Problem behaviors
How to stop my dog from biting me
Our trainers get this call in two very different voices: the exasperated one about a puppy, and the frightened one about an adult that snapped. The method below starts by telling them apart, because the first is a rule and the second is a case.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
Why it happens
Four bites that feel the same and mean different things.
A puppy bites because it explores and plays with its mouth and nobody has taught it that skin is off limits; it is loose, wiggly and relentless, and it is normal until about five months. An adolescent bites in play that got rough or when it is over-aroused, jumping and grabbing sleeves and hands, and it has usually been played with by hand since puppyhood. A dog that bites when you reach for it, for the collar, to move it off the couch, near its bowl or its bone, is giving a warning that was probably a growl first, and it is guarding or afraid; the body is stiff, not wiggly. And a dog that bites when cornered, startled or hurt is afraid or in pain. The first two are fixed with rules. The second two are managed today and worked with help.
- Puppy: loose, wiggly, relentless, normal to five months
- Adolescent: rough play and arousal, hands as toys
- A reach for the collar, the couch, the bowl or a bone: guarding or fear
- Cornered, startled or hurt: fear or pain
- Rules for the first two; management and help for the rest
The method
Six steps for the mouth that is play, and three for the bite that is a warning.
For the puppy and the adolescent the method is about making the mouth stop working and giving it a job. For the warning bite the method is management first and a trainer second, and the steps below are in that order.
Redirect every mouth on skin to a toy, calmly, and keep a toy within reach of every adult and child
Teeth on skin twice: the game ends, you stand up and leave the room for thirty seconds, every time, no voice
Hands are never toys: no wrestling, no roughhousing with hands, no tug with fingers; tug happens with a toy and a start and a stop
Naps enforced for the puppy and an off switch built for the adolescent, because an overtired or over-aroused dog bites more
A structured walk and a job for the brain, so the mouth has less energy behind it
Trades for anything the dog holds, so a hand coming toward the mouth predicts something better, never a loss
For a warning bite: separate today, a leash in the house, no reaching for the dog or its things, a veterinary check for pain, and a call this week
The mistakes
Hands as punishment, holding the mouth, yelping, and ignoring the growl that came first.
Punishing a bite with your hands, a tap on the nose, a grab of the muzzle, a hold-down, teaches a dog that hands hurt, and a dog that believes that bites harder and faster in defense; it is how puppy mouthing becomes adult biting. Holding the mouth shut teaches the dog to fight hands. Yelping excites most puppies rather than stopping them. And ignoring the growl that came before the bite, or punishing the growl so it stopped, removes the warning, which is why a dog that bit without warning usually warned for months first. The consequence that works for a play bite is the fun ending; the response that works for a warning bite is distance and a plan.
Children change everything: a dog that has bitten a child is separated today with gates and a leash, whatever the reason, and the call is made this week.
- Never punish with hands
- Never hold the mouth shut
- Yelping excites most puppies
- A punished growl becomes a silent bite
- Any bite at a child: separate today
Proofing around Houston
Summer puppies indoors all day, big families, and a lot of retrievers and bullies.
A Houston puppy that arrives in June spends its first months indoors with children home from school, which is the perfect setup for a puppy that bites all day: too much stimulation, too little sleep, ankles everywhere. The crate, the naps and a frozen washcloth for teething matter more here than anywhere. The breeds Houston owns, retrievers, doodles and bully types, are mouthier than most as puppies and carry things for life, so the rule about what goes in the mouth becomes a rule about what the dog carries, taught with trades. Our trainers build the mouth rules into every puppy bundle and every stay, and the go-home session includes the children.
- The crate and naps for the summer puppy
- A frozen washcloth for teething
- Retrievers, doodles and bullies are mouthy
- The children in the go-home session
When to call
A warning bite, a bite that broke skin, a bite at a child, or a puppy still biting hard at eight months.
A bite over a bowl, a bone, a bed, a couch or a collar grab is guarding or fear, and the safe method is on the resource guarding and fearful dog pages; a dog that has bitten that way is a Platinum case, three weeks at $3,750, with an consultation first, management, a muzzle the dog is taught to love and unlimited lessons afterwards. A bite that broke skin or any bite at a child is a call this week regardless of the reason. A puppy still biting hard at eight months has learned that it works and is a Gold case at $2,500 if it has other habits too, or the puppy bundle at $550 or $750 in-home if it is young. The dog bite training page describes the serious end.
The programs
Programs for a dog that bites its family.
Platinum for the warning bite, with an consultation first, Gold for the adolescent whose mouth has kept working, the puppy bundle for the mouthy puppy.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Why does my dog bite me when I pet it?
Usually because it is a puppy or an adolescent that has learned hands are toys, and the fix is redirection, a game that ends at teeth on skin and no roughhousing with hands. If the dog stiffens and bites when touched in a particular place or reached for, that is pain or fear, and the vet comes first.
Should I hit my dog or hold its mouth when it bites?
No. A dog punished with hands learns that hands hurt and bites harder in defense; it is how puppy mouthing becomes adult biting. End the game, leave the room for thirty seconds, and give the mouth a toy. A warning bite needs distance and a plan, not a fight.
My dog bit me when I took its bone. Is it aggressive?
It is guarding, which is a normal dog behavior and a dangerous one in a house. Stop taking things from the dog, trade instead, skip bones for now, and get an consultation. A dog that has bitten over a resource needs a plan run by someone who reads the threshold.
When will my puppy stop biting me?
Around four to six months, as the adult teeth come in, if the biting stops working: redirect, end the game at teeth on skin, enforce naps, and never use hands as toys. A puppy still biting hard at eight months has learned that it works and needs the rules kept properly, plus a job.
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