This is one area where I often find there is room for improvement. Even dedicated puppy owners who are trying to do everything right may not be providing enough variety to keep their pups busy. Dogs have their own preferences about what they enjoy, just like people — so it may take some trial and error to find what works for your pup.
And then redirect some more! In all seriousness, it can sometimes feel like this is a full-time job with a puppy in the house. No teasing her with your hands or fingers, or using your shirt sleeve for an impromptu game of tug — it might seem cute for a moment or two, but obviously, this is not a habit we want to teach!
What kind of toy, you ask? Well, that depends entirely on what your puppy enjoys. I would suggest having lots of different types on hand — long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush squeaky toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing or fetching. Practice different ways of tossing her toys, or wiggling them enticingly along the floor until you learn what makes her light up with excitement.
What about petting? The list goes on. I know that these suggestions are well-intentioned. But none of them are necessary, and all have the potential to do lasting harm. The problem with punishment in this situation is twofold. First, it does nothing to help your puppy understand what she should do with her mouth.
Remember that this drive to bite and chew on things is deeply hard-wired in young puppies — she was born with an instinctive need to put her mouth on something, all the time. So instead of correcting her for this perfectly normal impulse, just redirect her to something more appropriate. You will need to look at her teeth, give her medication, and even remove things from her mouth on occasion if she grabs a chicken bone from the garbage.
Although it might feel like forever, most puppies are biting and mouthing much less by the time they are months old, and fully grown adult dogs older than years virtually never use their mouths the way that puppies do.
Like everything else, there is some individual variation — so your particular puppy might grow out of this phase a bit earlier, or a bit later, than average. I would try finding some toys that are easy for your pup to chew on — they make great teething toys for even tiny dogs!
I would recommend not allowing any biting of your hands, so that your pup doesn't get any mixed messages. I appreciate this, but honestly it doesn't feel realistic to enact. My chihuahua puppy is biting us most of the time, for play, and we try to redirect onto toys, but it is not possible to be getting up and leaving where I'm sitting for my whole day.
I'm barely able to get work done as it is with how much separation anxiety she has, how poorly her training is going with trying to stay calm around the cats, and how over excited she gets. My only "go away" is to pick her up and put her into her pen on a time out, but then when I come back she is play biting me as I reach to pick her up, and then if I disengage she begins whining and leaping at the bars of her pen.
We're working with a professional trainer who knows Chihuahuas, but most the advice we're getting seems really hard to put into practice when your puppy is basically constantly play biting, and gets SO over stimulated so quickly, and then has massive crying, yelling whining when we put her back into the pen.
As I said it's not realistic to be leaving the room, entering the room all day long, because that would literally be my entire day, and also because we can't give her access to a whole room because she chases the cats like mad.
We're working on all of it, but it doesn't quite seem to be working. It's a miracle that she's mostly potty trained now, and that's just staying IN her pen, nevermind running around the house! Is this normal? Is there a particular order to prioritize these things in?
She eats plenty, she always has water, she's got tons of toys, I play with her, give her lots of attention, and also am doing everything I've been guided to to help with all these issues, including lots of passive calming methods. I completely understand your frustration, Rose! The first year of a dog's life is full of so many challenges.
I recommend really looking at the reaction your pup is getting for biting — what might be considered a punishment to us could be considered fun for them. I stumbled across your site and the content is amazing! I have a few questions I am hoping someone can answer. Our golden retriever pup is 8 weeks today. We got him at 7 weeks. I wanted to know if the below things are normal and if so, what I can do to help them.
We are crate training at night and when we leave the house during the day no more than 1 hour some days. When he gets out of his crate in the morning he is a tornado. Biting everyone, everything, humping the little kids. Actually comes out of the crate and first thing he does is latch onto my arm. This behavior continues until his morning nap. Is this behavior normal for a crated dog? He bites my youngest 2 kids 5 and 8 the most. He bites them hard at times and has left marks but no blood.
