Mouthing

Many of my students complain that their puppies are mouthing or play biting, and that it's driving them crazy. To make matters worse, Mother Nature makes a puppy's first teeth extremely sharp in order to compensate for their lack of jaw power at an early age. I have literally seen my students arms and hands torn up from aggressive, dominant pups. Some trainers (or would be ones) tell an owner to "grab the puppy's muzzle and squeeze it and say "No". I have found that this is interpreted by the puppy as a form of agitation and usually brings on more active biting.

To stop biting, you must communicate to your puppy that you do not like that. When puppy bites gently, you may allow this since puppies need to learn about bite inhibition, what hurts and what does not. However, when it begins to hurt scream out "Ouch!", make firm eye contact and turn away and ignore the puppy. 15 seconds later, return your hand and see if he bites again. If so, repeat your response even louder. When your puppy finally licks your hand, praise him. Soon he will learn what makes you give attention and what results in a noise to avoid. This mimics what Mom did when her puppy was too rough.

 

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