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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Lynne has been training dogs since 1985. She has worked as head trainer for two facilities, a studio trainer (print ads, commercials and television) and as a continuing ed and certification rep for what was then the largest dog training company in the US. Lynne is a member of the IACP and keeps her training techniques current by attending various seminars and reading books. She currently competes in the sport of schutzhund, has a registered therapy dog, and has started her young Papillion in agility. Lynne owns and runs Blazing Trails K9 Academy in Santa Clarita/Antelope valley California.
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9/12/2005
I have a three month old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier that loves to bite. I realize she is just a puppy, but I don't want her to continue to do this -- her little sharp teeth hurt. Of course, I tell her "No bite," and will even back off and ignore her for a few minutes to let her know I don't want to play if she bites. I will also give her something to chew on when she starts biting. She's only playing and is very sweet and gentle, but gets too excited. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. (cande, Virginia)
It is good that you recognize the fact that sometimes you can teach an alternative behavior to a dog problem. I generally use 4 steps to solving any behavior problem, and those 4 steps can be used to our advantage with your pup.
The first step is Prevention. How can we prevent the problem from happening in the first place? There are a couple of "general" prevention tools that could help here including keeping the puppy on a leash, making sure he/she gets plenty of exercise, and not playing
any rough and tumble games that would promote mouthing. Realize that at this age, the pup is teething and like a young toddler that wants to put everything into his mouth, the pup tests her environment by placing her teeth wherever she can.
Although mouthing is annoying, at the same time, it aids in teaching bite inhibition. Bite inhibition is imperative to a puppy's development. If she doesn't learn how hard is too hard, it may become a problem later should she ever turn aggressive. So before teaching her to NEVER put her teeth on human skin, try teaching her to never apply PRESSURE on human skin. Once THAT lesson is learned, THEN teach her to never place her teeth on skin.
The second problem solving step is: reward an alternative behavior. In this case, you are already completing this step by providing your pup with something else to mouth on. You can also try teaching her to "give kisses" on command. I many times teach this by wiping a little bit of peanut butter on my hand, saying "give kisses" and allowing her to li
ck the peanut butter off. This way there are TWO alternative options for her behavior.
The third step is: Effective correction. Note the word "effective" in this statement. Corrections should only occur AFTER the dog has an understanding of what she's SUPPOSED to be doing. This step comes after you've supplied an alternative behavior and taught her to use that behavior in place of the problem behavior. Then you can correct the problem behavior. I am reluctant to start off with any kind of physical correction for a mouthy puppy since most people don't do this right. Done incorrectly, you can destroy the bond that is just developing with the pup, or even create aggression.
Normally my correction for mouthing is to let out a blood curdling yelp (imagine the sound a puppy makes in a litter when a littermate accidentally "hurts" him). Then the game is over and pup is put on a time out. This works for many puppies, but some of the more persistent pups look at you like you're a new squeaky toy. With these pups, I then
introduce bitter apple gel on my arms or clothing. Making your skin unappealing to taste serves as an effective correction for many puppies. Other pups require a firm "no" followed by a squirt bottle correction (blast of water in the face). For the persistent mouthers I've seen success with a couple of drops of lemon juice sprayed into the mouth (obviously don't get this into the eyes).
Basically, it's up to you to find the type of correction that works best for your individual dog. My definition of "effective" correction means a correction that is humane and works
within 3-4 applications. Any more then that and it becomes nagging.
The last step in the problem solving protocol is consistency. Determine that in the beginning it's not appropriate for the puppy to apply any pressure to human skin, and then later, it's not appropriate to touch human skin with their teeth. And then ALWAYS follow through. ALWAYS provide a replacement activity, prevent the problem from happening, and then effectively correct the problem without resorting to nagging.
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