him out to another room with a baby gate. I have tired the indoor Leach but when he gets off he does it again.
shannon says
I am having the exact same problem!
Sarah says
Exact same problem with my 6 month old springer . Tried all ways. AND he doesn’t even attempt biting my partner.
Stephanie says
What is your puppy’s daily routine like? How much exercise is he getting each day? I have a four-month-old APBT who is quite mouthy. Her biting has improved significantly with a daily routine that involves a lot of outdoor exercise (ex. fetch in the backyard), two to three 5-10 minute training sessions, bully sticks and other chew toys, and a Kong filled with kibble and peanut butter.
El says
Hi,
I have a 2 month old puppy.
She is an angel but then turns into a demon.
Play biting is ok. Sometimes though she hides under the bed, attacks my feet, chasing me around the house growling and attacking.
I don’t yell much just try to be firm although it never works.
I limit time outs to 1 or 2 per day. They seem to work a bit more.
She bites carpets like crazy but i guess this is normal.
Any advice on the growling? Does she hate me?
Chrissie says
We’ve tried it all, I use the bitter apple spray from Petco, spray it on our feet, furniture, everywhere, he’s has already stopped a lot of the biting.
Jessica says
I have a 9 week old lab puppy. We got her when she was 6 weeks old. For the past couple of weeks she has started getting more aggressive towards me if I were to take trash out of her mouth if she doesn’t drop it before I do. This behavior has also moved to play time as well. Her growl changes to one that seems like she’s trying to get away or harm and she also snaps at my face, hands or any part of my body she can get to. During playtime, she will be focused on her toy then all of a sudden she will lunge at me with the growling and snapping. Even a neighbor that has a dog if his own and that has trained several dogs said her behavior when she does that it too aggressive and nothing like how play biting and growling should be. Any suggestions to help with this behavior?
Bee Ellis says
Our chocolate lab puppy is just the same !, have you learn anything that will help ? I have looked over the internet , but I have tried everything
Jan says
I have an almost two year old, Bichon Shiz Zhu mix, that just now started, with aggressive biting. She has plenty of things to chew on, and she does, so what do I do?
Eric says
Hi Jessica!
My black lab puppy just turned 9 weeks old today and I am experiencing pretty much the same thing you were experiencing. My puppy loves to play but most of the time we cannot even pet him because he bites our hands and arms every time we get close to him. I have tried every positive reinforcement method out there, consistently, and it hasn’t gotten better at all.
Now that some time has past, has your puppy been better about biting or her aggression? If so, what did you do to help it?
Barbara says
Remove yourself from the area or remove the dog. DO NOT SAY A WORD! Wait, the length of time as his/her age. Try again..
You may need to do this several times in a row. Consult a vet.
Linda says
I just got a 7 month old male blue heeler, he has been with me 4 days and he looked like he was adjusting well with everyone, than yesterday he rushed the door and my spouse blocked him from running in, spouse went outside to pet him and get him in his kennel and he growled and tried to bite him. Any recommendations on how to handle or help him with adjustment or keep him from biting
Lori says
I was adopted by a stray dog about 2 months ago, she is not my first dog, she is not my first stray, I am 66 year old woman. She is about 7 months old according to the vet (the vet says but she is playing when I show him the wounds). I know nothing about her history but she arrived at my house in the country she might have been with a shepherd or hunter. She was thin but not starved, had several ticks, but no worms. She has short hair and floppy ears, face and ears like a beagle, thin long legged body and is small to medium in stature. I have looked for her owner and left the gate open so she could go home but she has stayed with me. She was untrained but not feral, she is smart and overall trainable: she is now house trained, does sit, give paw, down, etc. the problem is the biting. It is play biting but I regularly get bleeding puncture wounds on my forearms (where my clothes don’t cover) and bruises everywhere else. I never know when a hard bite is coming, she has bitten my face a few times too. I feel like I am being abused by my dog and I shy away from her now because I can’t trust her. I know she is playing: wagging tail and butt in the air, sometimes she bites gently but often bites hard. The first bite often occurs when I am waking up and she is in my bed. She both nips, pinches, and grabs with her whole mouth.
