How to stop my dog from biting and growling when I pet or carry him?

Question

Tiny is a malipoo and hasn’t been very aggressive lately he has been growling annnd biting even when you try petting him or carry him he will not listen to any command such as “no” annd “stop” he would just keep doing it annnd will just bite harder. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 10 days old | 4 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Thank you for posting more information. It sounds like Tiny needs some tough love. First, I do not recommend using commands like "No" or "Stop" because dogs don't understand those commands. What we need to do is to ignore behaviors that we don't want and to teach them behaviors that we want them to do instead. If Tiny is reacting to petting and carrying him around, I would first recommend having your veterinarian examine him to make sure that there isn't anything physical that is painful for him. If everything is normal physically, then I would recommend starting a training program. Make sure you use a positive reinforcement training program. What that means is that you only reward positive behaviors. It sounds like Tiny may be a handful to train, so I would strongly recommend working with a trainer. In the meantime, I would recommend ignoring any behavior that you do not want. So, if you go to pet Tiny and he tries to bite you, you should walk away and try again later. But be sure to work on training commands like "sit" with treat rewards, so Tiny has positive interactions as well. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

How to stop my dog from biting and growling when I pet or carry him?

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