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My dog bites when I try to pet him. Is it fear or just puppy nipping?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | unneutered | 4 months and 29 days old | 15 lbs
Why does my dog like being pet and attention... but when I even just hold my hand out he bites me and mouths me. Does he not trust me ? Or is it just puppy mouthing and nipping? I want to be affectionate with him and he loves Laying on me and for me to hold him. But when I walk over and approach him he will try and nip and bite at me. And ever since i got him he won't let me touch or rub over his backside near his tail he really tries to bite me. He is almost 6months and not fixed will it stop?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on September 30th, 2017
In a spacious, neutral environment, like a park or large fenced yard, start with a man at a distance from your leashed dog where she does not cower, growl, try to run away or otherwise appear fearful. Make sure you have a good amount of high value treats to work with, which may be hot dog pieces, cheese, etc. Small treats given fairly constantly with proper behavior are a great tool. Adjustments to distance from the stimulus should be gradual and paired with constant treating while the proper behavior (i.e. lack of fearful behavior as described above) is maintained. Your dog may reach a point where she feels threatened and may display signs of fear toward the man, possibly even aggression. If this occurs, expand the distance and repeat the process. This technique can be adjusted and applied to most situations that cause your dog to be fearful.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that this is a process and will take some time. Have reasonable expectations of your dog and what is acceptable behavior within your family unit. Each fear will likely have to be addressed separately and may never be abolished completely. And as with any training exercise, it should be fun and a great way for you and your dog to bond! Adding obedience training or agility classes may make the process smoother and ultimately more enjoyable for everyone involved.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpfulRelated Answers from Veterinarians
Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM
Veterinarian
Hello, sorry to hear about Teddy. It sounds as though he is having some fear aggression. Something may have have happened to him in the past that he developed this fear of being approached or touched. Neutering him will likely not have much change in his fear and behavior, since he otherwise it does not sound like he is aggressive. Here are a few tips on how to manage his fear or nipping behavior.
Fearful behavior is very common and may manifest as aggression or the appearance of aggression towards you, the dog owner. Although your dog may show aggression towards their owners or strangers including growling, biting, or lunging, the motivation behind this is often fear related. Look at the body language of your dog—does she look scared, cowering with its ears pulled back? If you are uncertain, your veterinarian can help you to determine if your dog is exhibiting fearful behavior. Dogs can become fearful for many reasons and in response to multiple situations. It is very important to identify the cause of the fearful behavior so that you can address the situation(s) appropriately or avoid them altogether. There may be only one trigger, or there may be multiple things that cause fearful behavior in your dog. Each should be addressed separately.
Some signs of fearful behavior
• Ears back
• T ail tucked
• Fearful urination
• Rolling over and exposing belly
• Crouching body posture
• Avoidance of eye contact
These signs may be more subtle, with your dog licking her lips, panting, or yawning.
Basic guidelines for working with a fearful dog
• One of the most important things is NOT to punish your dog when she is being fearful. This will just make the behavior worse, or incite aggressive behavior. Punishment techniques may include tugging on the collar, verbal reprimands, or shock collars in more severe methods.
• Avoidance of the situation initially will likely benefit you more than trying to use “flooding” techniques. Flooding refers to repeated and prolonged exposure to the situation that is causing fear in your dog. This is a no-no, and avoiding the situation is preferred.
• Some very basic obedience training and using a “watch-me” command to divert your dog’s attention away from the fearful stimulus can also be useful. The watch-me command is used to establish eye contact between you and your dog in the presence of the fearful stimulus so she is focused on you rather than whatever may be inducing fear.
• The use of non-confrontational leadership training, in which your dog must perform tasks for food/attention/toys/treats, has shown to be helpful in fearful animals. These tasks can be as simple as following a sit command before the dinner bowl is placed on the ground.
Desensitization and counterconditioning
Desensitization is the process of taking a fearful stimulus and slowly exposing your dog to it. You have to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of stimulus that your dog is exposed to, until she is no longer responding negatively to the stimulus. Counterconditioning should be used in conjunction with desensitization. This is the process of pairing the fearful stimulus with a reward, such as praise or a treat. Your dog thus begins to associate the previously feared stimulus with positive emotions.1Pet Parents found this answer helpful