This is what I have tried. Yelping, it worked at first to distract her but only for a few seconds but now it is not at all. She may have moderated her bite a bit but still draws blood. I stopped wearing loose clothing since that seemed to incite her to try to herd me by biting my calves. I have tried standing up and turning my back, she just bites somewhere else. If I hold still she will increase the pressure or start knawing on my hand or arm. I say no forcefully, she knows sit and her name but no means nothing, I have tried saying sit but when she is biting she hears nothing. Saying OUT sort of works when I stand up and point away, she will back up and then relaunch. “Out” comes after “no” didn’t work and she is going to take a time OUT. Out means she is separated or about to be, I put her on the balcony or I go in the bathroom and close the door. I am ashamed to say I lose my temper sometimes and just scream at her to leave me alone, sometimes I cry from pain and frustration. I can’t put my shoes on, type on the computer, doing anything means her biting. I take her out every day for at least an hour and a half, in the country she runs free or at the beach she can also run free. She plays with some dog friends 2-3 times a week. I also walk her on the leash which she is getting better at. Before when we walked or when she was on the leash she wouldn’t bit, she is now starting to bite while we are walking evn on the leash. She will run at me launch herself and grab me on the way by, sometimes she rips my clothes somtimes it is a slash wound on my arm other times it is a grab that punctures my skin. She has every kind of chew toy and other than me she likes chewing plastic: pens, water bottles, clothes pins etc.. She will chew “bones” but not as a substitute for biting. Fetch is 2-4 throws before she ignores the throw and starts biting me. Tug games within a minute have her dropping the toy or biting me through or around it. I got yuck spray and soaked my hands and forearms, no difference. I have tried putting a muzzle on her when she starts biting but as soon as I remove it she starts again. I have tried speaking in a calm and soothing way to get her to calm down also no effect. I have tried holding her muzzle closed but she thinks it is a game, basically unless I lose my temper and really start screaming she thinks it is a game. Sometimes she will calm down and we can be together after a few minutes but often as soon as I end the time out she starts again.
I know this is long but I want to cover all the questions – Other behaviors – she is mostly afraid of other dogs and cats too, it took her a few times to be not afraid of her dog friends. She stays on the outside of play with them biting the butts of the 2 that are playing. She has never really been corrected by either of the 2 adult dogs. She is afraid in the car but is getting used to it, she used to trembles and drool a lot! She seems to be a good hunter, stalking, listening etc. She has learned most times to stop barking or bark softly if I say shush. When I first brought her to town from the country she was terrified, we had to walk early in the morning when there were less cars and people. She is fine now on a noisy busy street but is not afraid or aware that cars are a danger. Unless there is a distraction like a very interesting smell another dog she comes when she is called. I have had to remove everything from her reach, anything on a table or shelf she will pick up.
My plan is to have her spayed and chipped next month, after that I don’t know, something needs to change or I can not keep her. I will not abandon her, I will try to find a home for her, having all the health stuff and chipping done will help in that regard but I have a concern the next person will have the same problem and she will be abused or put out. I would hate to have her put down but I am really at the end of my rope.
Cheryl Dixey says
my dog Duncan who just turned 6 months old I got him at 3 months old is doing the same exact things he usually settles down at night time and lays on the couch with me and usually isn’t too mouthy but this is on and off all day long everything you said he does once in awhile during the day I take the squirtbottle I spray him I put him in timeout and he comes out and he acts fine for a while but it’s some given point he goes right back and thanks this is one big happy biting game I just put my other dog down in July and she was 18 years old she was my perfect princess I’m not giving up on this dog he’s such a love bug sometimes but this biting has got to stop he just turned 6 months old and he’s very smart he said he does Pau he lays down for the most part he walks pretty good on the leash but when he gets in one of his crazy moods and starts the biting he pounces on me bites my eye so bad I want to cry bites my hands my hands are all cut up my arms are bruised I have never hit a dog in my life sometimes I want to poke his eyeballs out but he’s so cute and he’s such a love bug but this biting has got to stop I’m having him fixed at the end of January beginning of February and I’m hoping this makes a little bit of a different otherwise I’m going to get one of those Buzz collars I can’t handle this anymore your story is my whole story he loves of the dogs he loves people he’s so well-mannered except when he starts biting and it’s getting out of hand I hope somebody answers us back and tells us what to do I’ve gotten books I’ve read online and nothing is working I can’t afford some expensive trainer if I could I would have already made the call and set up the training sessions but I cannot afford six $700 plus to get this dog to stop biting I’m not giving up on this dog and I’m not giving him away or going to re-home them this is my dog dunk and I’m keeping him all I need to get rid of this fighting or he’s going to be spending a lot of time in a crate but I’m out every time he bites he goes in for a timeout in the crate for 5 minutes and then he comes back out and he’s fine for a while so I hope somebody answers I please your dog sounds like a great dog just like mine is and I don’t want my dog to end up anywhere else he’ll be put into some dog fighting ring or maybe even abused he’s not going anywhere so I need help just like you need help please someone help us
Brenda says
Hi there. I am a 63 year old woman. I hope I see an answer for your problem because I am going through pretty much the exact same thing. We have an almost 5 month old Havanese puppy. I am so frustrated and my husband and I have had 3 other dogs through their whole life before. The biting doesn’t seem to happen to him. I am going to try some solutions on this page and see if something will help. My husband has started giving her a little slap on the nose with the fly swatter. That seems to help and he says it doesn’t hurt her, but I’m trying to figure out if that is an okay solution.
