My puppy bites me hard when I try to stop her chewing. What to do?

It's likely that Darby is frustrated about not being able to get somewhere that she wants to go - you can help this problem by calling her name and encouraging her to go in a different direction, and rewarding with a treat when she follows you. Biting and mouthing is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. Make sure that she has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. She should also have lots of different things to lay and chew on, such as bully sticks, rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. She will grow out of this behavior on her own as she gets older, but in the meantime, just redirect her to one of her own toys and use that to play with her instead. If she continues to get overly excited and try to bite, give her something to chew on (such as one of the options I mentioned above) to encourage her to settle down and relax for a while.

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 doctor if this occurs. If you are struggling with the biting after a couple of weeks of the above suggested training methods, consider puppy socialisation classes or potentially a few sessions with a behaviourist. Other games which may be fun with Olie to redirect him in he is biting too rough, are hide and go seek either with you and another person, or you hide his toys and he has to find them. Or classic fetch. I hope this was helpful!

Darby may be going through a puppy phase where she is exploring boundaries. She could also be going through another growth spurt that can increase hunger. Make sure that you check her weight often (you can use a bathroom scale) and update her feeding amount based on the feeding recommendations on the dog food label. When she bites you, try to redirect her attention to appropriate toys. If you have a lot of toys available, she may be bored with them. You can place half of them in a cabinet and rotate them every week so she thinks they are new toys. You can also look for puzzle toys that you can put dog food or treats in, then she has to use her brain to figure out how to get the food out.

I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Kimi. 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 Kimi 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 Kimi bites you, simply say in a calm voice "no" and stop interacting with her for a few moments. This over time will teach her that biting is not a desired form of play. Also try reinforcing her as she starts to play in a good way by not biting, and giver her a small training treat. If Kimi 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 doctor if this occurs. If you are struggling with the biting after a couple of weeks of the above suggested training methods, consider puppy socialisation classes or potentially a few sessions with a behaviourist. Other games which may be fun with Kimi are hide and go seek either with you and another person, or you hide her toys and she has to find them. Or classic fetch. I hope this was helpful!

This is completely normal for puppies - they all want to bite and grab, and their tiny puppy teeth are very sharp! You need to have a variety of different toys, and you need to play with him in a way that encourages him to want to grab and bite the toys instead of you :) If you're having trouble with this, I would strongly recommend enrolling him in a good puppy class, or making an appointment with a good reward-based trainer who can help show you how to do this in person. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Dogs need corrections at the time of the misdeed, not punishments. [Positive reinforcement](https://www.petcoach.co/article/rewards-are-necessary-when-training-dogs-and-puppies) is more successful than disciplining a pet. When you catch her misbehaving, use distraction to pause the behavior then redirect her attention to something else. The type and intensity of correction needs to be just enough to distract her from the unwanted behavior, no more or no less. You can use a toy, treat, clapping your hands or using a shake can (tin can with pennies or marbles inside it). If you correct her and she shakes, cowers or shows signs of any type of fear then your distraction method was too harsh. Praise and reward her when she responds. If she persists, cease all interaction until she settles down or responds positively. Be patient and be consistent. Her aggression could be a response to your frustration or the punishment. Keep [training](https://www.petcoach.co/article/basic-dog-puppy-training-rules) sessions short to maintain her attention. [Work with her](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-ways-to-polish-your-dogs-training-skills) when she is not misbehaving and teach her obedience, tricks, get her out to play, chase the ball, go for long walks, whatever it takes to get her plenty of exercise and TIRED. Get her a [puzzle treat ball](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/star-mark-bumper-body-puzzle-ball-dog-treat-dispenser) to keep her mind occupied when you can't directly supervise her. A dog that is physically and mentally occupied is less likely to get into trouble in the first place.

I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Ziggy. 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 Ziggy 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 Ziggy bites you, simply say in a calm voice "no" and stop interacting with him 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 giver him a small training treat. If Ziggy 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 doctor if this occurs. If you are struggling with the biting after a couple of weeks of the above suggested training methods, consider puppy socialisation classes or potentially a few sessions with a behaviourist. Other games which may be fun with Ziggy are hide and go seek either with you and another person, or you hide his toys and he has to find them. Or classic fetch. More stimulation and more exercise will help calm Ziggy and also help foster a strong bond between you two. I hope this was helpful!