Entries Tagged 'Dog Mouthing' ↓
November 19th, 2008 — Bite Inhibition, Dog Mouthing, Puppies, Q and A
Q: Hi,
We\’ve had a Yellow Labrador puppy for a week and he\’s starting to bite our hands and fingers every time we try to pet him or hold him. Sometimes he\’s mouthing other times he bites pretty hard. He\’s 7 weeks old now. What can we do to make him stop, besides giving him toys/bones to chew?
Thanks,
Dan
A: Hello Dan,
Congrats on your puppy! They can be a lot of fun and a lot of work! It is good you are searching out how to resolve some issues early before more problems develop. Puppy biting/mouthing is a normal part of growing up, because all dogs explore their environments with their mouths and because pups are teething. Just like human babies, pups have to gnaw and chew on objects to help cut the new teeth through the gums so make sure you have appropriate chew toys that your puppy can bite on.
But, we need to teach your puppy what is called bite inhibition, where they begin to understand how to control their bite so it isn’t so hard. This is a learned behavior. If we don’t teach this bite inhibition they can grow up and injure someone or another dog with what they think is play causing major problems for them as an adult. They should try to learn this bite inhibition by about 3 months of age. It is a good idea to have your pup properly socialized too because they can learn about this while playing with other puppies too.
Here are some steps to follow to teach this bite inhibition:
- When he bites too hard you quickly say “OUCH,” pull your hands away, look away and don’t move. This is so the puppy understands that play will stop when he bites too hard.
- Next you can offer the puppy something he is allowed to chew on. When he takes the chew toy in his mouth you praise him and give him attention. If he again tries to bite you hard you repeat step one and you may even leave the room if necessary.
- Re-enter the room and try again. If he again bites too hard you leave the room for several minutes.
It is important to re-enter and give him another chance and to stop the training on a good note-so, keep leaving and re-entering as many times as it takes him to get it. If you practice this a lot right away and you are really consistent with it he’ll learn quickly.
Over time your pup will begin to understand that hard biting isn’t allowed and that he is more rewarded with praise from you as well as a nice chew toy when he doesn’t bite you hard.
Another extremely important factor in having a well-behaved dog is exercise. You’ll need to make sure he has been exercised really well at least twice a day, every day. He needs to be so worn out that he lays down to rest after the walk. If he is still following you around and ready to play when you return from your exercise walk then you’ll know it wasn’t enough. Exercise is the secret key to fixing most problems because even if we have a perfectly trained obedience dog but do not drain that dog’s energy we’ll begin to have problems we can’t fix.
Also very important
Begin a regular positive obedience program with him so that he learns how to control him behavior and also learns you are playing a leadership role in him life which will make him listen to you better. This can be a great tool to use when he is in the overly excited state too. Say for example you can sense he is becoming too excited; you stand up, put him leash on and begin some obedience practice. That will change the mood to a working mode and he’ll learn how to focus him energy. When you do the positive obedience with him he’ll receive the attention he seeks through rewards like praise and treats. In this sense you both win; he gets the attentions he wants from you and you get a better trained dog!
**Important Tip: If you are NOT consistent and allow the mouthing behavior occasionally he will never really learn to stop. But if you decide from this moment on he is not allowed to do it and you follow my steps above you should be successful very quickly.
I hope this information helps you.
If you are interested in joining my online training program to get a good start with your puppy, that includes access to email me 7 days a week throughout your training I can offer you a buy one get one free coupon! If you are interested, sign up at the join now page http://www.webdogtrainer.com/join.php and I’ll send you the free membership coupon you can offer to a friend or family member as a gift! Makes a great Holiday Gift!
Julie
November 7th, 2008 — Dog Mouthing, Q and A
Q: Hello!
I have just rescued a 2 year old female Pyrenees mix. Her former life was basically on a chain..:(
I have had her for 3 weeks. She weighs nearly 60 lbs now. My problem is: she is very mouthy, like a puppy. When she gets excited, she will try to grab us! She also has an issue of jumping up. She does not jump ON us, she just leaps up off the ground with all four legs (like a spring!). She seems very eager to learn and to please. She is house broken. I keep her in a crate when we are not home. She has plenty of chew toys, and we are quick to reprimand her when she steals anything that isn\’t hers! I heel her when we walk (still learning, but doing well). I just don\’t know how to stop the mouthing! I have 3 other dogs and they all seem to get along well. She seems to follow their lead, and is learning quickly! I think she acts more like a 6 month old rather than a 2 year old!
Thanks for any advice!
Cheryn
Cocoa Beach, Florida
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Hi Cheryn!
Thank you for adopting a rescued adult dog! I love to hear about people like you that are making a difference in the lives of a wonderful rescue. It sounds as though she has a lot of “teenage” energy. Here are some steps to follow that can help you with your dogs mouthy behavior.
Step One:
First and foremost you’ll need to make sure she has been exercised really well at least twice a day, every day. She needs to be so worn out that she lays down to rest after the walk. If she is still following you around and ready to play when you return from your exercise walk then you’ll know it wasn’t enough. Exercise is the secret key to fixing most problems because even if we have a perfectly trained obedience dog but do not drain that dog’s energy we’ll begin to have problems we can’t fix. So, once you are sure you can check off exercise on the list we’ll move onto step two.
Step Two:
Begin a regular positive obedience program with her so that she learns how to control her behavior and also learns you are playing a leadership role in her life which will make her listen to you better. This can be a great tool to use when she is in the overly excited state too. Say for example you can sense she is becoming too excited; you stand up, put her leash on and begin some obedience practice. That will change the mood to a working mode and she’ll learn how to focus her energy. When you do the positive obedience with her she’ll receive the attention she seeks through rewards like praise and treats. In this sense you both win; she gets the attentions she wants from you and you get a better trained dog!
Step Three:
If you feel you are in a moment that you cannot get a handle on her mouthing behavior than there are a couple things to try:
One: When her mouth goes on you then stop all play and quickly say “OUCH, No Biting” and give her a chew toy to occupy her mouth instead. When she takes the chew toy in her mouth you praise her and give her attention. If she again goes for your skin you repeat the process.
Two: If offering her another chew toy, as an alternative doesn’t work then the best idea is to remove yourself instantly and go in another room without her. She then loses you as her playmate. After a minute or so you can re-enter the room and try again. Repeat the process until she is no longer displaying the bad behavior. It is important to re-enter and give her another chance and to stop the training on a good note-so, keep leaving and re-entering as many times as it takes her to get it. If you practice this a lot right away and you are really consistent with it she’ll learn quickly.
**Important Tip: If you are not consistent and allow the mouthing behavior occasionally she will never really learn to stop. But if you decide from this moment on she is not allowed to do it and you follow my steps above you should be successful very quickly.
I hope this information helps you and I would love to hear back from you.
Keep in touch!
Julie
—-
Thank you Julie! I appreciate all the great advice! I agree with the “teenage” energy!! LOL!! I guess she could use a bit more exercise. I do walk her 1 mile twice a day, but it’s probably not far enough. I will use all your steps and keep her occupied. I have been crossing my arms and turning my back to her when she gets too pushy. I ignore her until she calms down. Then when her feet remain on the floor, I turn and give her lots of love. It can get chaotic with 4 dogs sometimes!! Thanks again for the quick response and great suggestions! I will let you know how she does! Oh~and we are signed up for Basic Obedience Classes with a group, but that doesn’t start until January. I think she needs the socialization and it might help her and I to have good one on one time together. I wish I could find classes being held sooner!!
~Cheryn~ 