My Boston Terrier bites my feet when excited, and nothing works!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Usually these behaviors can be corrected but this usually requires in person training by a qualified dog trainer. I recommend you consider contacting a qualified dog trainer to work with you in person. Good luck and have a good day!

In terms of Bruin's greeting when you walk in the door, the best way to prevent her from nipping at your hands or ankles would be to only acknowledge her on your terms. While everyone is happy and excited to see their dog when they get home, in cases such as these where there is a behavior problem, sometimes our interactions with our pets must be altered. When you walk in the house for the next few days, I would ask that you consider not playing into her excitement. Instead, do not pet her or give her attention until she has calmed and settled down. Once settled, you should reward her with love and attention. If she still nibbles or bites, cease giving attention and walk away. Alternatively, you can have a toy in another hand and give her the toy to play with. If she takes it, reward her profusely with praise and/or treats. Since she is a Border Collie, she will likely pick up on things quite quickly. Training her to not become excited and/or nervous around guests will be a more difficult task. At least for the near future, I would recommend keeping her on leash when guests first enter the house and for the first several minutes they are present. Once off leash, instruct your guests not to acknowledge her if she is overly pushy or nibbling. If she settles down, your guest should reward her similarly as you were. It is all about repetition and consistency with behavior. I hope you and Bruin figure things out.

This is a very common problem with young, friendly dogs - they become overly excited when they greet people, and can't control their jumping and mouthing. This problem can be treated effectively with good training, but it will require you to be patient and consistent since it takes quite a while for most dogs to learn to control themselves in these situations. Training for this problem involves rewarding your dog for keeping all four paws on the floor as people approach, and gradually increasing the level of difficulty to include petting and actual greetings once he is doing well. Here is a link to an excellent discussion on training for this problem, including a video demonstrating this technique: https://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/09/14/jumping-on-people/ If you still have trouble, I would suggest getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Playful biting and mouthing are very normal at this age - Piper is still quite young, so she is still learning how to control herself when she gets excited. You are doing the right thing by redirecting her to a toy or some other object to chew on when she starts to bite. To increase the chances of this tactic working, make sure that you have a variety of different toys to use when you play with her - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. Experiment with different toys and different types of play to see what she likes, so that you know how to engage her effectively when she gets excited. You can also help by learning to recognize the signs that she is starting to get overly wound up, so that you can switch to a calmer activity (such as training, or giving a chew item like a bully stick or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter) before she starts to bite you. I do not recommend any kind of punishment for this behavior, as it often makes the dog more frustrated and worsens the problem over time. Instead, be patient and continue to redirect her to toys or other activities when she starts to get excited. She should grow out of this behavior as she gets older and more emotionally mature.

I would recommend starting on some basic commands with Panda. This would include sit, come and stay. That way when Panda starts to chew on your feet you can re direct her into a basic command. I would reward her with a treat so he knows that the command is the way she should be acting, I would also recommend starting her in puppy training classes to help with her attention. Hope that helps

It sounds like Beau needs some guidance on what is and is not considered appropriate behaviour for a dog. Dogs use their mouths to play and to explore the world around them, but need to learn that it is not ok to bite humans. It is important to help his develop bite inhibition and redirect him to an appropriate activity, as well as to teach him that biting humans means they won’t play with him until he calms down. Visit the following links for more information on how to work on these goals at home https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/mouthing-nipping-and-biting-dogs , http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1731 . I also strongly recommend working with a reputable trainer to help set boundaries for Beau. Visit https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/behavioral-help-your-pet for information on how to find behaviour help near you. Regular exercise and enrolling Beau in a training class to help him burn off some excess energy and learn how to play appropriately are also important steps you can take to help him succeed.

It is quite frequent to see this kind of reaction, but this behaviour has to be stopped immediately. I would recommend to start training him as soon as possible. Every time he bites (no matter what he is doing, if excited or playing) you have to stop giving him attention, turn your back to him or go away. That is a kind of negative reinforcement, a very negative command for him. Usually puppies learn from it very quickly and in few weeks they stop doing that. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.