Is your puppy being aggressive?

It’s very common for puppy owners, especially first time owners, to think their biting puppy is being aggressive. Don’t be embarrassed if this was you once upon a time or still is. Now, this doesn’t mean it never happens, but most of the time the puppy is not being mean or aggressive. It is only play!

Have you ever watched a litter of pups playing together? They growl, bark, whine and bite. This type of play is how they learn communication and how to control the pressure in their bites. While playing they are providing feedback to one another. If one bites a little too hard then the other lets out a whine or yip. The biting puppy then knows that the bite pressure was not appropriate.

Since this is how they grew up how can we expect any different when they are removed from the litter and go to their new homes? They think they can still play with us just like they did their litter mates. It is up to us to teach them what we expect of them. Whether that is to never put teeth on skin or soft mouthing is okay.

Don’t be scared when your puppy is growling, jumping, biting, etc. This is just one of those things that usually comes with puppy owning. It is time to start training and molding the puppy into what we want to see in our adult dogs.

Just like everything else there are multiple ways to train a puppy not to mouth. You’ll have to find what works for you and your puppy. Something that worked for your previous dog may not work for your new puppy. Be open and willing to try whatever will work best for your individual puppy.

Enjoy your puppy! It doesn’t last forever!