Why does my dog attack (bite) our feet/shoes?

We just adopted a 1 year old Rat Terrier mix, who sometimes will attack our feet/shoes by growling at them and biting them. Why does he do this and how can we get him to stop?

Asked by Member 1102023 on Mar 24th 2012 Tagged feet, shoes, bite, growl in Aggression


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Rat Terriers were originally bred to hunt and kill rats. How much exercise does he get? He's probably bored. He's entertaining himself. Try walking or playing with him. You can also hide treats in the house for him to find. That would satisfy his hunting instinct. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. Good Luck!



My dog is a Sheltie/Rat Terrier mixed and she LOVES to attack feet or anything hidden under a blanket that might look like a small animal. It used to be really bad and it would end up hurting, so we gave her rope toys (which she's obsessed with) and some other stuffed animals to let her play with. Giving him an alternative is a good idea. If he starts attacking feet, just try a simple stern "No" and give him something else to play with instead.