We have been removing them from the kitchen where we keep him, but even if they come back, he normally does the same. Biting their pant legs as they walk, etc. What else can we do? It is worse in the morning or after he has been playing outside and is all wound up.
The week we have had him, my kids and the neighbor kids all played chase with him. They chased him and he chases them. Outside mostly. We are not doing it moving forward but will that be enough? I appreciate any input and guidance!!
To answer your questions: 1. Yes, this is normal, but not something I'd like to see get reinforced by accident. Try completely changing up your routine when you get him out of the crate. Put him immediately on a leash and do not allow him access to your arms, hands, etc. Have a chew toy available for him to play with immediately. Totally normal for the kids to get the brunt of the biting unfortunately!
Typically they are the smallest, fastest, and make the highest pitched noises; all things that can fire up a bitey puppy! Is he, by chance, from field line breeding? Usually leaner, darker in color, but not always. Working line Goldens are going to have a much higher drive and will take longer to reduce the biting, generally.
This game is absolutely fine, as long as the game stops if any puppy teeth make contact with skin. Chasing is fine as long as it doesn't end in someone getting covered in puppy bites!
He is darker in color but not leaner really? The dad was a red golden and I just assumed he would have his color. Is it worth it to ask the breeder? Yes, a reddish coat color would indicate field lines. Which is absolutely not a bad thing! Just helpful insight as to what might motivate his natural drives.
I so appreciate your recommendations in this article! Not only has it reduced puppy biting, it has also helped me to have a more calm energy. I enjoy my puppy so much more now. Your approach has also helped me to have a more calm energy with my puppy and I enjoy him so much more now. I started doing this about 20 minutes ago when she was biting me and jumping on me from excitement, after only 10 minutes she was all feet on the floor no biting letting me pet her and scratch her with NO biting or jumping!!!!!
I have an 11 week German Shepard, he more often than not bites and is breaking skin, whether in play or going from calm to biting. He shows no aggression in any other aspect. When fed, he lets me hand feed him, pet him, play with his food we have a 6-year-old daughter. Upon meeting new people, he does not bite them thankfully , he is nearly a completely different dog around other people, very well behaved.
He is even potty trained…. It is just the issue of constant biting that breaks the skin that is our worry and issue. I feel lost as he does not seem to be letting up on this habit, what can I do? Every German Shepard owner I know says it is very normal and that he will get over it, but my past puppies never even nipped me, he is the first pup I have had that just aggressively bites and rips pants and shirts in the process.
I can assure you that at 11 weeks, this behavior is normal! If your pup comes from a working line, this behavior is even more likely. It is not an indicator of future aggression — just a very normal part of their development. I have a 9 week old belgian malinois, GSD, and lab mix. She tends to nip pretty hard during play. I got her from an abuse situation at 2 weeks with her sister, who just got adopted last week. She gets told off by my older dog and will stop nipping at her. However, we live in an apartment so the main area is our play room.
I don't know how to leave her area because where she sleeps, eats, and pees is in the bathroom but it's a smaller room. I have a baby gate up to keep her in at night. Should I put her back in the bathroom when she nips? The goal is to do whatever you need to do to minimize your reaction, and any attention she gets for biting. If you do put her away, it needs to be done very non-dramatically which can be hard!
If we walk away from the dog's area, she barks, which makes 2 out of 3 of my daughters cry! She seems to be biting the worst with my 10 year old, who begged for a dog and she is so frustrated. Is the answer to just ignore the barking and jumping? Yes, the barking is just frustration of not being able to get that attention from the biting. Make sure she has access to lots of fun toys — what we want to start seeing is that she chooses to go grab a toy when she gets excited vs.
It will get better soon — hang in there! Hello, we have a male cocker spaniel puppy who is 9 weeks old, his biting is becoming unmanageable, we have tried all the methods I've read about from ignoring, yelping like a dog and going limp even a small spray of water to the face whilst biting and nothing works, he sometimes gets aggressive and growly but other times he just bites.
