My puppy bites when excited or family returns. Is this normal?

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Puppies are generally quite playful and the behavior you are seeing is typical in puppies. Many times puppies tend to grow out of this. To start, I would keep a harness on her so that when she jumps you can correct this behavior and control her better. As for the biting, a trick of mine that works great is when a puppy is biting, stick your thumb underneath the tongue inside the mouth and grip the underside of the lower jaw while applying light pressure under the tongue to keep your thumb in the mouth until she becomes annoyed with this. Every time she bites, repeat this. At first, it will seem like a game to her but after a while, this becomes negative reinforcement. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have.

At ten weeks of age this is still very normal behavior. If Safiro is getting too excited, taking a time out and stopping all play/walking away until he's calm again can help to teach him that getting too excited results in the fun ending, and that calm behavior is rewarded with more play time. Working on some impulse control training (such as airplaning treats, taking and dropping toys, taking treats nicely, sitting politely -- YouTube has great tutorials for all of this) can also help with over excitement and biting behavior.

I am sorry to hear about Jack. This can be a very frustrating problem that is common in puppies. I would recommend reading the following article by veterinary behaviorist Sophia Yin which goes into depth on how to properly deal with this behavioral issue: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/puppy_play_leads_to_nip_marks_on_hands_and_arms/

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

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Usually these behaviors can be corrected but this usually requires in person training by a qualified dog trainer. I recommend you consider contacting a qualified dog trainer to work with you in person. Good luck and have a good day!

Playful biting and mouthing are very normal at this age - Piper is still quite young, so she is still learning how to control herself when she gets excited. You are doing the right thing by redirecting her to a toy or some other object to chew on when she starts to bite. To increase the chances of this tactic working, make sure that you have a variety of different toys to use when you play with her - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. Experiment with different toys and different types of play to see what she likes, so that you know how to engage her effectively when she gets excited. You can also help by learning to recognize the signs that she is starting to get overly wound up, so that you can switch to a calmer activity (such as training, or giving a chew item like a bully stick or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter) before she starts to bite you. I do not recommend any kind of punishment for this behavior, as it often makes the dog more frustrated and worsens the problem over time. Instead, be patient and continue to redirect her to toys or other activities when she starts to get excited. She should grow out of this behavior as she gets older and more emotionally mature.

It can always be tough with a new puppy. Some chewing is normal with a young puppy however it is important to start trying to control the behavior now. I would recommend when Blue starts to bite to replace it with something he can chew on. Also, I would recommend starting with some basic training. This would be sit, stay and come. That way when Blue starts to bite you he can be re-directed with the commands. I hope that helps