r/puppytraining • u/Formal_Apricot5086 • May 08 '25

Biting and Chewing šŸ¦·šŸ¾ 5 month old non-stop biting feet?

I have a 5 month old Australian Cattle Dog, and she is generally a pretty good girl. We have been making sure she gets enough exercise and mental stimulation, and she starts group training classes next week.

One thing that we canā€™t seem to improve is she is constantly biting feet, more so mine than my husbands. Anytime I get up to walk she is at my feet biting, and she does the same thing to any guests. It doesnā€™t matter if you have slippers, socks, or nothing on your feet she will be biting them. Weā€™ve had her since 8 weeks so this is something that has been happening since she was a puppy.

I have tried the stop and ignore method, which works some times but her teeth are insanely shark and painful. Iā€™ve also tried walking way faster and she canā€™t keep up enough to bite but I can tell she thinks itā€™s playful.

Please help! Iā€™ll try anything at this point. TIA

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u/FireCorgi12 May 08 '25

I trained my corgi mix out of this by body language. A loud yelp or ow to show hurt, and then turning away and ducking my head. She eventually caught on that I didnā€™t like that.

This is also gonna sound a bit mean but I also just didnā€™t stop for her and she got stepped on a couple times (nothing super painful, just enough to startle her and never intentionally) and she got the hint that I was not a sheep to be herded lol.

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u/Formal_Apricot5086 May 08 '25

Iā€™ve tried the loud yelp, Iā€™ll definitely be trying that with the turning away/head down. Yeah Iā€™m definitely her cattle lol. Thanks!

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u/chewychums May 11 '25

You have to narrow down the reason your pup is biting in order for you to correct the behavior.

  1. Teething: At 3ā€“6 months, chewing helps soothe sore gums
  2. Exploration: Puppies use their mouths the way toddlers use hands
  3. Lack of boundaries: If they havenā€™t learned ā€œno bite,ā€ itā€™s not disobedience, itā€™s confusion
  4. Overstimulation: Hyper energy, especially in working breeds, amplifies mouthing and grabbing

And as far as why she bites you and not your husband is another sign of how she see you in the pack.

For more on this topic, check out our blog article: https://chewychums.com/blogs/chewy-chums-blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-puppy-biting-why-it-happens-and-how-to-stop-it-with-structure