Anon says
No .. never hit a dog on nose
Barbara Dyer says
Yelp, remove yourself immediately without another word. Walk away. If you go elsewhere in your home and she can’t go there, she may whine, don’t say anything else. They don’t like being ignored. It took me a week of doing this but, Lucy is getting the message.
Linda Martin says
You sound a lot like the trouble I am having with my 4 month old male puppy. I am at my wits end as I have used so many recommendations and none seem to work. He is antisocial even to my grown kids. He is chewing on everything in my house including my carpet regardless of what I try.
Dawn says
I had this same problem with my dog and what worked for us was when she stopped biting we would say yes and give her a treat. She started knowing that stopping got her rewarded. Say no bite and then when she stops, give the reward. It’s takes awhile but was the only thing that worked for us. Lots of videos on YouTube too. Hope this helps
Kim says
Hi, I have a 5 month old French Bulldog that bites at my ankles, feet, and hands. Oftentimes when I play with him with a toy/bone he deliberately tries to bite around the toy to get my hand. His behavior seems to be getting increasingly aggressive no matter the deterrent or punishment (e.g., tap his nose or remove him to his crate). Please advise.
Josh says
We have a 5 month old husky x akita, and she is very bitey. She is always playing with us but it’s getting to much now (the biting not playing) as she’s getting stronger each week and so has her biting, we’ve tried alot of different training but nothing seems to be sticking (a couple weeks of each method) every time we start a biting training session it’s like the 1st time every time. We think praise, treats and toys are just not as good as a nice hand to bite. We exercise her 3 times day outside (15 in morning, 1+ hour in afternoon and 20 before bed) she also has about 1 hour throughout the day inside play. Any suggestions will be great.
laureetta says
Thanks for the tips. My dog bite sometimes.
Kevin Ann says
Hi all. I am dealing with an 18 week old shih tzu/llasa/poodle mix. She is less than 8 lbs right now. She is a real biter and can go from being a sweet licking puppy to a crazy, biting terrorist. I have had holes and bruises on both arms and hands. This is what has worked so far.
1. Tons of exercise. Someone on this website said they walk their puppy two times a day for 30 minutes. That is no where near long enough IMO. I walk this puppy four times a day, each for 30 minutes and have another 4 times a day for 30 minutes of play inside. That is why getting a puppy is so time intensive. Adult dogs might be ok with two times a day but NOT puppies.
2. I am now using bitter apple on my hands and arms. That has helped a lot, once she got the fact that I now taste bad.
3. And last. I started with 5 toys. NOT NEAR ENOUGH! She now has twenty and does not get bored anymore. Have also go those non-rawhide protein bones that she loves. If she is completely getting out of control I give her a time out for 3 minutes in her crate and give her one, once a day. It completely distracts her for 20-40 minutes and when she is done she is much more calm.
Thanks.
TC Ab says
I agree with you 100%! I have a black mouth cur/pit bull/bloodhound mix pup that had to leave mom too young at 6 weeks. She was wildly biting everything but is now 13 weeks and since we have been doing EVERYTHING you and Pippa recommend, it is getting better, very slowly! Everyone who is posting these concerns needs to carefully read the article AGAIN and give their dogs more exercise and BE patient & consistent. There is no instant solution. It takes a LOT of time & effort to have a well behaved & trained dog. Also a group puppy training class doesn’t cost a lot and will make a big difference!