We are completely out of ideas. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!! Be sure to follow the techniques in this blog closely, and you can check this one out for additional recommendations! At 9 weeks, your pup is still extremely young and this is a very normal part of development. He was biting our hands and feet all the time initially but that has lessened considerably already. We tried to re-direct as per the advice here.
He is normally, very loving and sweet, but of course non-stop busy. He has been lifting up a large corner of my area carpet right off the floor and biting on it as well as the covering that goes over the hardwood. Today, I picked him up to stop him from doing that and he tried to bite me.
Is this something to be concerned about? What is the proper way to handle it? It is relatively normal for puppies to have a bit of tantrum when being taken away from something they were doing that wasn't appropriate. I work at an animal sanctuary with lots of puppies, and I much admire the work and thought put into this article.
I have found that biting at a young age is because they are teething, and it is perfectly fine to allow them to bite you, as long as it is not hurting. When a puppy bites too hard, let out a high pitch whimper and pull your hand away, just as they do when in pain.
After only 5 or 6 responses, they will be much more hesitant to bite you at all. If they are being fed and played with enough, this habit will cease as they grow up. Another strategy for larger, older pups that are no longer teething, is as soon and they start biting, leave and give them a toy.
Keep in mind they might be hungry, or in need of exercise. Try to get to the root of the destructive behavior. Use the leash to your advantage, and hold your arm out stiffly to the side to prevent your pup from being able to access you until he calms down. For this behavior, it's "no audience, no show"!
Try to avoid talking to him or making a fuss over his behavior; it typically just ends up making it all more fun for them. My puppy bites really hard. I know that he thinks that it's play but, once he bites he tends not to let go and it leaves marks on my arm. I can't get him outside to exercise because of the pandemic but also because he's afraid of going outside, neither toys nor treats work for him, so I try to play with him to tire him out. I followed the advice and leave the room when he bites but then he starts whining and barking, what should I do?
Hi Maria! How old is your puppy currently, and what's the breed or breed mix? It does sound like there may be some pent-up energy and frustration from not being able to play outside.
Is there anywhere you can safely walk him, or any sort of fenced area you have access to? My almost week-old Lab mix is biting a lot. She physically can't get out of his space quickly.
Any recommendations? You'll want to put some management options in place for her. If you or another family member isn't around, have your pup in a baby-gated area or a play pen. If you are around, have a leash on your puppy so you can remove him as soon as he starts.
It's important for him to learn that biting will not re-engage any sort of play or attention. The good news is, everything you're describing is normal and will get better!
Has this advice worked for anyone at all or is this just some random "do this, get that on Internet? I have tried this for the past 3 weeks with a puppy that is now almost 11 wks old and there has been zero improvement. He continues to bite and nip at us, even after being fed on time and played with for almost 2 hrs every day.
When me, my spouse or kids get the bite, we all have walked away — but he just continues to follow us and does not let go. If I am the umpteenth person commenting that this doesn't help I wish I read the other comments earlier , can someone please tell me of this has ever worked or all of us are just bearing the pain of our puppies teeth in false hope?? Hi Kai! It's entirely normal for a puppy to still be play biting until they reach months of age — at 11 weeks, you are entering the heart of teething, and we often see a regression in the behavior, even if you're doing things right.
Even though yours is not in adolescence, he may find you removing yourself to be a fun game of chase. In these cases, we recommend blocking those advances with the side of your leg, essentially interrupting the behavior as it happens, and stopping them from continuing to nip at you, without it being too intense of a reaction and without giving them the pleasure of you talking to them or pushing them with your hands.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach us at info peachonaleash. When I do the loud squeal sound to let him know it hurts he just tries to attack and bite more. We tried the muzzle once and he went crazy he refuses to let us put it back on him. Hi Shawn! I'm so sorry you're going through this.
The muzzle will likely just add frustration in your case; I would recommend discontinuing it for now. Please feel free to let me know where you're located, and I can provide a referral for a trainer your area.
