My puppy bites and nothing works. When should I hire a dog trainer?

Sorry to hear you are having so much difficulty with this part of Parker's training. By this age, I am sure it is getting very old already! I won't go over any of the techniques you have already tried with him. One that you have not mentioned is teaching him the touch command. It can be used as a deterrent for almost anything that you find undesirable happening with Parker. With dogs that are biting or nipping, I suggest training the touch command with some sort of stick or wand. Basically, you want to be able to say "touch", and then have Parker touch his nose to the object. If he accomplishes this, he should be rewarded. In this case, you just have to make sure he is definitely touching with his nose and not his teeth! We don't want to reward him for an inappropriate behavior. You should also consider that Parker may still be teething. While most of his adult teeth should already be present, dogs all develop at different rates. This is still not a habit we want to allow Parker to continue to develop regardless, so breaking it sooner than later is important. If you are unable to work things out with him at home, you might want to also consider hiring a professional trainer to work with him. Hope this helps!

I have a couple recommendations for you in no particular order My first is to contact a different trainer because someone truly qualified will be able to help you out. Its crucially important to only work with a trainer who uses positive reinforcement and ideally is certified through the Karen Pryor academy or CPDT-KA (which stands for Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed). Spooky is at a great age to start training, and really it's mostly us humans who need to be trained. I recommend reading this free PDF right away: https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf Finally, it sounds like Spooky is getting "egged on" by your loud noises and attempts to interrupt. He's probably finding it to be a super fun game that you two are playing. So, I would recommend taking the opposite pathway of totally ignoring inappropriate behavior. You mentioned that you tried this but he kept biting - you need to also move away and get space between you. You can use a leash or a crate, or a door to create space. It's very important to give Spooky an appropriate toy to work on when you leave the situation. This can be hard to do correctly, so use the above resources to help. I hope that helps a bit, good luck!

Otis is adorable! I would actually recommend a trainer for him. They will be able to work with you and him to stop this behavior. in the mean time when he starts to nip then I would recommend stopping all play until he has calmed down. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Chase. Without being able to observe him in person, it's hard to say if this is truly aggressive behavior (which would be extremely concerning in such as young pup) or just very intense play biting/mouthing - which can be normal for some dogs, especially high-drive working breeds, but is often difficult for pet owners to manage. Either way, it sounds like you could definitely use some professional help. I would recommend getting in touch with a good canine behaviorist who can evaluate Chase in person to help determine if this is aggression vs. play, and put together a detailed training plan to work on his behavior. You can find information on how to search for a qualified professional in your area here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist

This can be a very frustrating stage with some puppies! Biting and mouthing is a very normal behavior for pups this age - but if you think that what Dexter is doing is excessive, an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist would be the best option. He/she can evaluate him in person to help determine if what you're seeing is normal or not, and can show you some strategies to help with this behavior. A puppy class can be good for socialization and teaching basic obedience skills, but will likely not help at all with an issue like this. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Nova is adorable! Play biting is very normal in puppy-hood, though at 6 months this should be significantly improved or resolved. Never use your hands to play with her or rile her up. Only offer toys. The minute she gets crazy and starts lunging for your hands, etc you need to make her sit or lay down. Always have treats on you to reward her when she listens. If she is too worked up and not listening, put her in a 5 minute time out. Try to have a leash on her at all times, I really like the muzzle gentle leader harnesses as it allows great head control. That way you can easily pull her off you. She should know how to look and leave it on command. If you are reaching a plateau with training I recommend hiring a trainer to focus on your areas of concern. Professionals can really help when we have exhausted what we can do alone. Exercise is also important: frequent walks and play time or consider doggie daycare a few times per week. I hope this helps and I think Nova will outgrow this stage very soon! https://www.petcoach.co/article/puppy-biting-nipping-of-hands/

Hi there! With any dog that is biting, there is the potential for them to really harm someone, or even another dog. The advice I always give is to contact your local veterinarian for a referral to a veterinary behaviorist ( a veterinarian who specializes in behavior). If this is not an option in your area, then your vet should be able to give you some recommendations for reputable trainers in your area. Working with a professional is the safest and best recommendation I can give. It is never a good idea to let a behavioral issue like biting go on for too long. And your friend should definitely make sure this dog has a rabies vaccine. There are many legal issues that can arise if this dog bites another person and breaks the skin. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!