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OUCH! |
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Puppies have needle sharp
teeth, but very weak jaws, so the biting they do causes little real
harm. But just you wait! That is not playing they are up to. They are practicing so that they can be
really good at biting when they have their new teeth and much stronger jaws. The first step in getting
puppies to have bite inhibition or, if you prefer, a soft bite, is that old
favorite topic of mine – socialization.
There is simply no substitute for the lessons learned from mom
(presuming the pups have been allowed to stay with mom long enough) and
litter mates. “Long enough” means up
to about 8 weeks of age. Oh, yes, mom
will have long since stopped nursing them but that is only part of her job. Another step on the road to
success with pups and their biting is to be certain that they get to
socialize with other dogs and people such as one finds in a “puppy
course”. Careful supervision is
required to be certain that no pup is unfairly dominated because the wrong
lessons will surely be learned if that were to happen. Incidentally, that very possibility is one
reason why pups in a litter shouldn’t be together too long!! Mouthiness
includes not just “play-biting” but such things as tugging on pants legs,
nipping at heels, chewing on or trying to grab shoelaces, and chewing on
inappropriate items such as lamp cords, chair legs, and even their own
bedding! Other behaviors that are
closely associated include getting into the garbage, stealing food, and too
much vocalizing. That is stretching
things a bit but maybe not too much.
The mouth, after all, is involved, but so are a lot of other things! What is least likely to
stop any of these behaviors is to holler at the dog, scold or in any way give
attention to the pup while it is engaged in these unwanted behaviors. Remember – What you give attention to is
going to be repeated! One way to stop
such behavior is to calmly distract the dog with some toy it likes. When the pup responds to the toy praise and
pay attention to the puppy. Another
thing you can do is teach the puppy the cue to “Off” or “Leave it!”. Check other articles that fully explain Leave it! When the pup persists (and
they often do just that) it is a good idea to remove the pup from the
scene. It may be time for a chew toy
in the crate. Maybe a long – very
long! – walk. But, you remove yourself
from the scene. The point being? Such behavior makes the good stuff (YOU!)
disappear! Remember to reward the
appropriate behavior with praise and food treats. This part of the equation
is almost always forgotten and ignored making for a 100% guarantee of a
return to the undesirable behaviors! Bad smelling, non-toxic
substances can be spread on areas to discourage the pup from touching
them. Vinegar*, peppermint extract,
vanilla, and mouth wash are possibilities. Yes, I know, you use mouthwash because it
smells good to you but it will probably not smell good to your dog! You can try it by saturating bits of cotton
with different smells and seeing what the pup’s reaction is when he gets a whiff
of them. Bite inhibition is
mandatory for dogs living in conjunction with people. If you encounter growling, lip raising, any excessive possessiveness regarding toys or
food you need professional advice.
When a young pup shows such behavior there could be a rough road ahead
and the more physically forceful you are with such behavior the more likely
it will just go “into hiding” and surface later in an even worse form. *Vinegar. It would never work with my dog since he
not only gets organic apple cider vinegar in his vegetable blend at dinner
time but he absolutely loves left over salad
J B
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