EXCESSIVE MOUTHING & BITING
Does your young puppy pounce on you, mouth you, grab your clothing? The good news is YOUR PUPPY IS NORMAL! Chase and be chased, pounce and grab - that's how puppies play.
Here's the news you must break to your puppy: PEOPLE ARE NOT PUPPIES!
YOU MUST NOT ACT LIKE A PUPPY WHEN YOU PLAY!
The surest way to encourage mouthing and biting is to get down on all fours and act like a dog, growling and wrestling. This terribly fun game will extend to children, toddlers and visitors to your home ... If you don't want your puppy to treat your children or visitors like dogs, don't act like one! If you encourage rough play one minute and get angry the next, your puppy will be understandably confused - and angry. It's not fair!
Puppies learn bite inhibition (to be careful with the amount of pressure they use) during play. If they bite too hard, their friends won't want to play or could become angry! There is a direct correlation between vigorous biting as a puppy and lack of aggression as adult - why? Puppies who bite learn bite inhibition; their owners and other family pets are forced to deal with the problem. Biting puppies learn to be careful with their teeth. Asian breeds like Shar Peis, Akitas and Chow Chows are notorious for not playing much as puppies - likewise, they account for a large percentage of the more serious "unprovoked" bites. When they bite, they bite hard.
WHAT TO DO WHEN PUPPY BITES
Whether it's your skin, your clothes or your shoes, yell "OW!!" and pretend he's ripped a hole that's bleeding and needs stitches, whether or not it actually hurt. We want the puppy to believe that we humans are the wimpiest, most easily injured species around - even our clothes hurt - if he tugs on your shoe laces, yelp!
Time out.
If the puppy exceeds the acceptable level of play, Yelp OW! and act totally insulted, walk away, or put him in his crate or in another room for a time-out. DO NOT LET THE SITUATION ESCALATE, (i.e.: the puppy bites, you correct; the puppy bites harder, you correct harder; puppy bites harder still, etc.) If the play gets out of hand, the pup gets overstimulated or angry, all play stops abruptly. The pup must never feel his personal safety is threatened. He must trust you, like he did his own mom.
SET FIRM, FAIR RULES AND LIVE BY THEM.
Puppies need rules. Rules that are fair and firmly enforced will provide boundaries and limits. Your puppy will feel safer, more secure, less stressed when he knows that you are in charge - all the decisions are up to you.
Children can't have everything they want, and neither can puppies. Be a good leader. Don't let your puppy rule the house. You wouldn't let a bratty toddler climb on you or visitors or steal food right out of your hand, so don't let your puppy. If you told your four-year-old child that he couldn't have a candy bar and he threw a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store, would you give in? Of course not. By giving him the candy bar, you would reward the tantrum and ensure that it would happen again - and next time it would be worse!
Playing nice includes being careful with your teeth!
