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Puppies have painfully sharp little piranha-like teeth, almost like hypodermic needles. Fortunately the jaw muscles are extremely under-developed, in fact one of the main reasons why you should never play tug with a young puppy is that you could dislocate the jaw and misalign or damage the teeth.
Nature has given them these underdeveloped muscles to enable pups to play-bite safely. Whilst very young and still with his brothers and sisters, if he bites too hard in play he gets blasted with a ear piercing "yelp" which makes him immediately back off. He waits a while then starts to play again, but a strange thing has happened - the biting is a bit softer. The same thing when feeding from the mother, if the pup uses too much pressure she yelps and moves away. He is then gentler the next time round and a valuable lesson has been learned.
This is nature’s way of inhibiting the force of their bite well before the jaw muscles start to form properly at around about 4.5 months, which also coincides with the time that the puppy teeth start dropping out and the new bigger more dangerous teeth start to come through. This is called the age of cutting.
This learning process is known as “Bite Inhibition” it is a vital and important lesson and is the only reason why your puppies are born with those hideous teeth. This is how your puppy learns to inhibit the force of his bite and to control his jaws. It is a vital that he also learns to inhibit biting us humans.
I see many new owners who are told to stop all play biting, however this could potentially have far-reaching and disastrous consequences. If the pup is trained immediately never to play-bite, he will never have the chance to learn control over his jaws. Therefore, your puppy must initially learn that all biting whatever the circumstances must be done softly. Then you can start to teach him never to bite at all.
This is how you should deal with this problem:
1. Permit the puppy to play-bite by allowing your pup to softly chew on your hand. When he bites down a little harder than normal, "yelp" sharply and loudly, and turn your head away in rejection. Do not pull your hand away. Let the puppy move away from the sound and your hand, (pulling your hand away will only encourage him to lunge towards the moving object) As an appeasement after your yelp the pup may come up and lick your hand, accept this gesture. Then allow the play to resume, but this time hopefully with a softer bite. If the play gets a little rougher, "yelp" again, thus further confirming that any pressure is totally unacceptable. Repeat this exercise as often as possible. And like Rudy Giuliani's strategy of having a zero tolerance attitude to crime whilst Mayor of New York, you do the same with any hard biting.
You will find within a few days that the biting turns into mouthing; you will have programmed your puppy into thinking that he must not exert any pressure whatsoever whilst mouthing because of your ultra sensitive reaction. Now you can teach him the “OFF" command to stop all mouthing.
The “OFF” Command
2. Put your dog on its 5 foot lead. Take a treat (cheese, frankfurters or puffed jerky is ideal) and make the dog sit. Hold the lead in your left hand and the treat in your right. Offer him the treat and gently say "Good, take it". Do this at least five times, then offer the dog the treat and do not say anything. When the dog goes to take the treat turn your head sharply to the right and bring your hand with the treat up to your chest.
What you are actually saying is by using the word good this acts as a target word similar to a clicker and it acts as confirmation that the behaviour is correct, the “take it” is a permission command you are effectively saying, this is my bone, I am prepared to share it but only when I give permission, the permission is “take it”. You are also training control of the greatest resource possible, “FOOD”.
Repeat the "OFF" command until the dog turns his head away. Watch for the movement and the body language and as soon as he does this say "Good Dog, "take it" in a praising tone then give him the treat. Keep repeating the exercise until the dog naturally turns his head away when you offer him a treat.
3. Keep the dog on a lead in the house (you must always be present when the lead is on). When he jumps up or tries to bite the children, you grab the lead and say "OFF” for the bite and “OFF SIT" for the jump, giving a slight corrective jerk on the lead at the same time. Do not praise the dog when he stops as you are in fact then only praising the bite or the jump. Repeat the exercise until he stops jumping up and biting.
If the above does not appear to be working as the puppy is so insistent and is continually biting you or your kid’s hands and feet, then get some bitter apple and spray their hands and feet for a few days. However, it must be bitter apple as it is the only chew or bite deterrent that really works. All the others I have tried are just a waste of money.
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