Puppy Biting!

by Pat
(Illinois )

My beagle puppy is just shy of 4 months old. She is housebroken (yeah!). My problem is - she bites!

You can be walking by - she will get a hold of your feet/leg/pants etc. If I am sitting on the floor - she will come up and bite my arms. If I pet her she bites. I don't mind so much as I am used to having puppies in the past - but my 10 year old daughter and husband will be sitting watching tv and she will come out of no where and bite their feet/legs - she will even jump up to get my daughters pony tail and hang on!

We tell her "no bite" when she does it and if she quits - then I let it go - if she continues - I put her in her kennel and tell her "no bite".

This has worked in the past with my other puppies - but she seems to be a stubborn one - I have met my match here!



Hi Pat
Congratulations on having housebroken your puppy already, that's pretty good going (for both of you!)

As for the biting, as you're familiar with raising puppies, you know how common this is. ALL puppies bite, some are just more stubborn about it than others.

The "no bite" command is a good place to start. Generally this nipping and biting is an attention-seeking behavior, and that seems to be the case with your puppy - but occasionally it can start out as (or develop into) a dominance issue. So, it's best to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

If she doesn't respond to the 'no bite' command, normally I would recommend just withdrawing your attention from her for a few minutes. However, as she's biting at you while you're watching TV etc., that might be a bit tricky.

What I can suggest is that you get a small, plastic spray bottle (or several) and fill it with water. When she starts to bite/nip and won't heed the verbal correction, give her a quick shot of water right on her nose. This will take her by surprise and should stop her in her tracks.

Make sure everyone in the family does this, and that they're consistent about it. She'll soon decide that biting isn't so much fun after all :o)

Check out my Puppy Biting page for more tips and advice on dealing with this puppy behavior.

Best of luck with your little girl.