Mouth Training

Biting/Playbiting

No one expects their cute little pup to grow up into a dog who bites. But if you don't take the opportunity NOW to teach your puppy "bite inhibition", you are asking for trouble at least, and at worst you are risking injury and/or a lawsuit and/or euthanasia for this dog. Please don't skip this very important daily puppy training exercise, and please start as early as possible in your pup's life!

Bite Inhibition

If you watch a litter of puppies playing, you will notice that they spend much of their time biting and mouthing each other. Because your pup has very sharp teeth and a weak jaw, his harder bites or mouthing hurt his littermates - so they yelp and refuse to play with him for some time. Soon the pup learns that play time ends when he bites too hard. Because an adult dog has duller teeth but a very powerful jaw, Bite Inhibition (a "soft mouth") is one of the most important lessons your pup can learn while his sharp baby teeth are still in. You and your children should mimic this puppy play behavior in daily life.

There are two phases to training Bite Inhibition:

Step 1: Practice several times daily for 3-4 weeks. (Best for pups up to 12 weeks of age but if you've never done bite inhibition exercises, this step can be used for older pups who have varied mouthing pressure) Allow pup to mouth/playbite. When he exerts slightly more pressure than usual, say "Ouch!" just loud enough that he stops in surprise, and immediately stop playing for a few seconds. Now allow him to mouth again and repeat the "Ouch!" and stop playing steps several times until he ONLY mouths softly. If your pup is not responding to the "Ouch!", simply skip it and just stop playing and/or get up and move away for a minute, then start again. Your pup will quickly learn that fun ends when he mouths too hard.

Step 2: (Only after Step 1 has been practiced for a MINIMUM of 2, and preferably 4 weeks) Now, any and every time his teeth make contact with human skin, say "OUCH!" and immediately stop playing. Get up and leave, and/or ignore the pup for a minute or two. Your pup should now start to believe that humans are very sensitive and cannot stand the incredible pain of any tooth contact to their skin. The point of these bite inhibition exercises is to first teach your pup to have a "soft mouth", and then to teach him that the instant his teeth touch human skin, play time is over. Remember, if your pup doesn't respond to the "Ouch" or seems to get more riled up, just skip it and simply stop playing or interacting in any way for a few minutes.

Chewing:

Chew Training

Many dogs live most of their lives in a crate simply because they "can't be trusted" in the rest of the house - these dogs are wonderful, housetrained pets, yet their owners never taught them what was OK to chew and what was NOT ok to chew! Don't forget to thoroughly chew-train your pup as soon as you bring him home, so that he never learns how satisfying the coffee table, mail, and baseboards are to chew!

One of the most important tasks you have as a new puppy owner is to spend as much time as possible encouraging your pup to chew and play with appropriate chew toys. It is natural and necessary for puppies to chew -- as long as it's on something appropriate! But if your puppy chews on your coffee table, it's because:

1) puppies/dogs like to chew things
2) you didn't teach him what was appropriate to chew
3) he has nothing else to do
4) you left him access to the coffee table

Don't scold him for chewing your coffee table unless you catch him "in the act". A quick shout is usually enough: Say "Rex, OFF! Find your chew toy!" Then go and get a chew toy for him and praise him when he shows even the slightest interest in it.

If you punish your pup "after the fact", he won't learn not to chew that thing -- all he'll learn is "when the owner comes home, I get punished". This often increases his anxiety during the day, and he may start to chew even more! So how do you teach your dog what's right to chew and what's wrong? Provide many appropriate chew toys. Keep half of them in the cupboard until he's bored with other ones. Then take up the old toys (for use later) and give him the new toys, one at a time with much fanfare.

Remember, 10 good chew toys cost a lot less than a new coffee table. Appropriate chew toys are:

• Kong or similar hard rubber toy with hollow center. Smear a thin layer of honey or peanut butter inside, then stuff these with kibble, treats, other goodies. We recommend 3 Kong toys per puppy. (Don't worry about your pup getting too fat - just take the food your use for chew toys out of his daily ration. As a matter of fact, putting his entire dinner into a kong or two will keep him occupied while you fix your dinner!)
• Natural, bleached, or smoked bones with hollowed-out marrow area (stuff with kibble, peanut butter, etc.)
• Twisted ropes. Soak in chicken or beef broth, then dry.
• Ice cubes (for teething pups) - frozen chicken broth ice cubes too (for outside chewing)
• NOTE: Limit rawhide and/or pig's ears to 1-2 per week maximum, and supervise when he's chewing these - take the chew away immediately if he tries to swallow a large piece.
• Buster Cube or other similar "puzzle" rolling food toy - your local pet store probably has them, and although they're not really "chew" toys, they're great for keeping him occupied appropriately, stimulating his brain and exercising his body.

Do consider spraying your baseboards, furniture (chair legs, table legs, etc.) with a bitter-tasting aversive like Bitter AppleÒ (available at pet stores) or even hot sauce (if you're furniture is dark wood) - the first time your pup goes to chew any of these items will surely be his last! Also, make sure your home is truly Puppy Proofed - clear all tables and counters of ALL items your pup might want to chew, for at least 2-3 months and preferably until he's 7-8 months old. If he grows up believing "There's never anything fun to steal or chew up there", he'll stop looking (and vice versa - If he grows up believing "There's always something fun to steal or chew up there", you can bet he'll keep searching the counters and table tops for fun chewables!) What might your pup want to chew? Remote controls, mail, any paperwork, any food or anything that had contact with food, sewing supplies, yarn, cans, candles, books, etc. - basically, anything at all.

Occasionally practice "entrapment": Bring your pup to something you do not want him to chew, and if he sniffs or mouths it, correct him with a quick "OFF!". Follow immediately by giving him a good chew toy and praise when he takes it.

Until he truly understands chewing rules, never leave him alone with access to inappropriate chewables. A kitchen filled with stuffed Kongs, bones and ropes is usually a good place. A Buster Cube or Roll-a-Treat is also a great toy to occupy his mind while you're away or busy.

Important: Keep your hello's and goodbye's very low-key and casual. Never make a fuss when you come home or leave; this will only increase his anxiety while you're gone. Before you leave the house for a while, let him outside to pee, then completely ignore him for the last few minutes before you leave. A low-key, very casual "OK, watch the house, Rover" is enough of a goodbye. When you get home, take him outside and do not greet him until he has peed. After he pees, now you can give him a quick hug hello and start to go casually about your business (reading mail, etc.) This can also help greatly to reduce your pup's chances of developing separation anxiety later in life.

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