Puppies growl and bite for four main reasons: play, fear, resource guarding, and pain or illness. Learn what each behavior means and how to handle it so your puppy stops.
Your puppy growls and bites you and you don't understand why. In this video by an animal expert, we explain the four possible reasons why your puppy is behaving this way and what you should do to prevent it. Let's get started. One is that it's part of the game. Some owners who are not familiar with puppies that growl while playing get scared. They think that they are developing an aggressive character and even scold them, which is completely counterproductive. However, you should know that it is normal for your puppy to growl while playing, either to provoke you into playing with them or because they are pretending to fight or hunt. In addition, it is also normal for your puppy to bite you while playing, which is why it is very important that you know how to tell them when they are hurting you so that they learn to control their biting. What you should do is stop the game every time they bite you hard and make a sound like a this way, your puppy will associate this situation with the end of the fun and will gradually learn to control themselves. Likewise, if your puppy wants to play with you when you don't want to and asks you to by biting or growling, you should ignore it and show indifference. On the contrary, it could learn to bite you to get you to pay attention to it, which is obviously harmful when it becomes an adult. Finally, you should not forget that your puppy needs to chew because its teeth are still growing and it hurts. For this reason, you you should offer it several chew toys. Find out more about the needs and care of a puppy in the video on the card. 2. It is afraid. If your puppy growls at you and even bites you when you approach it, it is possible that it feels insecure. This could be due to traumatic experiences or poor socialization during the first months of life. In this case, you should be patient and give it time to adapt to its new environment and family. You should avoid forcing situations in which it may feel uncomfortable and invite it to approach you by giving it rewards, sweet words and avoiding sudden movements. This way, little by little, your dog will associate you as someone positive and trustworthy. Remember that you should never scold him, as that will never solve the problem. When you scold your dog, you may be able to inhibit the growling, that is make your dog stop communicating, but that will not solve the main problem. This way, you will only ensure that when he feels upset or displeased, he does not tell you. And if he gets to the point where he feels really upset, he will start biting you directly to ask you to stop without warning you in advance. Above, we are going to leave you a video in which we explain how to train a puppy. 3. Protect his resources Resource guarding occurs when the puppy feels insecure about having something valuable taken away from him. This is usually because he has experienced situations at a very young age that have led him to this learning. A very common example is that your puppy growls at you when you approach his toy. It is possible that every time you play with something, someone is going to take it away and the fun is over. It is normal for your puppy to growl to avoid it because in its eyes you are a party pooper. To redirect this behavior, it is important that your puppy does not see you as a threat that wants to steal something from it, but rather associate your presence with something positive. For example, if your puppy growls and bites you when you approach its food bowl, stand at a distance where it feels calm, then reward it with a very juicy reward for acting calm. Progressively get closer and help it associate your presence with a trustworthy and protective figure. Remember to avoid punishments at all costs, which will only generate more distrust in your furry friend. If you think this problem has become unmanageable because it has been going on for too long, it is best to see a professional who can advise you. 4. Something hurts or it is sick Never rule out that if your puppy growls at you when you touch or pick him up, it could be because he is in pain or is not feeling well. It could also be that he is sick and wants to isolate himself. When a puppy is not feeling well, you will notice that he goes from being a happy, energetic animal to being rather dull and apathetic. In this case, you should take him to the vet for an examination. Find out more about dog training in the playlist we have left for you here. Tell us now you know why your puppy is behaving this way. Until next time, experts Sam.
