Most dogs lunge at your face when excited because they want to greet you up close: dogs greet each other face to face, and puppies lick and nuzzle older dogs’ mouths. Add a burst of excitement, playfulness or a craving for attention – and, in puppies, teething or overtiredness – and that greeting can turn into jumping and nipping.
The good news is that it’s usually not aggression, and you can teach a calmer greeting. Below are 9 reasons your dog (especially a puppy) may do this, and how to stop it.
9 Reasons Your Puppy May Bite When Excited.
Before trying to stop your dog from biting, it’s important to understand why they might be doing it in the first place. There are a few different reasons that puppies might lunge at people’s faces.
Here are all of the reasons that your puppy is doing this behavior. With an understanding of why they are doing it, you’ll be better poised to fix the problem and make sure that your dog is more well-behaved.
1Playful Mood
One of the most common reasons that puppies bite is simply because they’re feeling playful. When puppies are young, they haven’t learned how to properly control their teeth and mouths yet. So when they get excited, one of the first things they want to do is use their mouths.
This can be a problem if you have small children in the house who are not used to being around dogs. A playful nip from a puppy can hurt, even if they don’t mean to hurt anyone. Gentler mouthing is a different habit; see why your dog holds your hand in his mouth.
Puppies also lunge at older dogs’ faces in play, and not every adult dog appreciates it. This can lead to a grumpy correction or an unpleasant confrontation between the two dogs, so keep an eye on their play.
2Overstimulated
Another reason that puppies might lunge at people’s faces is that they are feeling overstimulated. This can happen when there are too many people around, or when there is too much noise and commotion.
When puppies get overstimulated, they can become overwhelmed and start to nip at people as a way to release some of that energy. This is often seen at dog parks or during social events where there are a lot of people and dogs. Some dogs also pant heavily when they're over-excited; see why your dog pants when you pet him.
3Fearful or Anxious
In some cases, puppies might lunge at people’s faces because they are feeling fearful or anxious. This can be triggered by several different things, such as sudden movements, loud noises, or even unfamiliar people or dogs.
When puppies are feeling scared, they might try to make themselves seem bigger by standing up on their hind legs and lunging at the person or animal that they’re afraid of. This is usually done to make the other person go away.
If your puppy is doing this behavior, it’s important to try to calm them down and make them feel safe. Otherwise, they might continue to be scared and could start to bite out of fear.
4Chasing Something That's Moving
A more uncommon reason that puppies might lunge at people’s faces is that they’re trying to chase something that’s moving. This could be another animal, a toy, or even a person who is walking by.
Puppies are naturally curious and love to chase things. So if they see something moving, their first instinct might be to try to catch it. This can often lead to them nipping at the person or animal that they’re trying to catch.
5Boredom
Boredom can cause nipping in puppies. If your puppy is left alone for long periods, they might start to get bored. And when they’re bored, they can become destructive and start to nip at things to release some of that energy.
This is often seen in puppies who are left alone all day while their owners are at work. If your puppy is bored, it’s important to give them something to do so that they don’t start nipping out of boredom.
6Tired & Cranky
Puppies can also become tired and cranky. This can happen if they haven’t had enough exercise or if they’ve been awake for too long. When puppies are tired, they can often become cranky and start to nip at things.
Puppies need a lot of sleep–and if they are for some reason deprived of that sleep, they can become a bit nippy!
7Wants Attention
Puppies also nip sometimes because they want attention. If you have been ignoring your puppy or if they feel like they’re not getting enough attention, they might start to nip at you as a way to get your attention.
8Hungry or Thirsty
Sometimes puppies nip because they’re hungry or thirsty. If your puppy hasn’t had anything to eat or drink in a while, they might start to nip at you as a way to get your attention.
9Puppy Teething
Finally, it’s important to note that puppies nip more often when they’re teething. This is because their teeth are growing in and they’re trying to relieve some of the discomfort that they’re feeling.
If your puppy is teething, it’s important to give them something to chew on so that they don’t start nipping at you. Otherwise, they might continue to nip out of discomfort.
How to Stop My Dog From Nipping at my Face
One way to stop nipping is to interrupt the behavior with a noise, or “yip!”. This sends a social signal to the puppy that what they have done has hurt you, and also distracts them from the act of nipping. Some puppies get even more excited by the noise, though, so if that happens with yours, try these steps instead:
- Remove the attention. As soon as your dog jumps or lunges at your face, calmly stand up, turn away, and fold your arms. If it keeps going, step out of the room for a few seconds.
- Reward four paws on the floor. Give attention, praise or a treat only when all four feet are on the ground, or ask for a sit before you greet your dog.
- Keep greetings low-key. Coming home with a calm voice (and crouching down to your dog’s level once it’s calm) takes a lot of the excitement out of the moment.
- Redirect to a toy. Keep a toy by the door so your dog has something else to put its mouth on.
- Prevent overtiredness. Overtired puppies get nippy, so make sure yours gets enough naps, exercise and chew time.
Doing this consistently is key, and everyone in the household should follow the same rules. Never let young children put their faces close to an excited dog. And if the lunging comes with growling, a stiff body, raised hackles or hard bites, or happens when your dog seems scared, get help from a qualified trainer or behaviorist.
Let’s Recap
There are a number of different reasons that puppies nip at people’s faces. In most cases, it’s simply because they’re excited, scared, or bored. However, it’s important to try to figure out why your puppy is nipping so that you can stop the behavior. A puppy that nips at people could have a hard time with socialization, so be sure to consistently work at it and continue to expose your puppy to different social situations.
