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Puppy Play Biting
Fact versus Fiction
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.
Fact versus Fiction
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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