Staci Ellen Nicholls says
Hello i have a 6 month old cross breed, he’s biting none stop keeps digging the garden up, ripped the wallpaper I’ve tried giving toys, walking away but nothing seems to be working could you advise me on anything please Thanks.
Staci x
Dawn M Cahoe says
Your pup is like mine i think hes a red heeler mix . I take mine to the park sometimes twice a day he is a better dog out in the open he is fast, loves frisbee, and its okay if he digs in the sandbox in the park. My dog dose better off leash and and runs around but never too far away. I also have invested quite a bit in dog bones he loves the buffalo real bones not blue buffalo but i give him any kind not made in China it seems to calm him chewing a bone but sometimes after play he gets Crazy i put him in a dog crate till he calms down – thinkin about some kind of training class too
J says
Read everything and work harder…dogs are hard work before they are great companions. If you do not exercise them and train them, and be disciplined about it You will have a hard time. You will never have a dog that is more disciplined than you are. Be prepared to deal with new behavioral issues that may crop up along the years. What kind of dog you create right now is the dog you will have for 18 years if you are lucky. Don’t chose the lazy route, ever. It is your job to investigate everything, and if that is not working for you, then pay a behavior specialist to help you…but even then its still up to you to do the work…your dog will reflect your efforts.
Vishal says
Hi, I just recently got a 4 month old Goldendoodle puppy and she is normally well behaved on walks, but randomly she will start jumping around and attacking me and my family by jumping on our torsos and grabbing our shirts in her teeth, she’ll grab onto them and treat them like a tug toy, we turn our backs and go still and she switches to the back of our shirts and won’t let go. I’m not sure how to get her to release and stop being so aggressive.
Lydia says
Have you had any luck dealing with this? Our 8 month labradoodle does exactly the same and I’ve had no luck stopping it. I’m just having to stand on his lead and redirect his attention as much as possible, but its a real problem now he’s huge.
Jane says
I’m having the same problem with my 5 month old husky x Pomeranian. We’ll be on a walk and all of a sudden he’ll jump at the lead, my hands and my torso. I’ll get him into a sit and wait before starting to walk again but some times the behavior continues. I’ve noticed it happening more when I’m taking him away from places he likes (usually cause he’s started mouthing someone patting him) or on the way back home.
Trish says
I ask my doodle to sit, followed by a reward when she becomes overexcited and jumps. Sitting is a command she knows well and responds to well.
norma giffin says
I have a 12 week old golden doodle and do the same and it helps. Hoping doggie day care will ease the play-biting which is excessive…
Sarah Davies says
Our 5 month old working cocker spaniel expresses almost everything by biting – cross about having his paws towelled off when coming in from the garden? BITE. Teeth hurting after chewing on something for too long? BITE. Wants you to go in the garden with him so he can poop? BITE. Hungry and wants to have his dinner rather than play a game or practice training? BITE. Usually it’s my hands/arms that he’s biting but he’s getting his adult teeth now and is doing some serious damage to my skin and clothes plus I’m worried about leaving him with anyone else in case he does the same to them. We’ve installed a baby gate that I put him behind immediately when it starts but we tend to need 3-4 repetitions of this before he settles and will focus on chewing or playing. If I’m somewhere where I can’t get to a barrier I ignore him but he gets worse and worse biting my feet or ankles until I can’t bear the pain any more and then I have to throw a toy or treat to distract him and then he’s fine. I think it’s a combination of teething and frustration but I work at home and need to be able to get along with him! He’s great with training, very clever and very affectionate (when he’s not biting) so I hope in a week or two once his teeth are all in this will pass!
Bev says
Did this get any better. I have working cocker 10 month now and still doing exactly same. Have tried all techniques ignoring behaviors moving away turning back on him and leaving room. None seem to work. Despairing now and regretting getting him.
