Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

    rewards header
    Become a member today!
    Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
    Already a member? Sign in
    Petco Pay LogoBecome a credit card member today!

    Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
    when you use Petco Pay!

    APPLY NOW
    Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

Why does my 8-month-old puppy bite so hard, and how do I stop it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered

How do I get my dog to be less aggressive? He's 8 months and doesnt understand that he bites hard.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on March 20th, 2018

Is Chuckie actually aggressive or is he biting you too hard when you play? I will presume that he is just biting you too hard when you play. Play biting and being excessively "mouthy" is very common in puppies. I have not personally had luck with the techniques of saying "No!" or holding the muzzle. I that makes puppies more excited. My general rule for puppies is that you make a high pitched squeak (like a littermate puppy would do if they bit too hard), then walk away from the situation. More than anything, Chuckie wants to play with you. If you walk away, it is negative reinforcement, so he is less likely to do that behavior again. Depending on the puppy, the goal is to get them to look away from you or start doing something else before you engage in play again. I found that a long rope toy made a good toy to play with my puppy because there was lots of toy for him to bite at without touching my skin. I also found that allowing him to play with other dogs is a great way for him to learn what is appropriate play. I took my dog to doggy day care twice a week as a puppy which really helped with his energy level as well as appropriate play technique. And finally, start a puppy class. A basic obedience class is so important for a puppy. They want to behave, but don't know what to do with their energy.
I hope that was helpful! Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on January 10th, 2017

    I see that Rowan is only about 8 weeks old :) Biting is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how they explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. This behavior will resolve on its own as he gets older, but there are definitely some things you can do right now to help.

    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. You should also provide lots of different items for him to chew on by himself - things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, large rawhide chews, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter.

    If you are playing with him and he bites you, just redirect him to one of his toys and use that to play with him instead. Verbal scolding or punishment usually just frustrates the puppy and gets him more worked up, so this is not recommended. If he bites your hands when you 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 is relaxed and sleepy - this is perfectly okay, and will improve as he gets older.

    Vote Icon

    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on November 29th, 2016

    Biting and mouthing are very common in young dogs this age - this is how they instinctively want to play. Make sure that you have a variety of different types of toys for your puppy to play with - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. When you are playing and he bites you, just redirect him to one of his toys and use that to play with him instead. During "downtime" when you're relaxing, give him something to chew on to help keep him busy so that he doesn't bite you for attention - things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, large rawhide chews, or puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter are all good options. This type of biting and mouthing normally resolves on its own with age, so be patient and consistent in the meantime and give him more appropriate ways to play with you instead :)

