Why does my puppy bite my clothes every morning and attack me?

Question

My 5 month old toy poodle puppy continues to bite me and rip at my clothes. We have taken him to obedience training and he knows basic commands. This doesn’t stop him. As soon as my feet hit the ground in the morning he attacks my pajama bottoms and holds on. We’ve corrected him with a firm “no” and this only works occasionally. He doesn’t bite my husband. He bites me and also my friend who is a dog lover (both female). He also gets manically aggressive when we try to put a leash on. Help! Pet's info: Dog | Toy Poodle | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 5 days old | 6 lbs

Bette Isacoff · Accepted Answer

It sounds as if there is an imbalance in the relationship between you and Remi. I see that, in the photos you provided, he is on the bed and on the furniture. Those are your spaces and not his (especially since you are having behavior issues with him). Try this for starters: one morning when you have no pressing need to get out of bed immediately, roll up your pajama bottoms to your knees so they are not available to him. Then start lowering your feet very slowly over the side of the bed. As long as he remains calm, keep praising him and continue to lower your legs. The minute he goes after them, bring them back up onto the bed again. You may also use a small treat every time you drop your legs by one increment and he remains calm. It may take you a long time to get out of bed that day! If at any point he starts his antics, bring your legs up and start again, going only as far as you got them before he became naughty and work forward again, more gradually this time. Be sure you have no excitement in your voice, as this can make the problem worse because he'll respond to your emotion. This does not solve your overall problem, however. Although Remi seems to respect your husband, the same cannot be said for you and your friend. This tells me that (a) he can behave if he wants to, and (b) you may be treating like a doll or a baby rather than as a dog. This will take more advice to fix than I have space here to give it. You can click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can work on it. Or you can ask your vet for a referral to an animal behaviorist (different from a trainer) to sort out your issues with Remi. Good luck!

Why does my puppy bite my clothes every morning and attack me?

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