biting, growling and barking

by Chyrita
(New York)

My Wheaten terrier 13 week old, will be walking and all of a sudden will start biting, growling and barking at my legs and feet.

I know that Wheatens were used for herding, I wondering is this herding instincts or aggression. Either way I don't know what to do about it.

My son, who has never had a dog, is 12 years old and afraid of the biting stuff. Any help or suggestions for the biting and growling would be helpful.





Hi Chyrita
This is absolutely normal puppy behavior, all puppies do it, it's just that some breeds (and some individual puppies) do it more than others.

I doubt that it's aggression, usually this is an attention-seeking or dominant behavior and in herding breeds can be colored by the desire to 'herd' anything and everything.

WIthdrawing your attention and ignoring the behavior is the best place to start, and my Puppy Biting page has tons of tips and advice on dealing with this behavior and I think it will help you take care of it.

It is important that your son not be 'frightened off' by this biting behavior, as if there is an element of dominance involved and he backs off, the pup will think he has a higher position in the 'pack' than your son. That is not what you want.

With love, patience and consistency you will be able to deal with this issue. Good luck!