DoctorPup Complimentary Service

Sweet but Attacks Your Feet

Q: I have a 10 week old Morkie that is super sweet and we adore him but when he gets too excited to see someone he starts like attacking your hands and feet. Sometimes he even will walk up to you and then jump up and bite your arms out of now where. How do I help this biting and nipping behavior I've tried ignoring him when he does it and just walk away but he continues to bite your ankles or just bites somewhere else.

A: It seems for most puppies no response is about the same as encouragement. If you want to change his behavior and he is persistant in continuing the same behavior I feel you have to use a rememberable reprimand. By no means am I suggesting anything abusive but your response has to be enough to get him to stop immediately and decide that it is not worth continuing. I am aware that many behavioralist maintain that your hand or foot cannot be part of the correction but "lifting" him away with your foot is still a measure that works for me. You can also thread his leash through a length of plastic pipe so that you can keep him at a distance where he cannot get to your feet. The main point here is to create the situation where the behavior cannot occur or to impose a penalty that he remembers and wants to avoid.