All babies mouth things when their little as part of their sensory exploration and as they get to know other individuals, they mouth those individuals playfully, affectionately and curiously. Human babies can chew and suck on mom & dad's hands with impunity for about 6 or 7 months or so before that first tooth comes in, but puppies are born with needle sharp teeth and it is no fun having those on your skin!
Those teeth, however, serve a valuable purpose; They help teach a pup that biting is not acceptable acceptable before his jaws become powerful enough to do too much damage. How is that? They hurt! Very little pressure is needed to inflict pain with teeth as sharp as a puppy's milk teeth and the reaction of a pup's playmate to the least bit of pressure will help your pup learn how to keep his mouth "soft" when playing. Of course, if the reaction is very exciting or amusing, it can have the opposite effect. If your puppy learns that he can use his teeth to get his playmate to make really interesting noises and flail around in funny ways, he is going to do it again and again, simply for entertainment value.
Problems arise when a pup bites a human and that human shrieks, squeals, yells (sounds like barking Yay!), jumps up, waves their arms around, etc. All of this looks like great fun for a pup and encourages him to bite again. Pushing him away just makes the game more challenging. Running away makes the game really exciting. The more energy the human puts into getting the pup off of him, the more energy the pup puts into getting his teeth on that human again so that when he finally does, he does it with even more force than last time and that hurts even worse! So the cycle continues until someone, usually a small child, gets hurt.
Dogs, on the other hand, are much more effective about getting their point across when they want playbiting to stop. The let the pup know vocally and then withdraw and end the game. The message is loud and clear, "I am not happy with what you are doing and I'm not playing with you anymore." The pup looks confused and disappointed for a moment and then runs off to pester someone else. He'll soon learn that playtime lasts longer if he's gentle with his teeth and ends when he gets too bitey. This is the message that humans need to try to cultivate as well.
The good news about playbiting is that your puppy will outgrow it if you don't allow it to become a habit. However, if you allow playbiting and even encourage it as in the scenario above, your dog could be a handmouther for life (or until you train it out of him). The good news there is that his adult teeth won't be nearly as sharp as those puppy teeth are.
How to Break the Playbiting Habit
1. Allow your puppy to spend time playing with other puppies and older dogs from an early age. The dogs will teach your puppy using dog language, which is much easier for your pup to understand. Supervise these play groups carefully though. If your pup is bullying another pup or gnawing like crazy on some old dame that doesn't seem to mind, you'll need to intervene. Remove him from the playgroup and put him in a quiet place for time out for 5-10 minutes and then try again.
2. Communicate your displeasure with his playbiting in a way your dog can understand. Use a low, disapproving voice. (Don't yell and don't "yelp". Loud voices and high pitched noises are just too exciting to be seen as a correction.) Use only a few short words like "No biting" and freeze for three seconds. If your pup eases off, praise him and continue your game. If he doesn't ease off, remove him or yourself from the room and give him a 5-10 minute time out. Do this calmly and gently, excessive emotion on your part will just get him more excited.
3. Instruct children to stop playing with the dog if he starts to get to rough and bitey, but don't trust them to obey this directive. Always supervise children when they are playing with the dog. If you see him start mouthing on them say "No biting" in a low, calm, disapproving voice, and put him in time out for 5-10 minutes.
4. Pay close attention to your pup's activities and take note of what triggers play biting incidents and try to avoid those triggers. Some pups will begin play biting only after play has reached a certain energetic pitch and some will start gnawing when they are overtired.
5. Make sure your pup gets plenty of exercise and has safe, appropriate chew toys.
You will notice that after a few corrections your bite-free play sessions with your pup will get gradually longer until you can play with him bite free. It will be quicker and easier to teach a puppy to refrain from playbiting than it will an adult dog who has developed the habit. It is always more difficult to break a habit than to simply teach proper behavior in the first place. So start early and be consistent.
Those teeth, however, serve a valuable purpose; They help teach a pup that biting is not acceptable acceptable before his jaws become powerful enough to do too much damage. How is that? They hurt! Very little pressure is needed to inflict pain with teeth as sharp as a puppy's milk teeth and the reaction of a pup's playmate to the least bit of pressure will help your pup learn how to keep his mouth "soft" when playing. Of course, if the reaction is very exciting or amusing, it can have the opposite effect. If your puppy learns that he can use his teeth to get his playmate to make really interesting noises and flail around in funny ways, he is going to do it again and again, simply for entertainment value.
Problems arise when a pup bites a human and that human shrieks, squeals, yells (sounds like barking Yay!), jumps up, waves their arms around, etc. All of this looks like great fun for a pup and encourages him to bite again. Pushing him away just makes the game more challenging. Running away makes the game really exciting. The more energy the human puts into getting the pup off of him, the more energy the pup puts into getting his teeth on that human again so that when he finally does, he does it with even more force than last time and that hurts even worse! So the cycle continues until someone, usually a small child, gets hurt.
Dogs, on the other hand, are much more effective about getting their point across when they want playbiting to stop. The let the pup know vocally and then withdraw and end the game. The message is loud and clear, "I am not happy with what you are doing and I'm not playing with you anymore." The pup looks confused and disappointed for a moment and then runs off to pester someone else. He'll soon learn that playtime lasts longer if he's gentle with his teeth and ends when he gets too bitey. This is the message that humans need to try to cultivate as well.
The good news about playbiting is that your puppy will outgrow it if you don't allow it to become a habit. However, if you allow playbiting and even encourage it as in the scenario above, your dog could be a handmouther for life (or until you train it out of him). The good news there is that his adult teeth won't be nearly as sharp as those puppy teeth are.
How to Break the Playbiting Habit
1. Allow your puppy to spend time playing with other puppies and older dogs from an early age. The dogs will teach your puppy using dog language, which is much easier for your pup to understand. Supervise these play groups carefully though. If your pup is bullying another pup or gnawing like crazy on some old dame that doesn't seem to mind, you'll need to intervene. Remove him from the playgroup and put him in a quiet place for time out for 5-10 minutes and then try again.
2. Communicate your displeasure with his playbiting in a way your dog can understand. Use a low, disapproving voice. (Don't yell and don't "yelp". Loud voices and high pitched noises are just too exciting to be seen as a correction.) Use only a few short words like "No biting" and freeze for three seconds. If your pup eases off, praise him and continue your game. If he doesn't ease off, remove him or yourself from the room and give him a 5-10 minute time out. Do this calmly and gently, excessive emotion on your part will just get him more excited.
3. Instruct children to stop playing with the dog if he starts to get to rough and bitey, but don't trust them to obey this directive. Always supervise children when they are playing with the dog. If you see him start mouthing on them say "No biting" in a low, calm, disapproving voice, and put him in time out for 5-10 minutes.
4. Pay close attention to your pup's activities and take note of what triggers play biting incidents and try to avoid those triggers. Some pups will begin play biting only after play has reached a certain energetic pitch and some will start gnawing when they are overtired.
5. Make sure your pup gets plenty of exercise and has safe, appropriate chew toys.
You will notice that after a few corrections your bite-free play sessions with your pup will get gradually longer until you can play with him bite free. It will be quicker and easier to teach a puppy to refrain from playbiting than it will an adult dog who has developed the habit. It is always more difficult to break a habit than to simply teach proper behavior in the first place. So start early and be consistent.
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