KATHY BARGER says
HI MY NAME IS KATHY I HAVE A 2 1/2 MONTHS P;D GREAT PYRENEES JE IS DOING GEA WITH THE POTTY TRAINING HE HAS ALREADY RANG THE BELL ON THE DOOR TWICE AND WAS WAITING BY THE DOOR WHEN I CAME DOWN TO LET HIM OUT. BUT HE NOW IS AGRESSIVLE BITING AT US AMD WE HAVE NOT BEEN PLAYING WITH IM ROUGHLY EITHER
SO I NEED HELP I HAVE PUT MY HAND FLAT AGAINST HIS MOUTH AND TELL HIM NO NO BITE BUT COMES RIGHT BACK AND DOES IT ALLOVER AGAIN AND IF I WALK AWAY HE NIPPS AT MY LEG AND SOMETIME HE BITES ME. ANY OTHER ADVISE I AM ALL EAS
Kinda turner says
Please helpplease help. Dog wasn’t aggressive when he didn’t get his way or do something he doesn’t want to if I try to comb my Maltese he aggressively tried to bite an growl like a pit bull. He just got this way about a month ago. 7 months old. Getting him neutered in three weeks. HELP
Paulinr says
I have a 2 month old german shepherd/ boxer mix and i play with him but all he does is bite, i bought him toys but he doesnt use em. I walk away but he sees it as a chase so he’ll go run behind me and bite me, i tell him to stop but he doesnt understand
Kathy says
I rescued a Pom mix and they told me he was a stray and about 7 years old. First I don’t know how they can give an age if he was a stray. He acts like a puppy with so much energy. He wants to bite or chew on our hands. He only wants to play tug of war but goes after your hand if you let go of the toy. I have tried teaching him to fetch instead but he hasn’t caught on yet. Will the same strategies work if he is indeed an adult dog?
tracy says
i have adopted a 120 lb. 2 year old lab that if you don’t play with her when she wants, then she starts nibbling with front teeth only on your legs, belly, hands whatever is closest. Don’t think she had much home training – how do i correct that behavior because it hurts?! thanks, tracy
Sharon says
I have a 7 month Bernese/Golden retriever cross and the biting is Insane! Until last week, our puppy bit constantly! I have had all sorts of advice and nothing worked. Our vet suggested it may be a dominance issue and to hold him down. A professional trainer told us to give him time outs by tieing him on a leash to a door knob but this makes him more aggressive and he chews the door frame. Another professional trainer told us to shove our arms in his mouth because dogs don’t like this. We were covered in bruises!! We tried treats to stop, substituted his many toys for our hands and arms, put him in his crate, tried a muzzle, shock collar….This week I bought him a Kong which he has become obsessed with. He figured out how to get the specially made Kong treat out in less than 2 minutes but will chew it even without a treat inside. This has provided some relief but outside has gotten much worse. We were taking him on two walks a day — about 20 to 30 minutes each. He now jumps on us and bites us uncontrollably when we take him for walks. Same reaction when we try to play fetch with him in the yard or take him to off leash areas. He has been to obedience classes and will sit, stay, down and come when we are working with him. Come command less consistent outdoors but not bad. Any suggestions to stop the on-leash and outdoors attacks and biting?
Alyson says
Had your dog gotten any better? Your puppy sounds exactly like mine. What worked?
Rylinn says
We have a rescue 7 month old red heeler/pit mix. She is a really good dog most of the time. As of lately she has been tiring things to pieces. First my pot holders, my son’s toys left out, etc. Now she tore huge holes in my son’s mattress, in the couch, and the carpet. We do live in an apartment so I am sure she is not getting enough activity. She seems to be doing this more at night. We crate her when we leave but not if we are home. There is someone with her all day and evenings except when we go to church or the store etc. I am really not sure how to help her. She is our first big dog. The apartment require that they have a leash anytime we are outside. Help please.
Kris says
Your dog sounds like she’s got too much energy and is bored. Pits and healers are high energy puppies. They are also two very smart breeds. A couple of 30 minute walks aren’t going to be enough for her. Take her to a dog park daily where she can run off leash, hiking, swimming. Get a dog walker if you have to. A tired dog means a happy owner.
lee says
try flirting pole with your dog, in a very short time, when will be very tired.
Rebecca Francis says
We have a four month old Welsh Springer Spaniel who jumps up at us and bites at us on walks both on and off lead in a very agitated manner. However he doesn’t do this in the house and is generally very well behaved whilst in the house. We’d be very grateful for any advice as walking and therefore getting exercise for the puppy is becoming difficult. We’ve tried trying to distract him with toys but it doesn’t really help. Many thanks.
Julie thomas says
I’m waiting for a reply…thankyou
Julie thomas says
I have a spoodle 4 months old and is biting really badly.thinks he is playing is it advisable to put him in time out?
