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Puppy biting, barking, and acting aggressive. What should I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Female | 2 months and 9 days old | 390 lbs
My puppy is starting to become really aggressive. She tries to bite me and stuff i don't want her to bite. She is also starting to bark more than usual. What should I do?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on May 1st, 2018
Most puppies go through a stage where they become very mouthy and try and bite everything. This is a very different situation to an aggressive dog that is not being playful but is trying to inflict damage. I assume your dog is just being mouthy but if it is aggressive then you should contact a professional behaviourist asap. Mouthy puppies are best handled with consistency. When the pup bites firmly say no and put it on the floor and ignore it for a minute or 2. Resume play and repeat when the pup bites. Give the puppy plenty of toys which it can bite but never encourage it to see your hand as a toy.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on February 21st, 2018
Hi there! It would help to have more information about this behavior in order to give you any specific suggestions, since barking and biting can be caused by many different things. Recommendations to help the problem will depend on what situations tend to cause your pup to do this, how old he is, etc. Feel free to post again with more information about his behavior, and we would be happy to try and help.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy is a very active, playful dog but he likes biting me a lot. Sometimes it's playfully, sometimes aggressive, and most of the time I can't stop him, he just keeps biting. He also has lots of chew times so I don't know what's the problem. How c
Puppies will chew, it is how they explore the world and how they communicate with each other. We have to teach them not to communicate with us by biting. The best thing to do is a quick no, then ignore them. For a little dog I will say no bite then put them on the floor and ignore them. For a bigger dog I will physically turn my body and ignore them for a few minutes then give them an appropriate toy to play with. Puppy kindergarten is a great experience for new dog owners and helps owners establish healthy boundaries and strengthens the bond, I highly recommend you enroll in a puppy training class once your pet is up to date on vaccines (ask your vet when this is ok). I hope that helps
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Recently I bought a lebrador puppy. he is approximately 45-50 days old. From day 1 he showing very aggressive behavior towards me only . He keeps on mouthing and nipping my hands and legs and also barks and growls on me. I treid everything to make hi
This can be very common behavior for young puppies. It is important that you initiate training with your dog now so that his aggressive tendencies do not continue into adulthood. Somethings you can do to discourage his nipping and aggressive behavior are to try and redirect his aggression by giving him a toy to play with and bite on instead of using your hands and fingers. Also, when he missed behaves firmly tell him no, put him down and walk away and ignore him for 2 to 3 minutes. After that time you can start playing with him again and if his bad behavior returns ignore him again. If you continue to do this he will quickly learn that when he misbehaves you will not pay attention to him so he should stop the bad behavior. It would also be beneficial to start training him with basic commands like sit, stay, and come. This will help establish your role as the dominant one in the relationship. Also be sure he is getting plenty of exercise by taking him on 20 to 30 minute fast-paced wal
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
How do I get my puppy to stop biting me? He made me bleed today. I have tried the puppy training classes, sprays, timeouts, pressing on his tongue, yelling, etc. and his behavior continues. I am concerned that he will bite someone outside and he will
Is the biting aggressive or puppy behavior? If you are seeing snarling, bared teeth, growling and then biting to the point of drawing blood, that indicates an aggressive approach and you should consult with a veterinary behaviorist in your area ASAP. If it is the typical puppy behavior, usually done with hopping and nipping, wiggly body, while playing, etc, then it seems that you just need more time and patience with Papi. Puppies explore their environment with their mouths, so making sure he has plenty of appropriate chew toys can help curb the behavior. If he does get too nippy, yelping loudly, and then getting up and walking away (and thus ending play) is best to help teach him that too rough of play ends the fun. You can then praise and give treats for times where he is quietly playing with a toy or with you. Puppies do go through a teething stage at about 6-7 months of age, so the chewing and nipping behavior can ramp up again at that time. Sticking with your training can help
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
No matter how many treats, toys we give to our gas puppy (almost 3 months old) she will always try to bite my hands, feet, arms like aggressive biting. That's not even playful biting. I've tried to be polite and soft for training, I've tried aggress
That is a lot going on and it sounds like Oggy would benefit from a visit with a trainer or veterinary behaviorist in your area, especially if she is being aggressive to the point of bruising or drawing blood. Aggression usually looks very different from play/exploration biting and can include low growling, stiff bodies, showing the whites of the eyes, hair raising on the back, baring teeth, and then nipping or biting. This is unusual in a puppy of this age, so if it is happening, it is best to seek professional help in person ASAP since it is a complex issue that needs to be worked with. If the nipping is just puppy nipping, and she is also chewing on lots of things, it could just be normal puppy behavior and a puppy kindergarten/training classes is a great way to establish some ground rules and get used to interacting with each other in a positive manner. I'm also including some articles on general puppy nipping/chewing that may help as well. https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
Hi, I have a 2 month old puppy. She’s a husky mixed with a lab. Whenever I try to pet her she try’s to nibble my hand. I’m also having problems with her barking at me sometimes. Is there anything I can do to better her behavior ?
