Why did my 2-month-old puppy bite my face? Should I be worried?

Hi there! Don't fret- I think your puppy adores you! Dogs learn to navigate their environments with their mouths as well as playing with other puppies through light biting and wrestling. When your pup bites you, say "Ow!" and then stop giving him attention for a couple of minutes until he is being gentle again. This is the same way another dog would tell him that he is being too rough and positively reinforces the good behavior. I hope this helps!

It is unlikely that your puppy has rabies, however there are three things you need to do: 1) do not play with your puppy with your face close to it. 2) have your puppy vaccinated ( it will need at least three courses of vaccines to protect it from parvo. distemper and other viral diseases, as well as rabies 3) see a doctor for your lip injury.

I don't think you have to worry about either disease at this stage however, it is always best to check with a human physician. By law, we really cannot recommend any treatment for human conditions. You can start training as early as 8 weeks of age. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for your puppy. The answer to this question will depend on the circumstances. If this is a puppy you do not know/a stray/from an uknown home then I would recommend contacting your human physician. If this is your puppy who has been in your care with no exposure to wildlife and who is acting normally/healthy then the concern for rabies is very low but it does look like there is a puncture in your skin so I would recommend consulting your human doctor as we can develop bacterial infections due to dog bites and your doctor can advise you if treatment is necessary.

I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Darby. 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. The biting behaviour will diminish with age. I would not attempt negative reinforcement such as striking Darby 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 Darby 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 give her a small training treat. If Darby 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. Distraction, increased exercise, and redirection will also help. Other games which may be fun with Darby 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. This resource should help! https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-ways-to-stimulate-your-dog-s-brain/ I hope this was helpful!

I do not blame you for being very concerned, and I'm sorry for your daughter's injury. Because you cannot teach an eighteen-month-old how to respond to the puppy in such a way as to minimize the possibility of another incident, there is a reason to believe it could happen again. I would return the puppy to the breeder if you can, explaining the reason why. Perhaps Buzz is just not suitable for a home with small children. There is such a thing as temperament testing, which can be done through your local kennel club. Though not foolproof, this can give you some idea how a puppy will react in a variety of circumstances. This may not be the breed mix for you, or it may be that you simply need to go to another source for your puppy. There are many factors involved here, and I would be happy to discuss the situation at length with you. If you are interested, just click on the prompt to initiate a consult.

Hi, thank you for using PetCoach. At 8 weeks old the puppy will still need to be vaccinated, as it has probably only had 1 or 2 distemper parvo vaccinations. He likely has not received a rabies vaccination this young. Please see a doctor about your bite wound. This book is great for puppy behavior. https://www.dogwise.com/perfect-puppy-in-7-days/ It is important to determine is Prince is truly being aggressive or just an overactive puppy with no manners. Puppies will normally bite while playing, but he needs to be redirected to biting a more appropriate toy. If he is truly aggressive at 8 weeks of age, he needs significant intervention with a reputable positive reinforcement dog trainer or veterinary behaviourist.