Most puppies
will start to learn bite inhibition when playing with their litter
mates and mother. But when they are taken away from this social
structure we must make up for their incomplete learning.
How
do puppies learn bite inhibition? Observation of
puppies within a litter helps in our understanding of how they learn.
Typically, they roll and scramble around and have simulated fights.
Using their mouths to grab and bite each other is a common feature of
this activity and of course its not too long before one pup grabs and
bites a little too hard. The natural reaction from the victim is a loud
yelp, startling the culprit and causing a lapse in the play activity.
Puppies soon learn that being too eager in their play-biting results in
a scary noise and the momentary loss of a playmate, neither of which
they like. This is how, during puppy social interaction, they teach
each other to play gently.
Should
I look to eliminate biting altogether? Not straight
way! Biting is natural in all puppies and they must first learn
mouth/jaw control and to inhibit the force of its bite. Dr Ian Dunbar,
a world renowned animal behaviourist and vet, suggests a four step
process to eliminate biting:
Inhibit
the force of bites As previously
mentioned, puppies must understand that they must not bite hard. During
this stage there should be no need for physical punishments or
restraint. The best way to teach this is during normal play sessions
with your puppy. If they bite too hard, let out a loud 'Ouch' and stop
playing for a moment. Depending on how painful or severe the bite is,
further measures may include walking away from the play session or even
leaving the room. Eventually your puppy will learn that painful biting
results in the loss of its favourite human play mate.
Eliminate
Jaw Pressure Entirely Even though your
puppy no longer hurts when biting, this step looks to completely
eliminate bite pressure. This is achieved by gradually reducing the
threshold that triggers the loud 'Ouch' to the point where even the
slightest pressure results in a reaction. This form of biting is best
described as 'mouthing' and you should look to achieve this by the time
your puppy is 4-5 months old.
Inhibit
the incidence of Mouthing Now that your
puppy mouths rather than bites, the next stage is to teach your puppy
to stop mouthing when requested. A good way to do this is to hand feed
a portion of your pup's dinner. Use the commands 'Off ' and 'Take it'
to signal when your puppy can touch your hands to take the food.
Practice this over time and you can gradually eliminate the food and
use the commands during play sessions. Remember, this stage is about
ensuring your puppy stops mouthing when requested, it is not about
preventing your puppy from starting mouthing - that is the next and
final stage.
Never
start mouthing until requested The final stage
is to prevent unsolicited mouthing. Around the age of 5 months, your
young dog should learn that it must not touch a person's body or
clothes unless requested to do so, say during play fighting. Some
trainers recommend avoiding play fighting altogether on the basis that,
over time, many owners let play-mouthing get out of control. Dr. Dunbar
suggests controlled play fighting is a healthy way to maintain the dogs
'soft mouth' so long as the play rules are obeyed at all times:
1. Never use
gloves when play fighting since a puppy will need to bite much harder
before getting a reaction
2. Start any play
fighting with a short training session so that they see it as a reward.
3. Frequently
stop play fighting for short training interludes (say every 30
seconds).
4. Anything other
than mouthing is not allowed and will result in the end of the play
session.
5. Play mouthing must
only start on command at the start of play sessions. It is not allowed
at any other time and must not be initiated by your dog.
6. Only mouthing
of hands is allowed (never clothing or other parts of the body)
