My 8-month puppy bites and jumps. Will he outgrow this behavior?

It is normal for puppies to jump and use their mouths to get what that want. Unfortunately, the habits that Rex has developed work for him, so there is no reason for him to change as he gets older. So, if you want to change his behavior, you will need to train him to do what you want. That does not come naturally to dogs, so you will need to train him to take food gently, not jump up for it and not jump and bite with excitement on a walk. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - jumping up is a natural greeting behavior for dogs, and biting and mouthing are how puppies explore the world. You will need to be patient and consistent to teach him what you want him to do. When people come to the house, he needs to be on a leash or in another room behind a baby gate until he calms down. Praise and reward with treats when he keeps all four feet on the floor, or teach him to sit for greetings. Make sure that he 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. Providing lots of things to chew on can also help, especially when you are busy or have company over - try things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, rawhide chews, and puzzle toys like a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If these things don't help, I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person to teach more appropriate greeting behavior. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

This can be frustrating, but is normal exploratory behavior at 13 weeks old. Like small children, puppies put everything in their mouths (hands included) as a means of exploration. Blesszuri is also beginning to teethe and can be expected to start losing her puppy teeth around 16 weeks of age. That said, she should not have a free pass to display this behavior just because she is exploring and teething. Whenever she bites or jumps on you, put an appropriate chew toy in her mouth, walk away and ignore her for a few minutes. When she interacts with you appropriately, praise her positive behavior with play time, belly rubs, or even a small treat. It can take a long time and a lot of consistency, but eventually Blesszuri will understand that she only receives attention and praise when she exhibits positive behaviors and interactions.

Sounds like Archie has a case of the puppy zoomies! Being mouthy, jumping, and having periods of just "running around like a maniac" are all very common for puppies. Looking into basic obedience about how to stop jumping up behavior and biting/chewing can help start Archie off on the right foot. As puppies explore the world with their mouths much like toddlers do, there are a few things you can do to help turn this into a more positive behavior. The first is to yelp "ouch!" any time Archie gets a little too nibbly, and get up and walk away. He'll quickly learn that what he is doing hurts and doesn't get him any attention. You can also reward him by giving him lots of praise when you spot him chewing on an appropriate toy. If you catch him chewing something he shouldn't, replace it with the correct toy instead and give him praise if he continues to chew on it. Looking into a basic puppy kindergarten can also help get both of you used to each other and establish some "house rules" in addition to learning the fun stuff like sit and stay.

Mouthing and nipping can be an issue in puppies, and at ten months of age she likely has some or all of her adult teeth in, which can hurt! There are a few things you can do: One is to loudly yelp "OUCH!" and immediately stop play and walk away/ignore your dog. This mimics when your dog was playing with littermates and played too roughly. Your dog will also learn that when she is too energetic and nips play stops and attention is gone, which is boring! If she is calm and not nipping, offer lots of praise and treats to encourage that behavior instead. Next is the "airplane" game. Place your dog in a sitting position and put a treat in your hand. Raise it above your dog's head and begin to slowly bring it down toward your dog. If she gets up out of the sitting position, stop, place her back in a sit, and then start again. Once she can calmly sit still for the treat coming to her, offer it and praise! This can help teach her to sit calmly rather than jumping or nipping. You can also work on taking treats gently/mouthing inhibition by placing a treat in your hand and closing your fist. At first, your dog may attempt to gnaw on or chew on your hand to get the treat. A small "ouch!" can help, but you will have to wait a few minutes until she settles down. Once she is calm and not chewing on the hand, offer her the treat with a "gentle" command. It will take a few tries (and a sore hand at first), but it will help teach her to wait for treats and toys from your hand without nipping and chewing on them! Trading your hands and other objects for toys that are appropriate to chew on can also help. Offer an appropriate chew toy instead, and be sure to praise any time she is found chewing on the right objects instead!

I see that Chance is still a puppy, only about six months old :) Biting and mouthing is very normal behavior in a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. Chance is also teething right now, which often increases mouthy behavior. This is a normal developmental stage that will resolve on its own as he gets older, but there are a few things you can do in the meantime to help. First, make sure that he has a variety of different toys available 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. He should also have lots of different things to chew on, such as bully sticks, large rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If he bites you during play, just redirect him to one of his toys and use that to play with him instead. If you're petting him and he bites your hands, calmly stop petting and ignore him until he calms down. This behavior resolves in most dogs by 12-18 months of age, sometimes sooner - so just be patient and consistent in the meantime while he learns. :)

Mouthing behavior is very normal in 8 week old puppies - just like babies they learn and explore with their mouths. Mouthing is different from biting in intent. If she's generally chewing on your hands and happy, that's mouthing. If she's frightened, lunges and bites, and then retreats and hides or bites and leaves punctures, that is very abnormal for such a young puppy and Angel would need to see a veterinarian behaviorist (not a trainer) right away to work on strategies to keep her mentally healthy. I'm going to assume that she's mouthing. The best thing you can do is not reward her mouthing. Any time she puts her mouth on you, disengage from play, petting, or talking to her. Think of it like a light switch - if she mouths, you just turn off and become super boring. Don't punish or try to scare her, she's being a normal puppy and needs to learn how to interact socially. Also, look for a puppy class to enroll her in. Having other puppies to learn and play with is helpful because they learn that biting can hurt. Finally, check out this free ebook from Dr. Ian Dunbar about early puppy training. It's a gem. https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf Good luck to you and Angel! Let me know if this information was helpful and post another question or set up a consult if you'd like more advice.