Post by DogGoneGood on Dec 1, 2008 23:33:01 GMT -5
Biting/Mouthing
by Shara Slorstad
2008
2008
Biting or “Mouthing”, like chewing, can also be a result from teething. The difference between Mouthing and Chewing is that mouthing occurs when the puppy chews on you or your clothes that are on you, whereas chewing occurs when the puppy chews on objects that are lying around your house.
Many puppies mouth because of the discomfort they are feeling from teething. Another reason for mouthing is if that puppy was not properly taught “Bite Inhibition”.
What is Bite Inhibition?
Bite inhibition is a learned response in which a dog consciously prevents (inhibits) the full force of his biting ability. Properly socialized puppies will learn bite inhibition from their mother and littermates when they are playing or nursing. When the puppy is nursing, if the puppy bites too hard the mother will stand up and walk away. This teaches the puppy that if he bites too hard he will loose what he wants (his mothers milk). This is undesirable to the puppy so he learns next time not to bite so hard or he will lose his lunch! During play with his siblings if he bites too hard the other puppy will yelp loudly and stop playing or growl and knock the other puppy over. This teaches the puppy that if he bites too hard he will either loose the enjoyable play time or be reprimanded, which isn’t desirable to him.
If a puppy has been properly socialized and taught bite inhibition from his mother and littermates, it doesn’t automatically mean he will apply the same rules to people. It does mean, however, that he will know how to play correctly with others dogs and that he’s off to a good start in learning bite inhibition.
By now you’ve probably learned that puppy teeth are sharp! They can hurt a lot when a puppy nips at your hands. They can tear holes in your clothing and even draw blood! Teaching your puppy how hard he is allowed to mouth at you will prevent this from happening. It’s good to start training bite inhibition as soon as you get the puppy. The older he is and the longer he’s been allowed to bite as hard as he wants, the harder he will bite. He may even eventually use this biting as a means to get his own way. It is best to stop this before it has a chance to progress to such a level. Dogs, especially big dogs, have a lot of power in their jaws and have the potential to seriously injure or even kill a human being (especially a child). Proper training from the start can prevent problems and injury from occurring in the future.
How to Teach Bite Inhibition:
To teach bite inhibition you can’t be afraid to get bit. Offer your hands to your puppy. How hard you allow him to bite is up to you. Every person has a different pain tolerance, so keep this in mind. You may find it acceptable for your puppy to bite you to a certain degree, while others find that degree to painful. Remember this as your teaching your puppy bite inhibition. As a general rule; the lighter he bites the better to eliminate the possibility of him hurting someone who has a lower pain tolerance than you.
When your puppy bites too hard exclaim “Owe!” and pull your hand away. It is important to not move too quickly or use a high pitched tone of voice because these things (high pitched noises and fast movement) are attractive to dogs and kick in their prey drive which may cause your puppy to become more wound up and bite harder. Remember what your puppies siblings and mother did; they took away the reward when the puppy bit too hard. This is what you want to do. Stop the game right away. The game doesn’t have to stop for too long, even just a minute is long enough for your puppy to get the message. You can also redirect just like you did when teaching your puppy what is acceptable to chew on. Give him a toy and let him chew as hard as he wants on the toy. This will teach him it’s okay to bite down hard on toys bit it is not okay to bite down hard on people.
Once you feel the game has stopped for a long enough amount of time you can offer your hand back to your puppy and repeat the process.
Keep working at it and have different members in your household do the same thing to teach him it is not acceptable to bite hard on all people, not just you.
Another form of biting is “nipping”. This is most commonly displayed in herding breeds (like the Border Collies or Corgis), where the puppy will nip at a persons ankles, legs or shoes. Usually a puppy will start doing this to someone who is moving at a fast pace, over someone who is walking slowly. While it is most commonly displayed in herding breeds, it is not limited to them.
When a puppy starts displaying this behavior you will want to use the same ideas behind bite inhibition; take the pleasure out of it. Give your puppy a firm “NO”, then redirect him to an acceptable behavior. This can be as simple as a sit. Your puppy may not understand what Sit is yet, but that’s okay. You can bend over and physically place him in a sit. If he nips at your hands when you try to do this give him another firm “NO” and put him in the sit. Once the undesirable behavior (the nipping) as stopped and your puppy has been sitting for about 5 seconds (it doesn’t take long at all) you can give him whatever release command you choose to use (I suggest not using “okay” because it is used so commonly in the English language) and continue on your way. If your puppy begins to nip at you again, repeat the same process. It make take you an hour to get across your back yard and into the house but in the end it will be worth it when your puppy learns that nipping at peoples heels is not acceptable.
