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My puppy's aggressive biting breaks skin. How do I get help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 21 days old | 11 lbs

My puppy has developed agressive behaviour which I fear is more than just teething eg biting, snapping, chasing and chewing. He gets in these mood where his biting seems relentless. He will growl and roll around with his mouth open teeth shown trying to find and body part he can bite into. Last night he bit me in the face, not for the first time, but he broke the skin. Feels like we've tried everything. We felt like we were getting somewhere with replacing our body parts with a toy but he has...

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on April 24th, 2018

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Chase. Without being able to observe him in person, it's hard to say if this is truly aggressive behavior (which would be extremely concerning in such as young pup) or just very intense play biting/mouthing - which can be normal for some dogs, especially high-drive working breeds, but is often difficult for pet owners to manage. Either way, it sounds like you could definitely use some professional help. I would recommend getting in touch with a good canine behaviorist who can evaluate Chase in person to help determine if this is aggression vs. play, and put together a detailed training plan to work on his behavior. You can find information on how to search for a qualified professional in your area here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist

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