It seems like every step you take, there your dog is biting your feet! What is going on with them? Why is your dog biting your feet? Is it normal for dogs to bite feet or is yours being strange by doing this? And will they eventually grow out of it, or do you need to do something if you ever expect this frustrating and sometimes painful behavior to stop?

Today, we’re going to answer all of these questions, and most importantly we’ll tell you how to stop your dog from biting your feet. Soon enough, you’ll be able to put your feet down on the floor without worrying about your dog nipping at them! That will be nice, won’t it? Of course! So let’s not delay any longer and get to our article “How to Stop My Dog Biting My Feet.”

How to Stop Your Dog From Biting Your Feet

To stop your dog from biting your feet, you should immediately give a calm but firm “no” or “ouch” the next time it happens. Next, put your dog into a time-out in their crate or a closed-off room with no toys for about 10 minutes. You can then let them out, but if they again nip your feet, then put them back into time-out.

Your dog should quickly learn that biting your feet gets them negative results. It’s important to also be positive, and give them praise, pets, and even treats when they are being good and not biting or nipping your feet when they’re around your legs. This lets your dog see that biting at your feet gets them negative things, while not doing so and behaving gets them rewarded.

Ensure that everyone else who spends time with your dog is also following these steps, and be patient and consistent. It should also help speed up things if you make sure that your dog is getting plenty of playtime. A tired dog is generally a more obedient one, and there’s a good chance that this is what they’re trying to communicate to you anyways.

Still, you need to address the fact that your dog ever thought that it was appropriate to bite your feet when they wanted something in the first place. To properly do that, we need to first quickly talk about what really makes dogs tick to begin with.

You’ve likely heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader. Well, when your dog bites your feet and doesn’t listen to your commands to stop, they are essentially telling you that they just don’t respect you in this role. If they did, they would obey your commands. They also wouldn’t be biting you (or anyone else) in the first place.

But don’t worry, because you haven’t failed your dog. This is a very common issue that you’ll see in more homes with dogs than not. And fortunately, it’s also something that is easily correctable, provided that you have the right instructions to follow.

“Okay, so what do I need to do then?”

You should watch an excellent free video series which is on this exact subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In his series, he’ll show you everything you need to know in ways that are very easy to understand and to teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you’ll start seeing these important changes in no time.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And no, you’re not going to have to be mean to your dog. In fact, you won’t even have to raise your voice. Dan only uses 100% humane and loving teaching methods at all times. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s the only way to achieve fast and permanent results with your dog.

Why Is My Dog Biting My Feet?

Your dog is biting your feet because they are trying to herd you. In many breeds, this is a hereditary behavior where they will nip at your feet and ankles to try to get you to go where they want. The reason why could be anything from wanting a walk or food, to wanting to steer you away from danger, to wanting to play. If it’s play they’re after, look also for a wagging tail or your dog doing play bows.

It’s also possible that your dog is being aggressive when they bite your feet, though it’s a less common explanation. If this is the case, you’ll likely also see your dog barking aggressively, growling, and staring with a very focused intent at you (or whoever’s feet they’re biting). Aggression will usually be fairly obvious, so you likely won’t have to wonder.

But regardless of whether your dog is biting your feet due to innocent or aggressive reasons, it’s not something that you can allow to continue. Letting this go on gives your dog the impression that it’s okay, and then it will only grow and escalate into other related, and likely worse problems.

Before long, your dog will be biting you on the legs, biting your pants or trousers, biting onto your arms, and maybe taking things to the point of biting people who come visit. You clearly do not want any of these things happening, so it’s important that you stop them all now by using behavioral training. We went over how to do that in the first section of this article.

When Will My Puppy Stop Biting Feet?

Your puppy will stop biting feet when you train the behavior away. While puppies should bite your feet less after they’re finished teething, which will be at between four and six months, if you allow them to learn the behavior is fun and gets them what they want, there’s no reason to believe it will ever stop.

While it’s very possible that your puppy will stop biting feet once they’ve gotten past the teething stage, you may find yourself very disappointed — and with sore feet — if you depend on that to solve your issue. Behavioral training is the only surefire solution, regardless of your pup’s age, to stop feet biting. We covered that in the first section.

Is It Normal for Dogs to Bite Feet?

It is not normal for dogs to bite feet, though it’s not particularly unusual either. Many dogs, even those that are just puppies, will never bite feet. But that doesn’t mean your dog is unruly or unredeemable if they’re engaging in this behavior.

Your dog has just decided that biting feet is a good way to communicate things, or to herd you. If they’re still a puppy, then they’re likely just teething, or haven’t learned to not nip during play. Either way, while you shouldn’t consider it a normal thing that you can brush off, it’s also not something for which the solution isn’t very well-known.

I’m sure you’re ready to not have to worry about your dog being by your feet anymore, so I’ll let you get started now. Good luck with everything, and thank you for reading our article “How to Stop My Dog Biting My Feet.”