Puppy Training: Mouthing
A puppy mouthing your hands or feet seems cute but can lead to problems later when it is larger. Puppy teeth are sharp and can cause injury since they do not realize how hard they are biting. It is best to train your puppy not to mouth you or any other objects other than approved toys while it is young to prevent problems when it is older. It is important to prevent behavior at a young age that will not be allowed when it is fully grown.
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Instructions
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Provide your puppy with a variety of toys that it can chew on. Since it is natural instinct for it to chew, making sure it has things to chew will help it to not chew other things.
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Stop playing immediately if the dog mouths you, and say no mouth or no bite in a stern tone of voice. By withdrawing your attention when unwanted behavior occurs, it will quickly learn that mouthing will cause it to lose playtime and affection.
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Make a loud noise, such as a yelp of pain, if the dog latches onto you and will not let go. This will startle it and cause it to release you.
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Avoid rough play since this is reminiscent of its play with littermates and will result in nipping you as it did his siblings.
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Tips & Warnings
If your puppy is mouthing because it is teething, cut up strips of towel or wash cloth and wet them with water before placing in the freezer for a few hours. Give one to the puppy to chew to help with teething pain.
Never use physical punishment to correct mouthing or other bad behavior. Hitting your puppy will only cause it to fear you and will not correct the behavior. It could also lead to aggression later on.
References
- Photo Credit puppy image by Karol Grzegorek from Fotolia.com
