If your husky puppy has been biting at you, this post will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what you can do to stop it.
So, why does my husky puppy bite at me? Husky puppies will, naturally, go through a biting phase when they are young. This is because it explores the world with its mouth and it is teething and it bites things to soothe its gums.
There are a number of reasons why your husky puppy might have been doing it and there are many things that you can consider to help you figure out exactly why. Once you have a good idea of the cause it will become a lot easier for you to get it to stop.
Why your husky puppy bites you
Each of the different reasons why it has been doing it will likely come with a number of clues.
Below, I will show you a number of possible reasons why it might bite at you and what would make them more likely.
It’s teething
The reason that it has been biting at you could be that it is teething. This would be more likely if it has also started chewing on other things a lot as well.
In this case, it would help to give it lots of things to chew on such as chews, toys and bones. It would also help to notice when it is about to start biting on you and to redirect its attention and to do lots of “leave it” training.
You have been encouraging it
It might be the case that you have inadvertently trained it to bite you. This would be more likely if you tend to give it things that it wants when it does it such as more attention, treats or toys. In this case, it will have learned that biting on you gets it things that it wants.
Instead of giving it things that it wants when it does it, try to recognize when it is about to do it and redirect its attention or to stop giving it attention if it does bite.
Nature
It is not unusual for huskies to bite or to jump up a lot as puppies. It is unlikely that your husky is doing it because it is not a well-behaved dog.
However, it is still important to give it lots of training now so that it learns not to do it when it gets older and so that it is easier to control. I will show you how in the section below.
Related: Why is my husky always tired?
It is exploring
When huskies are puppies they will naturally explore the world using their mouths from a very early age. The reason that your husky has been doing it is likely to be that it is exploring you with its mouth and nose naturally.
Related: Why is my husky so anxious?
How to get your husky puppy to stop biting you
There are a number of things that you can do if you want to get your husky puppy to stop biting you and I will mention a number of them below. You will likely find that a combination of them will work well.
Try positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you get your husky to do the things that you want by rewarding it when it displays the behaviors that you want to see.
To use positive reinforcement training to get it to stop biting, you would do as follows:
- Start giving it positive attention
- Stop giving it attention by turning your back and hiding your hands when it starts biting
- Carry on giving it attention when it stops biting
- Stop giving it attention again when if it starts biting
- Repeat the above until it learns that biting results in you not giving it attention
Redirect its attention
Another option you have is to redirect its attention when it is about to bite. You can redirect its attention by doing things such as training it to lay down. By redirecting its focus, it will help to break it out of the biting habit.
Avoid negatively reinforcing the biting
As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have been training it to bite more by rewarding it. Instead of giving it things that it wants when it does it, try using positive reinforcement training and redirecting its focus when it is about to bite.
Give it things to chew on
In addition to the above, you could also give it lots of things to chew on so that it doesn’t feel the need to chew on things that you don’t want it to. You could do this by giving it toys, chews and bones.
Avoid punishing physically it or yelling at it
It might be tempting to punish it for biting on you, but it wouldn’t be recommended. The reason for this is that it might not know why you are punishing it and it could lead to feelings of resentment from your husky.
Things to consider
Below are a number of things that you can consider to help you figure out why your husky has been doing it.
It is important to get it to stop biting now
While it is not unusual for huskies to bite when they are young, it is important to train it not to bite now. If you do not then it might not learn not to bite and it will be much harder to control when it is older.
Biting is normal at a young age
If you are concerned that your husky puppy’s biting is not normal then don’t be. Most huskies will go through a biting phase.
However, as mentioned above, it is still important to train it not to bite now so that it doesn’t do it when it is older.
Be consistent
When training your husky puppy not to bite you it is important to be consistent with the training. You might not see results with just one training session, but if you are consistent with it you will be able to see better results over the course of days and weeks.