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My 8-week-old puppy is biting everything. How do I stop this behavior?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Samoyed | Female | unspayed

My dog is 53 days old and she has been biting everything which comes in her way. She even bites our hands n feet. Few days back it was okay because it wasn't hurting us but it hurts alot. I've even given him a chewbone but it's of no use.. Kindly suggest how to handle this situation n what steps should be taken to prevent it

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 8th, 2017

Mouthing behavior is very normal in 8 week old puppies - just like babies they learn and explore with their mouths. Mouthing is different from biting in intent. If she's generally chewing on your hands and happy, that's mouthing. If she's frightened, lunges and bites, and then retreats and hides or bites and leaves punctures, that is very abnormal for such a young puppy and Angel would need to see a veterinarian behaviorist (not a trainer) right away to work on strategies to keep her mentally healthy. I'm going to assume that she's mouthing. The best thing you can do is not reward her mouthing. Any time she puts her mouth on you, disengage from play, petting, or talking to her. Think of it like a light switch - if she mouths, you just turn off and become super boring. Don't punish or try to scare her, she's being a normal puppy and needs to learn how to interact socially. Also, look for a puppy class to enroll her in. Having other puppies to learn and play with is helpful because they learn that biting can hurt. Finally, check out this free ebook from Dr. Ian Dunbar about early puppy training. It's a gem. https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf Good luck to you and Angel! Let me know if this information was helpful and post another question or set up a consult if you'd like more advice.

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    Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 29th, 2018

    Hi and thanks for posting on PetCoach! It is not uncommon for puppies to want to bite things they shouldn't (like furniture or your hands) while they are teething and learning to explore the world around them.. However, this behavior should be discouraged. Hiding your hands behind your back every time she tries to bite and be sure to always redirect with a tactile chew toy. You can also try spraying bitter apple spray on objects around the house she likes to chew on to discourage her from continuing to chew on them. I have included a helpful training video below to help get your started. https://youtu.be/1dKiaKSEilg I hope this helps and thanks for posting on PetCoach!

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