A lot of people think dogs bite “because that’s what they do”. But dogs don’t become aggressive without good reason, and most dogs express aggression because they find themselves in a stressful situation. So it stands to reason that the best way to prevent your puppy from becoming an angry or aggressive dog later is to help him to avoid or tolerate stressful situations. And you must learn to recognise signs of fear such as being backed into a corner, or being restricted by his lead.

Fear is the common factor
To become afraid, dogs don’t necessarily need to have had a nasty experience. Dogs that are fear-stricken are those that don’t get the opportunity to socialise with enough people. So socialisation is very important – for advice on socialisation click here. If your puppy is brought up to see people (grown-ups and children alike) as providers of fun, praise and treats, they won’t need to display threatening behaviour.

You should also expose your puppy to noises and situations that might frighten them from a young age, to help them overcome their fears. Then potentially scary things, like the vacuum cleaner, traffic or the postman, become everyday occurrences they take in their stride.

Your puppy and other people
It might be stating the obvious, but people are different; different ages, different shapes and sizes. And your puppy should encounter them all. Get him used to strangers, but be careful they don’t overwhelm your new pet in their show of affection.

It’s important that your puppy becomes acquainted with children, too. Even if there aren’t children in the house, get him to meet some outside. One proven suggestion is to take him to the vicinity of a school; children will need no encouragement to make a fuss of your cuddly new charge. But don’t forget that puppies can become tired quickly, so make sure that meeting times with other people are kept quite short, and give your puppy time to rest.

Play-biting shouldn’t get out of hand
Before you collected your new puppy, he was used to playing with his own brothers and sisters. And play-biting is a puppy’s natural game. So once he’s settled into his new home, he’ll want to play-bite with you. But to curb excessive biting, you’ll need to divert his attention away from your hands to his toys.

The chances are, whenever you spend time with your puppy, stroking and making a fuss of him, he’ll want to chew on your hand, so make sure you have one of his toys ready. Make it hard for him to bite your hand by making a fist and offer a toy instead, waving and wiggling it around him. It won’t be long before he learns that toys are lot more fun to play with and chew than a big fist.

Your puppy only knows what you teach him
It’s important to remember that whatever you teach your puppy now will be normal behaviour for your grown dog. So when he’s playing as a puppy, try thinking of him as a mature dog, and judge whether his behaviour is acceptable or otherwise. If he starts growling, or attempting to bite a hand holding a toy, or rushing a young child during play, stop the game at once and walk away with the toy. He’ll soon learn why the fun stopped and avoid the behaviour that caused it.

If you have any concerns about your puppy’s behaviour, or would like more information about available books, training courses or classes, your vet will be pleased to advise you.