This is really common puppy behavior. Whenever she tries to nibble at your hand, I would replace your hand with a toy. Doing this will eventually help her realize that she is suppose to chew on toys not hands. When she barks, you can tell her no and ignore her. You can also use a water bottle to spray her a little when she barks while simultaneously telling her no. Give her some time. She will improve as she gets older. I will also leave an article below to help. Article On Mouthy Puppies https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/mouthing-nipping-and-biting-puppies
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 5 months old puppy and Ilove him but he really likes biting me. I don’t know if it’s just him being playful or being aggressive. How can I teach him not to do that?
Congratulations on your new puppy! It takes some time for puppies to learn to mind their manners. I recommend making sure that Percy has plenty of toys to chew on as his adult teeth are coming in. As you are playing with Percy and he starts biting, you should stop playing and tell Percy "no" and only begin paying attention to him again once he is calm. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have about Percy!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My small pup is being so aggressive and bitting me is it because of growing teeth or other reason what to do
Unfortunately it's impossible for me to tell without observing the behavior. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Unless you are very familiar with reading canine body language and training, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and I recommend to do some research. Here are a few articles on puppy teething: https://www.petcoach.co/article/tooth-eruptions-when-puppies-get-their-teeth/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-great-toys-for-teething-puppies/ It is also possible that your puppy is simply an over excited and rough player. Reading the body language will help significantly. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Olie bites want to play after eating food... She want to chew everything specially clothes... She bites other also... I dont know how to control her.. She barks when i say her to stop...
I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Olie. I am sure it is very upsetting for you. First of all rest assured that this is a very normal puppy behaviour. Puppies learn through play biting and it is part of our role as pet parents to help them learn limits.
I would not attempt negative reinforcement such as striking Olie or speaking harshly as this will potentially create more serious behaviour issues such as anxiety and fear-aggression.
Try some calm corrections and positive reinforcement. If Olie bites you, simply say in a calm voice "no" and stop interacting with her for a few moments. This over time will teach him that biting is not a desired form of play. Also try reinforcing him as he starts to play in a good way by not biting, and give him a small training treat.
If Olie does manage to bite hard enough to break the skin be careful of a possible infection. Monitor your wound for heat. Swelling, or discharge. Make an appointment with your
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
Why does my puppy wanna attack and bite me every time I try and just pet him and hug him does he think I’m playing because his bites are very aggressive and I don’t know how to control it. Do we stop the biting at a young age or wait till he’s a litt
Biting is normal puppy behavior but it is something you want to try to get under control quickly. There are a few methods to deal with biting and my favorite is to imitate another puppy. As soon as Apollo puts his mouth on you, 'yelp' and then walk away from him. Completely ignore him until he calms down. As soon as he does so, give him calm attention and encourage him to chew on something like a toy. If everyone is consistent with this behavior, most puppies learn quickly because they want their human's attention. That being said, not all puppies are cuddly. They are individuals just like people. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
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 sug
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 the
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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