My 6-month puppy bites hard when I put on her harness. Vet or training?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Nova is adorable! Play biting is very normal in puppy-hood, though at 6 months this should be significantly improved or resolved. Never use your hands to play with her or rile her up. Only offer toys. The minute she gets crazy and starts lunging for your hands, etc you need to make her sit or lay down. Always have treats on you to reward her when she listens. If she is too worked up and not listening, put her in a 5 minute time out. Try to have a leash on her at all times, I really like the muzzle gentle leader harnesses as it allows great head control. That way you can easily pull her off you. She should know how to look and leave it on command. If you are reaching a plateau with training I recommend hiring a trainer to focus on your areas of concern. Professionals can really help when we have exhausted what we can do alone. Exercise is also important: frequent walks and play time or consider doggie daycare a few times per week. I hope this helps and I think Nova will outgrow this stage very soon! https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-biting-nipping-of-hands/

That is a lot going on and it sounds like Oggy would benefit from a visit with a trainer or veterinary behaviorist in your area, especially if she is being aggressive to the point of bruising or drawing blood. Aggression usually looks very different from play/exploration biting and can include low growling, stiff bodies, showing the whites of the eyes, hair raising on the back, baring teeth, and then nipping or biting. This is unusual in a puppy of this age, so if it is happening, it is best to seek professional help in person ASAP since it is a complex issue that needs to be worked with. If the nipping is just puppy nipping, and she is also chewing on lots of things, it could just be normal puppy behavior and a puppy kindergarten/training classes is a great way to establish some ground rules and get used to interacting with each other in a positive manner. I'm also including some articles on general puppy nipping/chewing that may help as well. https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-biting-nipping-of-hands/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-biting-when-does-it-stop/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/chewing-in-puppies-how-to-control-it/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-tips-to-help-prevent-destructive-chewing/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-choose-a-dog-trainer/

First off, I highly recommend a beginner training class with Nero, and also getting him into something fun and active such as agility or flyball, as Sheepdogs are extremely smart and extremely prone to boredom. Sometimes, having a focused training class or activity can help get out that energy and put your dog to work so they are less likely to become bored and destructive. As for nipping, there are a few things you can try out: Have a toy or bone handy that you can put in Nero's mouth when he gets excited to give him something to chew on and be mouthy with other than your hands/arms. If he picks up a toy on his own, be sure to give him lots of praise to help teach him this is a good thing. If walking away or yelping doesn't help, teaching him something such as "settle" can help him to focus on calming down and relaxing instead of ramping up the behavior with more excitement. Grabbing his collar and holding him down is likely just exciting him more, but focusing on training such as sit, down, settle, etc can divert his focus into something productive instead. Practice "airplaning" treats. This involves having Nero sit and slowly bringing a treat down to him. If he jumps up or gets excited, you have him sit again and start over. Once he can focus on staying still, he gets the treat. This can help teach some impulse control and reduce excitement behavior. Give him a job! Redirect his attention by telling him to go find a specific toy or bone. This can help him get out that excited energy and focus on chewing on the toy, instead of jumping all over you.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the spray bottle technique does not work well, then leash training him and getting him trained with obedience commands is the next step. You need to train him to sit, stay, lie down, come, etc. This will give you better control over Blaze. I typically recommend having dogs like Blaze go to an obedience training course with a trainer to establish these commands. Once he learns these commands, you can command him to stop the behavior by distracting him with these commands. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions and I would be more than happy to help you further.

One recommendation I have for all new puppy owners is to go to a puppy training class. Even if you've raised puppies before it's always a great refresher course for you and Olie has never been to school before. Right now she's probably a little bit too young, you do want to make sure she's had several set of vaccinations and your veterinarian says she is healthy enough to go to class. Another great resource is how to raise a perfect puppy by Dr. Sophia Yin. https://drsophiayin.com/product/perfect-puppy-in-7-days-how-to-start-your-puppy-off-right/ Barking and biting our normal puppy behaviors but they do need to be addressed so that they do not interfere with being a good companion. When she is biting tried to redirect her to a toy or other objects she is allowed to bite. Www.veterinarypartner.com also has some good articles on puppy training. Good luck and thank you for using PetCoach

This needs time and consistency. I would recommend ignoring and trading your hand or clothing for something more appropriate. I would also recommend getting chew toys at the local petstore. If this does not resolve or decrease in the next few weeks then I would recommend hiring a trainer to help you with Nero. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I’m sorry to hear about Luna Mia! There are many thoughts and opinions about dog training. One thing is sure- you need to nip this in the bud IMMEDIATELY. My rules include: if she bites during play time all play ends immediately. If she bites, she is reprimanded immediately and put in another room. Crate training can help a lot with anxiety so start crate training if you haven’t already. I’ve attached some links below with more articles and ideas about training. https://www.petcoach.co/article/biting-causes-prevention-and-control/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-biting-nipping-of-hands/ Best of luck to you and Luna Mia!