It seems like you can’t take a step without feeling that little tug. Your dog is biting your trousers again! Why do they have to do this? Why does your dog bite your trousers or those of other people? Is your dog biting your trousers something they’ll just grow out of, or do you need to be proactive to change the behavior?

Today, we’re going to give you all the answers you need to these questions, and most importantly, we’ll tell you how to stop your dog from biting trousers! Imagine how nice it will be to not have to worry about this annoying habit from your four-legged friend any longer. So without further ado, let’s get to our article “How to Stop Dog Biting Trousers.”

How to Stop Your Dog Biting Trousers

To stop your dog biting trousers or pants, give a calm but firm “no” or “ouch” immediately. If they don’t stop biting your trousers, you should then put them in a time-out in their crate or a closed-off room with no toys for about 10 minutes. This will let your dog know that biting your pants gets them negative results.

After the time-out, continue this process as necessary. Put your dog back in if they attempt to bite your trousers again. You should also begin positively rewarding good behavior. If they’re around your legs and showing signs they want to play but not biting at you, give them pets, praise, and a treat.

You can also play with them if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. Remember that you’re teaching your dog to listen to you, not giving in to their demands. Be patient and consistent, and ensure that anyone else who spends time with your dog is following these steps as well. Your dog should quickly learn that biting at people’s pants is not acceptable.

You still, however, need to address the fact that your dog ever thought it was acceptable to act in this way, or to not listen to your commands. And to do that, we should first quickly discuss what it is that makes your dog tick to begin with.

You’ve probably heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader. Well, when your dog is biting your trousers or pants and refusing your commands to stop, they are essentially telling you that they don’t respect you in this role. If they did, they would be obedient — and they wouldn’t be biting at you in the first place.

But don’t stress, because this type of pack leader confusion is very common. You’ll see it in more homes with dogs than you won’t. So you haven’t done anything wrong or failed your dog, you just need the proper instructions to follow to correct the issue and everyone (including your dog) will be much happier and better off.

“Perfect, so how do I do that?”

You should watch an excellent free video series that’s on just this subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In his series, he’ll explain everything you need to know in ways that are very easy to understand and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you’ll start seeing these important changes in your dog in a hurry.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t worry, because you’re not going to have to be mean. You won’t even have to raise your voice. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving teaching methods at all times. Not just because it’s the right way to do things, but also because it’s the only way to achieve long-lasting and fast results with your dog.

Why Does My Dog Bite My Trousers?

Your dog bites your trousers because they are frustrated and trying to get your attention. They want something, so your dog is biting your trousers to try to get your attention without actually biting you. It could be anything from food to play to wanting to “herd” you somewhere. If play is what your dog is after, look for other signs like wagging their tail or doing play bows.

It’s also possible that your dog bites your pants or trousers due to aggression. Other signs for this would include growling, barking, and staring with a very focused intent. But regardless of why your dog is biting your pants or trousers, you can’t allow the behavior to continue. Brushing them off or giving in lets your dog think that it’s not only okay, but encouraged.

Soon, things will grow and escalate. Your dog will be biting you on the legs, biting at your feet, biting you on the arms — possibly all to the point of drawing blood when they bite you. You obviously don’t want any of these happening, so it’s important you stop your dog biting your trousers now by using behavioral training. We went over how to do that in the first section of this article.

Why Does My Dog Bite Other People’s Trousers?

Your dog bites other people’s trousers most likely to get the person’s attention because they want to play with them, get something from them, or “herd” them somewhere. Play would be the most likely of these, so look for other signs of this like wagging their tail, bouncing around, or doing play bows.

Aggression is also certainly a possibility that you shouldn’t rule out, though this will usually be pretty obvious. Was your dog barking aggressively before biting the person’s pants or trousers? Were they growling at them? Are they staring very directly at the person and not letting anything else steal their gaze?

Even if you know your dog is just wanting to play, you can’t allow them to bite someone else’s pants or trousers. For starters, people won’t like this, but it also gives your dog the impression that it’s okay, and your dog needs to learn boundaries — especially with others. Just because you love playing with your dog doesn’t mean other people will, so you can’t allow this to continue.

Will My Dog Grow Out of Biting My Trousers?

Your dog may grow out biting your trousers if they’re doing it just for play. This type of behavior is more common with puppies, who like to nip during play more. If your dog is older, then it is clearly a behavioral problem that must be addressed and that they won’t just grow out of.

But regardless of your dog’s age, you shouldn’t just wait for them to age out of this issue. Even puppies that are just nipping your pants or trousers while trying to play need to learn boundaries or you give them the impression that they can do whatever they want. Older dogs could soon escalate into biting if you let them think it’s okay.

You should begin working to correct the problem immediately using behavioral training, which we’ll go over in the next section of this article.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to being able to have your dog around your legs without worrying about what they might do, so I’ll let you get started now. Best wishes with everything, and thank you for reading our article “How to Stop Dog Biting Trousers.”