James &
Kenneth Publishers
© 2004 Ian Dunbar
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.
print close
|