[Althea]

So we got our 8 week old puppy last Thursdayand for the first few days all he did was sleep. We figured this was because he was at a foster home where he was in an enclosure with 8 other dogs all day long..anyhow he has now come out of his shell and gets very excited to see us. Although when we try to pet him he bites us. Not just a little nip, he bites very hard. Its causing my three year old to be very frightened of him. There is not a chance that this dog is going anywhere so I need advice on how to stop this behaviour.

[cigwyllt]

First of all, don't worry, it's not a sign of an aggressive dog. He is just a baby and is playing in the way puppies do - ie, they explore anything and everything with their mouths. It might be hard to believe but he has already had a great start in learning about bite inhibition (how hard is too hard) because he has been with the rest of his litter for 8 weeks, unlike many pups which are rehomed far too young.

One thing to think about is that some pups can get extremely stimulated by touch - everything is just sooooo exciting and when you touch them they get more and more worked up. My own dog - now the ultimate couch potato - thought I was his personal chew toy when I first had him. What I did was to stop touching him unless he was calm and quiet. I still gave him loads of attention, played fetch, talked to him, made eye contact but touch was reserved for those times when he was calm and sleepy.

This is a great article that will help you to understand what is going on in the pup's development right now

Puppy Biting | Dog Star Daily

[Todd]

Very similar thread...

Rescue pup chewing but baby teeth long gone!

[Yogi]

The problem here is typical of breeders as well as those who purchase pups at 8 weeks are under the assumption that it is "weaned". Unfortunately they do not understand the definition of weaned. It is not when they no longer nurse but when the dam is done teaching. This is usually around the age of 10 to 12 weeks. During which the dam teaches bite inhibition ie: not mouthing on you or anyone else. You are going to need to continue to shove toys in its mouth each time if sees your hand as an object of teething.

[Althea]

Thanks everyone. He had his first vet visit today and they gave him a puppy kit that came with a Kong and his vet said that when he starts to bite give him the kong and walk away. So we will try that and see how it goes.

He also has round worms which the vet said is common. But giardia was negative so thats a plus.

[cigwyllt]

There's no quick fix I'm afraid. How old is your pup? How long have you had him?

When my dog was little and thought that I was his personal teething toy I found it best to relate to him by sitting on the floor. He is a small Jack Russell and was too little to make it onto the furniture by himself. I would sit on the floor to play with him - he very quickly got the idea of playing fetch - and I would talk to him and give lots and lots of eye contact and if he was calm I would stroke him. I would sometimes pick him up and put him on the sofa next to me but if he got mouthy I would put him back on the floor. By being on his level if he was getting excited and nippy I could just get up and walk away.

It is very important that your whole family understand that they must all treat the dog in the same way - it is not right for someone to allow him to mouth and someone else to tell him off for it. You must all do the same thing.

Try to keep handling to a minimum unless he is calm and quiet. Don't let people pick him up for a cuddle - much better to get to his level and let him approach you.

When you say "it is biting everything" are you talking about him chewing things when he is unsupervised? Puppies will do this and teaching what he can and can't chew is an important responsibility for you as his owner. His behaviour hasn't changed - he just has not yet learned what is and is not appropriate.

If you can tell us a bit more about his chewing generally we can give better advice.