[beaglekitty]

We just got a beagle puppy one week ago, and he is 9 weeks old. Puppy only had 1 litter mate, who left the breeder a week before he did. Pup was the typical puppy bitey the first couple days, but now he has turned it to vicious biting towards my husband. He tried to put the leash on the pup and was bitten- it broke skin. Is this a sign of aggression? What can we do to stop this behavior? Now my husband does not want to touch the pup. We need help!!!

 

[Curbside Prophet]

The second a puppy is born that pup is biting his way through life. Without this mechanism he is a dead pup. Biting is as natural to puppies as being offended by bites is to us. I wouldn't call it a sign of aggression as I would a sign that you have a formative pup.

Your breeder should be prepared to answer this question for you. If not, google "the bite stops here". Visit dogstardaily.com and download Dr. Ian Dunbar's free book "After You Get Your Puppy." And, sign up for a puppy class...visit adpt.com and find a trainer in your area who may be offering puppy classes.

 

[hanksimon]

The puppy has successfully been teaching humans to give him his own way, simply by biting. However, I doubt that he is aggressive, just untrained. So you want to train him Bite Inhibition. Ian Dunbar is a good source, and there is a short article by him in the Sticky:The Bite Stops Here.

Also, I just published an article, "Nip Nipping..." in the March/April issue of JustLabs magazine on p. 18. You may be able to read the article at the library or one of the larger bookstores, such as Barnes & Nobles. My article is based on Dunbar's methods, but I add a little more info.

BUt work on Bite Inhibition now, because it gets much harder after the puppy grows into an adult. Also, you want to socialize the pup with other dogs.... It may help the pup to learn the manners that it didn't in the litter.

- Hank Simon