Why do puppies only bite one person? Here’s What to Expect

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Your Puppy Is Testing & Practising His Bite Threshold

The most likely reason your puppy is biting only you is that he sees you as his main leader or mother figure.

● If your puppy was taken away from his canine mother too early, he would have missed the chance to practice his bite threshold with her and his siblings.

● While puppies are still with their mothers and siblings, they begin to explore the power of their mouth, niping and biting on a daily basis.

● Mother dogs then proceed to severely tell off their offspring when they bite her too hard. And although this can be unsettling to watch, puppies learn A LOT about their bite. If your puppy wasn’t able to get that with his canine mother, he’ll pick out who he considers to be his human mother and do the same.

Why Does My Puppy Bite Me & Not My Husband?

This could come down to a few reasons…

1. Female relatable to canine mother:

Your pup may consider the female to be more relatable to his canine mother and will therefore continue nipping and testing his bite threshold.

2. Viewing the husband as the alpha:

In other situations, he may view the husband as the alpha (potentially) and therefore chooses to avoid nipping/playing with someone of “high pack status”.

One thing to consider would be how you both interact with your puppy. Which of you seems to take more responsibility? spends more time with the puppy?

3. Closer bond with you:

It could even be that the puppy is choosing to bite the female due to the fact they have a closer bond. If the husband isn’t as close or affectionate with the puppy, it could cause the pup to keep their distance instead of pushing boundaries.

How do you know which one it is? Unfortunately (and honestly) it’s very hard to diagnose a specific reason. To do this, you’ll have to consider your overall role in how you interact with your puppy, and consider household dynamics (whos the alpha, etc).

So, what should you do about puppy biting?

  • If your puppy bites you, you need to ignore the behavior and remove *yourself* from the interaction, with no drama.
    • Note: You are not putting your puppy in a time out. That involves way too much time, talking, and attention to be an effective punishment. You are either ignoring the behavior or removing yourself from it.
  • That means play is over, fun is over, attention is over. Be as non-dramatic as possible.
  • If the behavior is hard for you to ignore, go behind a door or baby gate where your puppy does not have access to continue nipping at you.
  • If your puppy tries to nip at you when you return, remove yourself again.
  • You should see a major decrease in the intensity of biting as well as the amount of biting attempts within a few days.

    • Why does my dog only bite me?

    When some dogs are excited, they show their love and attention in challenging ways—treating people like chew toys.

    To learn why this behavior happens in the first place and for advice about how to redirect the habit, we turned to the experts: Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer of the American Kennel Club, and certified dog trainer Kate Naito, an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, Manners Program Director at Doggie Academy and the award-winning author of two books about dogs.