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Canine Bite Inhibition
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Learning Bite Inhibition
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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:
Never use gloves when play fighting since a puppy will need to bite much
harder before getting a reaction
Start any play fighting with a short training session so that they see
it as a reward.
Frequently stop play fighting for short training interludes (say every
30 seconds).
Anything other than mouthing is not allowed and will result in the end
of the play session.
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.
Only mouthing of hands is allowed (never clothing or other parts of the
body)