I have a 4 month old gsd pup He gets way too excited after seeing a person whom he hasn't seen in hours and goes straight to biting hands. And even toes. He's not being aggressive but it hurts wayy too much to just ignore and walk away. Because he continues to follow and bite. How do I stop it? Pleasee help me its getting out of control.
Most importantly, manage the behavior by leashing him when you first come home so that he is not able to practice the behavior.
Have a special toy ready that he only gets when people first come home, and allow him to take out his excitement on the toy. The whining is likely just due to excitement, and not having the developmental maturity to know what to do with that excitement. Hi, this is really interesting. In my case, my 14 week old pup collie cross with lurcher , bites aggressively my ankles and legs and growls at me when we are coming back from his walks.
I'm still potty training him, so we go outside a LOT we also live in an apartment, so he generally does this when we are going upstairs. I can't physically get out of the situation, since we are walking back to the house. I've tried to stop walking until he stops biting me, but it's not working, and he bites really hard my legs are all bruised and I have drew blood a few times.
It is also a different bite that when he "play bites" and it seems to be quite aggressive. We are starting puppy lessons in a week, but i was wondering if I could do something to prevent this? Did you resolve the issue with your pup? My pup is about the same age and does this on our way home. It's not too painful but it she does sometimes break skin and it's annoying! Hoping she'll get bored of doing it. I also tried the stand-still technique but sometimes she does it in the middle of the street!
I have a mini golden doodle first-generation puppy named Atticus. He's currently 10 months old, an absolute sweetheart, and is so friendly and gentle to others at home. However, I've seen frequent bad behavior. Whenever something doesn't go the way he wants, he ends up jumping and biting my arm or the leash aggressively. We've been told that his mouthing phase should have ended months ago so I don't know what's wrong. Strangely, whenever my mom walks him, he is usually good with her.
But whenever I walk Atticus, it appears he doesn't want to listen to a year-old. It's very aggravating and painful. No matter how many treats I get to redirect his attention or try to get him to stop, he just won't listen. Today he ripped the skin on my arm no blood , gave me an instant bruise, and scratched my whole leg. We've tried a trainer, but the lessons he learned seem as they are not working.
I fear that his behavior will get worse and it will be more impossible to walk him because he is a very manipulative puppy. Please help. I'm so sorry you're experiencing these issues! Some dogs do go through a terrible secondary mouthing phase. She is extremely mouthy and even tries to pull my back to her bed.
The main problem though is the nipping of our 6 month old daughter who isn't even sitting up on her own yet, little lone crawling or walking. Today she put a hole in the pajamas she's wearing. She is nipping even when the baby is being held by us. How can we stop this asap? Hi Katie! Although this behavior is normal for your pup's age, because you have a little one at home I would recommend getting a qualified trainer to your home to help you address this.
If you can let me know where you're located, I will provide a referral for you! Hello, I have an 8. H Nisha! Check out this blog with more specific ideas to help with this particular level of play biting — adolescence can be an extremely difficult age, especially with a Shepherd. But hang in there! I have a 6 month old GSD that is constantly biting my son and I. He was very mouthy as a young puppy and we tried the usual, redirecting with a toy, removing ourself from the area, keeping a leash on him to hold him away.
Unfortunately he gets even more reactive on the leash if you try to use that to hold him away from you. We have learned that pushing him away just makes him more intent on coming back harder so we stopped that.
He is getting big, 61 lbs and has his adult teeth. He will just flip out and start jumping and biting my arm. I have bruises from his bites. He doesn't break the skin but he puts a lot of pressure in that bite. He is growling and even though I feel it is not an aggression issue I am starting to get worried. He even attacks our legs and ankles if we wear clothes has never seen before ie: going from shorts to jeans or from jeans to leggings or now that it is getting cold if I wear a coat or a hoodie, who knew he would notice things like this.
