Aggressive biting puppy

All puppies bite, it's one of the ways they explore their environment and they are used to chewing on their litter mates. They also need to chew to help their adult teeth come through so always make sure they have suitable safe toys to chew on such as Gumabones.

Puppies bite for two main reasons, the first is a playful bite the puppy is just having some fun. The second could be due to aggression and needs to be dealt with.

You need to let your puppy know that biting you hurts! Whenever he bites you say "no" in a loud firm voice. This is the same way his mother or litter mates would deal with him. Then carefully remove your hand from his mouth and give him a toy to chew on instead. If your puppy bites you again say "no" withdraw your hand and then ignore your puppy completely for 10 minutes. Your puppy will soon realise that biting causes him to lose his playmates for a while.

If that doesn't do the trick try spraying "bitter apples" which is a disgustingly bitter liquid on your hands This works very well on most puppy's and they rarely want to try it more than a couple of times.

If you suspect your puppy is biting you out of aggression and shows aggressive behaviour such as snarling, lifting his lips off his teeth, snapping and has aggressive body language. I suggest you seek professional help from a dog trainer. Aggressive behaviour in a dog rarely goes away by itself and if it manifests itself in a young puppy what is the adult dog going to be like? Don't panic though! If you have bought your puppy from a reputable breeder and it's parents had a nice temperament you probably have just allowed your puppy to develop some bad habits. Contact the breeder who supplied the puppy and ask their advice.

Take your puppy to training classes as soon as your can. If your puppy is developing a discipline problem good puppy training can help. Remember you are the pack leader and should be in control at all times. If you are not in control trust me your young puppy or dog soon will be. Then your dog will dictate to you what you can do. It may growl when you approach him, not let you sit in your favourite arm chair, take you out for walks and ignore you when you want him to return to you. So do yourself and your puppy a big favour take good quality dog / puppy training classes with an experienced dog trainer.

Tips for preventing a puppy from biting you

• Do not buy a puppy less then 8 weeks old.
  
  
• Always place good temperament at the top of your puppy shopping list
  
  
• Check the temperament of your puppy's parents
  
  
• Buy from a reputable dealer not a puppy farm or pet shop
  
  
• Take you puppy to training classes
  
  
• Reward good behaviour (no biting)
  
  
• Never use you hands as a dog toy always distract your puppy with a toy instead
  
  
• Never let children play with your puppy unsupervised
  
  
• Don't play tug-war games with your puppy
  
  
• Give your puppy plenty of safe toys to play with
  
  
• Spend time with your puppy to show him what you expect from him
  
  
• If in doubt consult with an experienced dog trainer
  
  
• Ensure everyone who handles the puppy are aware of the no biting rule and knows how to correct the problem
  
  
• Be consistent no biting means no biting ever
  
  
• Consider buying a crate and place puppy in it for a short time if he gets over excited. This will reinforce discipline and can also help with toilet training your puppy.

Usually after a few weeks your young puppy will have learned that biting you does not pay. Spend as much time with your young puppy as possible and teach it what is acceptable and what isn't. A dog will not train himself!

All the best,

Laura