Bite Inhibition
A puppy’s bite can be painful, but his teeth and jaws are not powerful enough to cause serious damage however, puppies should be taught how to control their biting instinct while they are still young. Otherwise, when they are older, they can be a danger to other animals, to people, and ultimately, to themselves.
As you may soon discover, your puppy has small, sharp, needle-like teeth—and they’re there for a very good reason. It’s not to chew the curtains or your best shoes, but to teach your puppy how to control his bite. When a puppy is suckling and chomps a bit too hard on the nipple, his mother will react. She will make a growling sound and may get up, shake herself, and walk away. When a puppy is playing with his brothers and sisters in the litter and bites one of them hard enough to cause pain, the injured party yelps and may retaliate or spring away.
Through play and interaction with each other, puppies learn about “bit inhibition”—how to use their teeth and jaws appropriately.
From this, the puppy learns that when he bites it hurts. He also learns that when he does this, he no longer gets fed and playtime stops, and so he starts biting less and less. He is learning something called “bite inhibition”—that is, understanding when it is inappropriate to use his teeth and jaws.
Puppies are often taken away from their mother and the rest of the litter before they have fully mastered bite inhibition (see Choosing the Breed). So their owners must take over the task and include it in the puppy’s training program. In a multidog household, other dogs will help to teach a young puppy bit inhibition through natural interaction and play, but you should still check to make sure that it is being correctly learned.
It is absolutely vital that puppies master bite inhibition before they are four or five months old. After this time, they start to lose their first set of delicate “puppy teeth,” and their large, sturdy adult teeth begin to come through. Their jaws become more powerful and, if they are still biting, they enter a difficult stage. If a juvenile or adult dog has not mastered bite inhibition, he may get overexcited and bite another animal (or worse) a child, too hard, causing injury. The fact that the dog may not have intended to bite so hard will not be accepted as a valid excuse by the injured parties and their parents or owners.
Teaching bite inhibition
Bite inhibition must be taught by the adult owners of the puppy. Simply offer the puppy your fist and let him mouth and nibble your hand. When the bite becomes hard enough to reach your pain threshold, keep your hand totally still—that is important—but react firmly with a sharp “ouch!” or “aargh!,” as you would if you were the puppy’s mom. Don’t pull your hand away or the puppy will think it’s a game and continue to bite. The reaction should cause the puppy to withdraw from your hand. When he does, change your tone of voice entirely. Praise him—“What a good puppy!”—click your clicker, if you’ve got it handy, give him a treat, and stroke him.
If, however, your puppy doesn’t stop mouthing when you say “ouch!,” imitate the mother and say nothing, get up, ignore him for approximately thirty seconds, and then go back and do the whole thing over again. Using the “ouch!” method does not mean your pup will never mouth you again simply because you’ve said “ouch!” but it does mean that gradually his biting will occur less and become softer.
You must do this exercise regularly, several times a day. Gradually, over the next few weeks, you should say your “ouch!” earlier and earlier in the pain threshold until there is no mouthing at all. You should reach the point where you say “ouch!” if the puppy puts his mouth anywhere near your hand—even if it doesn’t hurt. Never allow your puppy to mouth shoelaces, clothing, or any part of the body other than the hands.
STAGES OF LEARNING BITE INHIBITION
Stage 1: Offer your puppy your hand to mouth. Say “ouch!” when he bites too hard.
Stage 2: Let your puppy mouth your hand, but say “ouch!” to soften the bites gradually.
Stage 3: Puppy’s bite inhibition should be improving well. Say “ouch!” for any contact between his teeth and your hands.
Stage 4: By now, your puppy should not be mouthing you at all.
Bite inhibition:
Step 1
Offer your hand to the puppy, and then give a stern and abrupt “ouch!” reaction when his bites grow too harsh. This is his signal for knowing when to stop, because to him your reaction will be one of disapproval. He will learn to remove his mouth from your hand. When he does so, remember to click, and reward him with warm praise, affection, and lots of treats.
Step 2
If your pup does not respond to the “ouch!” reaction, then walk away and ignore him for a few minutes. This emulates the type of response the puppy would have had from his mother, which to him means less food and less play. Eager to keep your approval, he will gradually learn to refrain from mouthing altogether. You must practice this exercise several times a day to get the best results.
Step 3
Regular practice should have the eventual result of no mouthing at all, especially if “ouch!” is uttered at gradually earlier instants during the biting process. Always reward your puppy with lots of praise and treats, so that he knows he has given the correct response.