He is resource aggressive at all. I can take toys or his bully stick from him. I usually offer a trade of some kibble or chicken when I am taking something of value from him. My other two GSDs were never like this. They have sadly passed away and I am so nervous with this one around my teenage granddaughters- he never settles down unless he is in his crate or in the kitchen behind the gate, I feel he is very anxious.
A bully stick will keep him occupied where he won't bite my son or I when we have with us at night in the family room but I want him to be able to be in the family room with us and be part of our family all the time not just when he is having a bully stick.
We play with him outside, take. I work full time at home right but will be going back to my office in January. He is very reactive to the leash and will start going after my arms if I try to put it on him. I usually have to distract him with food.
Any help would be so greatly appreciated. I know he is a herding breed and I have ordered a flirt pole and a tug toy but his freaking out and "attacking" me is getting me worried, he is going to be a big boy when fully developed.
He is not aggressive to other people in fact he loves people he just jumps too much on them. Hi Nancy! I do feel that you could benefit from professional intervention here, as it sounds like you have a very strong pup who is highly motivated by biting. Is he from working lines?
A great trainer can help you find outlets for those natural drives and get a handle on the biting. We can help you virtually, or if you can email us your location, I can find you a local referral that could come to you in-person. Your email address will not be published. We do the in-house training and it has been and wonderful experience so far. They have amazing training techniques, all are working very well. We had a puppy who could not go potty outside and now she is, and is learning new commands every training visit.
Amelia Cosmas is our trainer and she is superb, she makes you feel very comfortable and has lots of great information not just with training but with other things like socializing, enrichment and day to day puppy and dog care. We would recommend Peach on a Leash to anyone looking for a positive training expierience that helps you bond with your new puppy or dog and also most important wonderful trainers that you look forward to seeing and working with.
We could not be more impressed. When we picked Mazey up she did a demonstration of all Mazey had learned and we were blown away! She gave us a printout plan and checklist of how we can continue working with Mazey at home.
Highly recommend this amazing company! We cannot say enough great things about Peach on A Leash! We adopted our golden doodle at 9 months old and quickly discovered a few concerning behaviors. We were recommended Peach on A Leash and set up and in-home training session with Hallie the next week. She immediately put us to ease with her knowledge and training. We went though 5 weeks of training sessions, but what we received was so much more than that!
Hallie was always available by call or text and taught us all of the correct training techniques to address our dog's unique needs. We have loved being part of this community and have a happy, loving pup now because of it! I would highly recommend Peach on a Leash and Jackie Audette! I felt so comfortable having my Springer Spaniel at Jackie's house, and she kept me very involved with updates and progress reports. Usually an in home training program would make me uneasy, but the process from start to finish was very comfortable and Jackie was reassuring to me as a somewhat helicopter dog mom.
As for the training, my dog came back with impeccable manners and her demeanor was very respectful. She is an erudite trainer, dedicated, caring and implements positive behavioral techniques that our sweet Fisher responds to almost immediately. She communicates clearly and efficiently during our sessions and follows up with a written recap and plan of action. Would recommend her in a heartbeat! I cannot say enough about our experience with Julia. Our dog shows more obedience and trust with me after our five sessions with her.
She is knowledgeable, confident and fun! I feel better equipped to be the best doggie mom I can be because of her. A million thanks!
Enter your info below to get our free guide. Avoid toys that they might shred and ingest, and don't give them bones or chews that are too hard and might crack their teeth. Check out this list of trainer-recommended products for nipping puppies for more safe toys and chew ideas. When choosing the best toys for your puppy, it's helpful to consider their "chewsonality. Excess puppy energy often means an increase in nipping or other unwanted puppy behaviors.
While they are still young, physical exercise should be moderated. You can pair short sessions of physical activity with lots of mental exercise throughout the day! Enrichment is all about providing appropriate outlets for natural dog instincts and behaviors. These two cues are crucial when working with a nipping puppy that wants to put everything in their mouth. Playing tug is a great game to practice Drop It with your puppy. Watch puppy Finnegan practice drop it while playing tug during his nippy puppy phase in this video:.
