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| Puppy Play Biting: Fact versus Fiction |
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By Gordon Fontaine
One dog training method myth I’d like to bust is the idea of stopping puppy
play biting by holding your dog’s nose and saying “NO BITE!”
I feel strongly about this topic because it so obviously contradicts what we
know about dogs – one of their primary methods of communication is body
language. To quote Carina Norris on BeanTown Dogs.net, “…dogs use a large
proportion of this constant motion for communication, as their emotions and
intentions are reflected in their movements and posture.”
Here’s why it’s so ridiculous. The second a person touches strokes,
caresses, or even “grab’s violently” as a way to teach their dog a lesson,
their dog is most likely expecting some kind of love and attention. Even
more worrisome, is that grabbing a dog while is he play biting (more highly
stimulated/aroused) the dog is even less likely to understand what a person
is trying to tell them. Your dog may be thinking -- “I’m revved up and you
what to play the Hold My Mouth Game? Great! I love that game, let me at
em’?!”
According to the SF SPCA, dogs, are prey animals with extremely strong
jaws, who often use ‘ritualized aggression’ – threats, body postures and
inhibited bites to communicate. The ability to bite without maiming is
rehearsed during puppyhood – with play biting! Dogs learn to inhibit their
bite in the pack. In the wild, if one puppy bites another too hard, play
grinds to a temporary halt, which teaches the biter to become gentler in
order to keep play going.
What to do?
While your puppy is young, (6-18 weeks) some minor play biting should be
allowed as long as it doesn’t get too hard. If your dog bites too hard, you
should say “Ouch” to let your dog know they hurt you, and immediately
withhold ALL attention! (Touch, eye contact, voice) As with almost all dog
training, timing is of the utmost importance.
Ideally, if your dog bites you hard, you should say “Ouch” then quickly get
up and leave the play pen. Your dog will soon learn that hard bites makes
the play stop AND even worse, you to go away. After withholding attention
for 5-20 seconds, go back and try to pet your dog again, focusing around the
mouth and head, are they still trying to bite? Go back to “Ouch!” and start
from the beginning.
Once your puppy is old enough to have acquired bite inhibition (ABI) which
should be around week 18, should you phase play biting out all together.
Teach alternative behaviors by using the golden rule: Interrupt / Redirect /
Provide legal alternative.
Remember not all dogs are created the same, some dogs may just get more
excited when you say “Ouch!” so you have to make less noise (deep intake
of breath, almost a whimper) and in some cases there maybe early stages of
aggression or resource guarding. Aggressive behaviors that do not get
better over time, if you suspect you have an aggressive dog, get yourself
into competent professional hands.
About the author:
Gordon Fontaine, founder of Zen Dog Training is a graduate of Jean
Donaldson’s, SF SPCA Dog Trainer Academy www.SFSPCA.org. Gordon
specializes in puppy training and travels the Boston area providing in-home
dog training. Gordon also teaches Aikido a Japanese martial art and puppy
class every week in Belmont, MA.
One dog training method myth I’d like to bust is the idea of stopping puppy
play biting by holding your dog’s nose and saying “NO BITE!”
I feel strongly about this topic because it so obviously contradicts what we
know about dogs – one of their primary methods of communication is body
language. To quote Carina Norris on BeanTown Dogs.net, “…dogs use a large
proportion of this constant motion for communication, as their emotions and
intentions are reflected in their movements and posture.”
Here’s why it’s so ridiculous. The second a person touches strokes,
caresses, or even “grab’s violently” as a way to teach their dog a lesson,
their dog is most likely expecting some kind of love and attention. Even
more worrisome, is that grabbing a dog while is he play biting (more highly
stimulated/aroused) the dog is even less likely to understand what a person
is trying to tell them. Your dog may be thinking -- “I’m revved up and you
what to play the Hold My Mouth Game? Great! I love that game, let me at
em’?!”
According to the SF SPCA, dogs, are prey animals with extremely strong
jaws, who often use ‘ritualized aggression’ – threats, body postures and
inhibited bites to communicate. The ability to bite without maiming is
rehearsed during puppyhood – with play biting! Dogs learn to inhibit their
bite in the pack. In the wild, if one puppy bites another too hard, play
grinds to a temporary halt, which teaches the biter to become gentler in
order to keep play going.
What to do?
While your puppy is young, (6-18 weeks) some minor play biting should be
allowed as long as it doesn’t get too hard. If your dog bites too hard, you
should say “Ouch” to let your dog know they hurt you, and immediately
withhold ALL attention! (Touch, eye contact, voice) As with almost all dog
training, timing is of the utmost importance.
Ideally, if your dog bites you hard, you should say “Ouch” then quickly get
up and leave the play pen. Your dog will soon learn that hard bites makes
the play stop AND even worse, you to go away. After withholding attention
for 5-20 seconds, go back and try to pet your dog again, focusing around the
mouth and head, are they still trying to bite? Go back to “Ouch!” and start
from the beginning.
Once your puppy is old enough to have acquired bite inhibition (ABI) which
should be around week 18, should you phase play biting out all together.
Teach alternative behaviors by using the golden rule: Interrupt / Redirect /
Provide legal alternative.
Remember not all dogs are created the same, some dogs may just get more
excited when you say “Ouch!” so you have to make less noise (deep intake
of breath, almost a whimper) and in some cases there maybe early stages of
aggression or resource guarding. Aggressive behaviors that do not get
better over time, if you suspect you have an aggressive dog, get yourself
into competent professional hands.
About the author:
Gordon Fontaine, founder of Zen Dog Training is a graduate of Jean
Donaldson’s, SF SPCA Dog Trainer Academy www.SFSPCA.org. Gordon
specializes in puppy training and travels the Boston area providing in-home
dog training. Gordon also teaches Aikido a Japanese martial art and puppy
class every week in Belmont, MA.
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