    Vote Icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

New Pet
How to stop a puppy from biting and chewing hands during play?
Yes, you are correct that it is important to teach Cujo not to put his teeth on humans even when he is playing. Play biting and being excessively "mouthy" is very common in puppies and a normal behavior. I have not personally had luck with the techniques of saying "No!" or holding the muzzle. I find that makes puppies more excited. My general rule for puppies is that you make a high pitched squeak (like a littermate puppy would do if they bit too hard), then walk away from the situation. More than anything, Cujo wants to play with you. If you walk away, it is negative reinforcement, so he is less likely to do that behavior again. Depending on the puppy, the goal is to get them to look away from you or start doing something else before you engage in play again. I found that a long rope toy made a good toy to play with my puppy because there was lots of toy for him to bite at without touching my skin. I also found that allowing him to play with other dogs was a great way for him to learn what is appropriate play. I took my dog to doggy day care twice a week as a puppy which really helped with his energy level as well as appropriate play technique. And finally, start a puppy class. A basic obedience class is so important for a puppy. They want to behave, but don't know what to do with their energy. I hope that was helpful! Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
Why does my 9-month-old puppy bite my hands? How can I stop it?
Play biting and being excessively "mouthy" is very common in puppies. (And at 9 months old, Floyd is certainly still a puppy.) I have not personally had luck with the techniques of saying "No!" or holding the muzzle. I that makes puppies more excited. My general rule for puppies is that you make a high pitched squeak (like a littermate puppy would do if they bit too hard), then walk away from the situation. More than anything, your puppy wants to play with you. If you walk away, it is negative reinforcement, so they are less likely to do that behavior again. Depending on the puppy, the goal is to get them to look away from you or start doing something else before you engage in play again. I found that a long rope toy made a good toy to play with my puppy because there was lots of toy for him to bite at without touching my skin. Especially if Floyd is biting down, it is vital that he NEVER puts his teeth on a person. If he does, then you need to walk away and the play session is over. It will take a while, but he will get it. I also found that allowing my puppy to play with other dogs was a great way for him to learn what is appropriate play. I took my dog to doggy day care twice a week as a puppy which really helped with his energy level as well as appropriate play technique. And finally, start a puppy class. A basic obedience class is so important for a puppy. They want to behave, but don't know what to do with their energy. And Floyd is a herding breed dog, so he is smart with a lot of energy, so he needs a good outlet for his energy. I hope that was helpful! Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My 3-month-old puppy bites and humps. How do I make him calm?
I recommend getting him into a puppy kindergarten obedience class. The trainer can help you guide his energy into less aggressive, destructive paths. Also, make sure he is getting lots and lots of exercise, going for long walks, take him for a jog, throw the ball for him, get a tug toy and let him play tug of war with you or another dog, get him out for play dates with other dogs (best left after his vaccination series is finished, at about four months of age). A tired dog is a happy dog, and one less likely to get himself into trouble with boredom. When you play with your puppy, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your puppy and cause him to stop mouthing you. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your puppy for stopping. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period. If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the short time-out, return to your puppy and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your puppy isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your puppy or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My 13-week-old puppy is aggressive and bites. How do I stop it?
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. Below are techniques that I recommend to try and stop this behavior. Puppies can have aggressive play behavior which can be corrected. These are the techniques I find the most helpful. If these do not help, then I would recommend seeking a behaviorist to discuss training Indie. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. When Indie bites your hand, insert your thumb into her mouth and grip under the jaw with the remaining fingers and pinch your thumb lightly against the fingers under the jaw in the soft spot of the underside of the tongue. Hold this so that she cannot get away and do this until she finds it annoying and stops biting. She will likely start licking you. Keep up with this technique and it should help. 2. Use a spray bottle filled with water and lightly spray Indie in the face while saying "off!" when she does this behavior 3. Keep a leash on her at all times and when she acts up, grab the leash and give a firm tug downward and say "off!". 4. It is important that you also reward the good behavior and give her a treat for when she stops 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. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My 2-month-old puppy bites constantly. How can I get him to stop?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Kuku. Biting and chewing are normal puppy behaviors. However, he needs to learn to do so without harming you. If he were to bite another puppy too hard in play that puppy would squeal. You can mimic this behavior by saying "no!" in a high pitched voice. If this does not help, then you can redirect him to something positive to play with such as a toy. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My puppy bites me hard when I try to stop her chewing. What to do?
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!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
How do I stop my 2-month-old puppy from biting my hands so much?
No, please do not cut your puppy's teeth - this would be very painful for him, and could also cause infection and other serious problems. Biting and mouthing during play is very normal behavior for puppies, and will resolve on its own with age. In the meantime, make sure that Pocholo 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 for chasing and fetching. It can also be helpful to provide lots of different items to chew on - things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, rawhide chews, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If you are playing with him and he bites you, just redirect him to one of his toys and use that to play with him instead. If he bites your hands when you pet him, calmly stop petting and ignore him until he calms down. You may only be able to pet him when he is sleepy right now, which is fine - just be patient and consistent with him as he grows, and the mouthing will stop on its own.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Related Searches

Dog ToysDog SuppliesDog FoodDog Treats & ChewsDog Chew ToysPlush Dog ToysPuppy ToysDog Collars, Leashes & HarnessesPuppy TreatsDog Training & Behavior SuppliesRope & Tug Dog ToysTough & Durable Dog ToysDog Health & WellnessFetch & Outdoor Dog ToysSoft & Chewy Dog TreatsDog Training TreatsCat Training & BehaviorInteractive & Treat Dispensing Dog ToysTraining Clickers & Whistles for DogsDental Dog Chews
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Share

Styled arrow button