When teaching these cues, one of the biggest mistakes we humans make is mixing up the meaning between the two. This can be very confusing for a dog learning what it is exactly that we're asking for.
Because the majority of puppy nipping is based in play or due to lack of bite inhibition, adding an aversive punishment when it happens can have unintended consequences. As mentioned above, instead you can use "negative punishment" to take away something your puppy wants and likes to decrease the unwanted behavior. This type of behavior "positive punishment" can damage the trust and sense of safety they have in you. Raising a puppy is hard work and many new puppy owners experience what's called the "puppy blues," where they feel exhausted, anxious, and depressed.
Puppy nipping and biting is often the main trigger of an outburst of anger from us humans — getting nipped hurts! It can be hard to not want to yell at our puppies, but it's worth it for your relationship to try and stay cool, calm, and collected at the moment. If you're feeling overwhelmed with your puppy's behavior, reach out to us or your dog trainer for support.
We're here to help. This can be hard, but try to keep your movements especially your hands slow and smooth. Fast or jerky movement can entice more play nipping and lunging.
Running children can be a big enticement for puppies to play and nip as they chase heels. If your children are running around and playing, keep your puppy separate or have them on a leash under your control. This makes it easier to reward calm behaviors around excited kids. Loose clothing, such as long skirts, wide-legged pants, or loose sweatshirt sleeves can also entice nipping.
For some reason, this response to puppy nipping has been making the rounds on social forums, and you should completely avoid this. Second, as with other aversives , it can have unintended consequences of increased nipping or unwanted aggressive responses.
You don't want your puppy viewing you as threatening or something to be scared of. That's not setting you up for a trusting and healthy relationship. There are better ways to handle puppy nipping. A snappy puppy may be worrisome, especially when paired with growling and barking. In most cases, nipping, growling, lunging, and barking are all part of your puppy's play behavior.
It is rare for young puppies to be exhibiting truly aggressive behavior. If you are worried that your puppy is acting aggressively, I recommend consulting with a certified dog trainer or canine behavior consultant who can work with you one-on-one. They will observe your puppy's body language, watch for any environmental triggers for possible aggressive behavior, and help you develop a training plan.
If the result of the consultant's report is that your puppy isn't aggressive then that's a bonus, and you'll get some good training tips for curbing the unwanted nipping behavior.
However, if the consultant believes that your puppy is displaying aggressive behaviors, then you'll be catching it early and can start a behavior and training program so it doesn't become a lifelong issue. If your puppy is lunging or biting when you reach for a toy, their food, or another type of resource such as where they are resting on the couch or in a dog bed , this might be a sign of resource guarding. If you believe your puppy is resource guarding, please connect with a certified dog trainer or behavior consultant who can help you through a behavior modification plan.
Don't play with your puppy's food while they are eating, or grab at a chew while they are enjoying it. Think how annoying it is when another person reaches over to your plate and plays with or takes your food. Continue doing this for the next two to four weeks until your puppy has stopped chewing your belongings. This is particularly true for herding breeds. To teach your puppy to stop nipping at your heels, keep a favorite toy in your pocket.
When she bites at your heels, immediately stop moving and wave the toy around to distract her until she latches onto it. Another method is to stop moving when she bites, and then, when she releases on her own, offer her the toy or a treat.
Always praise your puppy when she releases from nipping at your heel. The idea is to teach your dog that good things happen when bad behavior stops. Puppy nipping and biting are natural behaviors for puppies but unwanted in adult dogs. Taking these few simple steps now will help prevent that bad behavior down the line and allow you to have a stress-free lifelong relationship when that little bundle of fur grows up.
Looking for another method for how to keep a puppy from biting? How to Get a Puppy to Stop Biting. July 28, Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest. Prev Previous Puppy Feeding Guidelines. More From Cesar's Way Videos. Recommended Videos. Related Posts. June 18,
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