Penny says
My 6 month old toy poodle bites constantly but is always waging her tail and is not upset when doing so…. how can I stop this unwanted behavior
Nicky says
I’m a little confused about the crate. I understood the crate should NEVER be used as punishment?
I have a 11 week old Bichon Frise who constantly bites my legs and feet. I am literally walking while he is firmley biting down on me and growling. I have tried the ouch approach, tried giving him toys instead, tried leaving him and walking out of the room but he continues to do it. If he doesn’t do it I praise him. I’ve tried ignoring him, standing still etc but the bite really hurts! He also goes and chews things. I have tried to puppy proof as much as I can but he will bite furniture etc. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I’m worried I’ve tried too many things but if they don’t work then I need to try something else. I am at home with him all day and we have play times where I play with him with his toys, playing fetch etc. I’m at a loss of what to do?
Lynn says
My daughter rescued a 2 month old puppy, part lab, part hound and maybe a little retriever. Beautiful puppy who is now 6 months old. Appears very hard headed or else we have no clue as to what we are doing. She has started digging. We start by telling her no, not effective, when we try pulling gently on her collar to get her to stop, she growls and acts like she is going to bite. When someone comes over she goes crazy, jumping on them etc., we end up taking her outside. She is strong and about 50 pounds. We love her but what are we doing wrong or not doing?
Stephanie says
We have a very similar story as you with our 5 month old English Mastiff puppy. I would be very interested in any advice too.
Dianne says
I have a toy size and a large breed that play together very well. However, I am afraid the toy size will be injured by the large size. Both are four months old. Should I be concerned or will they be fine? As of now, I do separate the twos playing if I feel the larger one is getting too rough. The toy size is a terrier and seems to enjoy the roughness.
joanne steele says
i see this post is a two years old from 2017 and wonder how it turned out with her two dogs. My son has 47 lb terrier mix and we have 6 pound maltese pom mix. we are afraid to let them be together although they do well through fence we put up for the visits. I’d like to take the fence tell but will regret if they did play too rough. What would you do? let them be together of course under watched supervision or keep separate till small puppy dog is little older?
Mary says
Patience and consistency are a huge factor.
Joy says
My 8wk old puppy is being too aggressive and biting me.I have tried removing my hand but that hasn’t worked also someone told me to flick or tap her nose is this advisable please.
Pippa says
No Joy, don’t tap your puppy’s nose, it won’t help. The biting isn’t aggression, it’s normal puppy behavior. Follow the instructions in the guide and do join the forum so that others that have been through this can advise and support you because the results are not instant. It takes time for puppies to pass through this stage and talking to others is really helpful.
Genesis says
Persistence and patience! Treats and with proper training your dog will behave better with time. Ignoring them or isolating yourself from the puppy has worked well for me. Make sure to have plenty of toys everywhere puppies get bored easily and have a lot of energy. Also save special treats for training, my puppy loves Puppy Wellness soft bites or he goes crazy over just boiled chicken. Getting a treat they love helps getting their attention and maintaining it. And of course lots and lots of praise because every dog is a good dog.
Barbara says
I have had a small rescue puppy who is about 7 months old for 3 weeks. I also look after my sons puppy- 10 months old- 4 days a week. They love being together but my puppy is biting the other too hard when they play. As a result they are both getting a bit wild and over- excited. Should I separate them if play gets too rough and give them time out?
Pippa says
Definitely – a break is often a good idea if puppies are getting themselves too wound up, or if one puppy is bigger and stronger than the other, or if one puppy is finding the game too much. 🙂
Charlene says
My lab is about 8 months old. We only got him when he was around 4 months old. When we are walkin with the kids he keeps jumping and biting. Then I get upset n carry the kids into the house and whem I need to go back outside he jumps again and bites but in a playful manner. He even bites my hair. I donno what to do or how else to teach him that he shoudnt do that. I do sometimeshave a rolled up newspaper to scare him. Pls HELP
Pippa says
Hi Charlene, join my forum so we can help and support you http://thelabradorforum.com
Kim says
Hi… is the forum only for Labs? I have a 4 month old Shih Tzu that is trying to drain me of all my blood… I’ve had to stop taking my daily asprin. TIA
Lucy says
Hi Kim, There are lots of members with other breeds, any dog is warmly welcomed. We look forward to seeing you over there!