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My dog keeps biting hands. What causes this and how do I stop it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Female | spayed | 2 years and 11 months old | 25 lbs

Why does my dog, Jess, keep trying to bite my hand or try to bite other people’s hands?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on June 23rd, 2017

This could be a natural herding behavior for her breed. When she does it I would tell her no and try to give her a toy instead. You can also use a water bottle and spray her while saying no when she does it to help teach her not to do that. These behaviors can be frustrating and difficult to "out train" since it is part of their breed instincts to nip like this. I hope this helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 17th, 2018

    Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This is likely behavioral and she will likely grow out of this behavior as she ages. I typically recommend using a spray bottle and every time she bites, spritz her in the face lightly with water and say "off!". Another technique that works well is when she bites your hand, insert your thumb under her tongue and grasp the underside of her jaw and lightly grasp the lower jaw between your thumb inside the mouth and hand on the outside and hold this for several seconds until she is fed up with this. Most dogs will stop biting and will lick instead. I would also provide plenty of toys and walk her often to help her exert her energy more. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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