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Help! My 3-month-old puppy is biting. How do I make it stop?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | 3 months and 7 days old | 10 lbs

How can i stop my 3 month puppy from biting ? And my dog biting me when i wash him is there any problem with that.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 23rd, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern! Biting is a normal puppy behavior and will subside with time most likely. A couple of things you can do to help stop this behavior is to stick your thumb in Tommy's mouth every time he bites and hold your thumb in the mouth until he finds it annoying. If he comes back to bite after, repeat this again and again. Eventually, I find that the puppies will just walk up and lick your hand after a while because they do not want your thumb being stuck in their mouth. If that does not work, you can use a spray bottle filled with water and spritz Tommy in the face while saying "off" to help deter the behavior. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on January 28th, 2018
Shadow is very cute! I'm assuming that you're referring to Shadow biting you in play or when he gets excited - this is very normal behavior for puppies this age. If you think he's truly showing aggression as opposed to rough play or excitement, then this would be extremely abnormal in a 3-month-old puppy - so in that case, I would recommend seeing a veterinary behaviorist as soon as possible. If you're not sure what you're seeing, feel free to post again with more details about the behavior so that we can try and help you figure it out.

For play biting and mouthing, the best thing you can do is provide lots of toys and chew items for Shadow so that he has an appropriate outlet for this behavior. Try long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and balls or smaller toys for chasing and fetching. Also provide things to lay and chew on like rawhide chews, bully sticks, cow or pig ears, etc.

If he gets excited and starts to bite you, grab one of his toys and use that to play with him instead. Praise him for grabbing the toy instead of you, and reward by tugging on it and continuing the game. If he bites your hands when you try to pet him, calmly stop petting and ignore him until he calms down. At this age, you may only be able to pet him when he's calm and sleepy - this is fine, and will get better as he gets older.

The main thing is to be patient and consistent, and realize that this is normal behavior that will resolve on its own with age. Enjoy your puppy, and make sure he has lots of other things to bite instead :)
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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