Lunging puppy

[MindyKaykers]

How do I stop my puppy from going from a playful mood to lunging at my face in an attempt to “play” bite my nose?  She even growls.  

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

This behavior may be quite fun for pups, but not so much for us as we would like to keep our noses where they're supposed to be😉

 This form of play stems from when pups are in the litter with their litter mates and mom and has also a name: "bitey face." It often involves grabbing onto each other pups' ears, cheeks and the loose skin of the neck and is often accompanied by teeth-showing displays and growls. As much as this may seem scary to watch, most of the times the two pups are having a great time. With humans, attempts to bite the face are not so welcomed for obvious reasons.

It often takes place when we bend down towards the puppy or when we sit down on the floor to interact with the puppy. Some puppies will also engage in this when they jump onto the couch and our faces are more approachable.

Of course, puppies who engage in rough, obnoxious behaviors don't know that we can get hurt by their sharp teeth. They also sometimes seem to have a hard time grasping the idea that we do not enjoy this type of interaction and most likely that's because this is what they have done all the time since they were in the litter playing with their siblings.

It doesn't help that many puppies fail to understand our signs of displeasure and may misinterpret our attempts to send them away from our faces. Any physical interventions such as  pushing the puppy away or quickly withdrawing the face risk being interpreted as engagement. Indeed, if you carefully watch puppies play, you will notice how moving away often evokes more grabbing and chasing.

 Vocalizations such as yelping or saying "ouch" and quickly withdrawing from play by turning around or leaving the room, may work for mild cases. Some puppies though may get more overstimulated by such vocalizations or may view them as a fun challenge. They may think along the terms of: "cool a human tug toy that squeaks too!" or they may feel the need to bite more in hopes of getting the human to move and interact again. So how can we tackle this issue? Biting targeted towards the face should be discouraged considering the potential for injuries and the risks in a puppy growing up and continuing this behavior. The behavior can be particularly problematic which children who are at a dog's face level.

Following are some tips that come to mind. You can try several and see what works best and you can combine some of them too. 

-Consider that many puppies get overly excited (and more nippy!) when you’re down at their level such as sitting on the floor, on a low chair or bending over. You will need to therefore gradually teach your puppy to stay calm at that level. You can therefore start practicing the training suggested below by first sitting in a chair, then on a low footstool, then on the ground.
-Try initially sitting down on a chair and offering your hands to interact with so that your pup is less attracted to your face. When you see your puppy approaching you and you are sitting down at his level, stretch your arm out and offer your hand and ask your puppy to target.  Here's how to train hand targets: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ By tossing the treat rather than hand feeding, you also provide your puppy a fun workout.
-Once your puppy does this exercise well while sitting on the chair, start practicing sitting on the footstool and then on the ground.

Other ideas:

-If you catch your puppy attempting to bite your face, you can say "oops" as you get up and leave so to inform your puppy that his play style leads to him losing his favorite playmate. 
-Provide stuff to gnaw on (bully sticks, stuffed Kongs) and ample of puppy-safe chew toys of different textures. Make sure to rotate chew toys so that they maintain a certain level of novelty.
-Ensure your puppy receives ample of opportunities for mental stimulation and exercise, encouraging fun brain games and games that incorporate training such as teaching the puppy to sit before a ball is tossed.
-Use caution to not inadvertently encourage jumping and biting the face area when you play with your puppy. Try to play with your dog using a tug-toy or flirt pole making sure to keeping the toy as close to the ground as possible.
-If you have long hair, keep it up to prevent your puppy from being tempted to play with your hair.
-Ensure your puppy is receiving enough sleep. Young puppies need to sleep a lot and just like human children, they may get cranky when they are tired. If your puppy is misbehaving, chances are he just needs a nap. Provide a crate in a quiet area and let your puppy have a safe chew toy in there. Cover the crate with a blanket if your puppy finds it difficult to sleep.
-Consider that dealing with puppy biting takes a multifaceted approach. Puppies need to be provided with outlets for pent-up energy, positive feedback for performing desirable behaviors, consequences for undesirable behaviors (getting yup and leaving) and lots of chew toys. 
-While puppy play biting is for the most part an innocent game even though it may seem rough, sometimes there may be more going on. If you are dealing with a stubborn case or you suspect that the face biting may stem from fear or aggression, please seek the help of a dog behavior professional using force-free behavior modification methods for an in=person consultation and guidance. 

Hope this helps,

Let me know how it goes,

Best,

Adrienne