Often, puppies will develop a bad habit of "biting" people, and especially
small children. They are simply trying to play, but it is very annoying and those sharp little teeth HURT! I like
what my friend told me about how she teaches others how to deal with puppies that bite.
"You can act
like a Human, and tell the puppy a firm "NO", use a rolled up newspaper, or swat at the puppy. You can act
like a puppy and yelp, like you are another puppy that just got hurt. Or, you can act like the mother dog and "growl"
very convincingly at the puppy, and if needed, take your hand while you're growling and wrestle him down to the ground,
holding his head against it for a few seconds."
Most puppies don't respond to the "human"
response. Some puppies do respond to the "puppy" response, but others NEED the "mother dog" response
to get their attention and make a change in their behavior. Try all three, and then let me know which method worked
best for you!
The following is some great information about puppy biting from the www.siriuspup.com website.
PUPPY BITING
Puppies bite. And thank goodness they do! Puppy play-fighting and play-biting are essential for your puppy to develop a
soft mouth as an adult.
Puppy Biting is Normal, Natural, and Necessary!
Puppy biting seldom causes appreciable harm, but many bites are quite painful and elicit an appropriate reaction—a
yelp and a pause in an otherwise extremely enjoyable play session. Thus, your puppy learns that his sharp teeth and weak jaws
can hurt. Since your puppy enjoys play-fighting, he will begin to inhibit the force of his biting to keep the game going.
Thus your puppy will learn to play-bite gently before he acquires the formidable teeth and strong jaws of an adolescent dog.
Forbidding a young puppy from biting altogether may offer immediate and temporary relief, but it is potentially dangerous
because your puppy will not learn that his jaws can inflict pain. Consequently, if ever provoked or frightened as an adult,
the resultant bite is likely to be painful and cause serious injury.
If you are experiencing difficulties
with your puppy's biting behavior make sure you read your FREE copy of Dr. Ian Dunbar's AFTER You Get Your Puppy,
which you will receive when you enroll your pup in a SIRIUS® Puppy Training Class
Certainly,
puppy play-biting must be controlled, but only in a progressive and systematic manner. The puppy must be taught to inhibit
the force of his bites, before puppy biting is forbidden altogether. Once your puppy has developed a soft mouth, there is
plenty of time to inhibit the frequency of his now gentler mouthing.
Teaching your puppy to inhibit
the force of his bites is a two-step process: first, teach the pup not to hurt you; and second, teach your pup not to exert
any pressure at all when biting. Thus the puppy's biting will become gentle mouthing.
Teaching
your puppy to inhibit the frequency of his mouthing is a two-step process: first, teach your puppy that whereas mouthing is
OK, he must stop when requested; and second, teach your pup never to initiate mouthing unless requested.
No Pain
It is not necessary to hurt or frighten your pup to teach
her that biting hurts. A simple "Ouch!" is sufficient. If your pup acknowledges your "ouch" and stops
biting, praise her, lure her to sit (to reaffirm that you are in control), reward her with a liver treat, and then resume
playing. If your pup ignores the "ouch" and continues biting, yelp "Owwwww!" and leave the room. Your
puppy has lost her playmate. Return after a 30-second time-out and make up by lure-rewarding your puppy to come, sit, lie
down, and calm down, before resuming play.
Do not attempt to take hold of your pup’s collar, or carry her to confinement;
you are out of control and she will probably bite you again. Consequently, play with your puppy in a room where it is safe
to leave her if she does not respond to your yelp. If she ignores you, she loses her playmate.
No Pressure
Once your pup's biting no longer hurts, still pretend that it does.
Greet harder nips with a yelp of pseudo-pain. Your puppy will soon to get the idea: "Whooahh! These humans are soooo
super-sensitive. I'll have to be much gentler when I bite them." The pressure of your puppy's bites will progressively
decrease until play-biting becomes play-mouthing.
Never allow your puppy to mouth human hair or clothing. Hair and clothing
cannot feel. Allowing a puppy to mouth hair, scarves, shoelaces, trouser legs, or gloved hands, inadvertently trains the puppy
to bite harder, extremely close to human flesh!
Off!
Once your pup exerts no pressure whatsoever when mouthing, then —and only then—teach him to reduce the frequency
of his mouthing. Teach your puppy the meaning of "Off!" by handfeeding kibble (see the SIRIUS® Puppy Training
video). Your puppy will learn that gentle mouthing is OK, but he must stop the instant you ask him to stop.
Puppy Must Never Initiate Mouthing
At this stage, your puppy
should never be allowed to initiate mouthing (unless requested to do so). Please refer to our Preventing Aggression booklet
for a detailed description of the essential rules for bite-inhibition exercises such as handfeeding, play-fighting, and tug-of-war.
By way of encouragement, mouthing-maniac puppies usually develop gentle jaws as adults because their many painful
puppy bites elicited ample appropriate feedback. On the other hand, puppies that seldom play and roughhouse with other dogs,
puppies that seldom bite their owners (e.g., shy, fearful, and standoffish pups), and breeds that have been bred to have soft
mouths may not receive sufficient feedback regarding the pain and power of their jaws. This is the major reason to enroll
your puppy in an off-leash puppy class right away.
Should a dog ever bite as an adult, both the
prognosis for rehabilitation and the fate of the dog are almost always decided by the severity of the injury, which is predetermined
by the level of bite inhibition the dog acquired during puppyhood. The most important survival lesson for a puppy is to learn
bites cause pain! Your puppy can only learn this lesson if he is allowed to play-bite other puppies and people, and if he
receives appropriate feedback.
For more detailed information about bite-inhibition exercises, read our Preventing Aggression
booklet and AFTER You Get Your Puppy, and watch the SIRIUS® Puppy Training and Biting videos. If you feel you are having
any difficulty whatsoever teaching your puppy to play-bite gently, seek help immediately. Enroll in a SIRIUS® Puppy Training
Class right away. If you do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact the Association of Pet Dog Trainers at 1-800 PET
DOGS or www.apdt.com to locate a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) in your area.
