Bitey Puppies? That's Awesome!

The title may seem strange, I know.  Mouthy, bitey puppies...yay?  

It's true.  I like bitey puppies.  What I like about them is they are open to exploring the world in a manner most natural - with their mouths and teeth.  I recently responded to a social media post in regards of how to stop a mouthy puppy from being so bitey.  And while no, we don't want adults and older puppies mouthing the heck out of Grandma at Thanksgiving, it's very important to understand why it's vital that puppies learn how to bite.  

Yep.  Learn how to bite. 

When a client wants to stop their puppy from mouthing instantly or completely, I feel it's important to explain why learning bite moderation - or bite inhibition - is very important.  With training, the frequency of the mouthing/biting will be extinguished, but it's invaluable to teach your pup to soften their mouthing before diminishing the frequency. The problem with deterring mouthing altogether is that the puppy doesn't learn to moderate their bite, and can result in much harsher bites when they're older. Up until a puppy is around five months old, it's educational for them to learn where the line is on too hard of a bite. That line can be moved as they age and as you train, to a point where mouthing is no longer acceptable - but, they will have a greater understanding of how to manage their bite. 

You can help moderate the strength of their mouthing with a combination of "ouch" and providing appropriate chews.  For "ouch", whenever your puppy bites too hard, squeal or yelp, and cease all interaction.  Most puppies will stop abruptly, after which you can re-engage them provided the play isn't so rough.  If a puppy is overstimulated or over-tired, they may persist in biting, which means it's time to take a break.  Giving the puppy a chance to decompress is very important in those instances, and you can provide a chew for them to relax with once they've stopped persisting.  Make sure that this happens every time to maintain consistency and keep training progressing. 

It's also good to instill fun play with appropriate breaks - mixing impulse control behaviors such as sit or down in with play (typically I recommend every 10 seconds or so).  This helps to teach a puppy who gets overstimulated a more moderated way to play, so that they don't go over threshold and start mouthing more than they typically do. 

If you're consistent with "ouch" and brief timeouts where needed, you will find that your puppy's mouthing becomes gentler and gentler as he learns what the line is. As time goes on, you begin squealing/yelping for softer bites until he's no longer exerting pressure.  It should feel like your puppy is gumming you rather than using teeth. At that point, I recommend teaching off, drop it, and take it, to show your puppy that keeping his teeth off people is more rewarding than putting them on someone at all.  

Keep in mind that family, friends, and other guests should keep the same training protocol with the puppy, as we want puppies to learn in a consistent manner.  With training and patience, you will have a puppy who has a soft mouth and positively ceases mouthing. ​​