Puppy Biting

No, you didn't adopt a furry shark...well, maybe....

The good news is that This IS a Phase, and if handled correctly, it is something your dog will most likely grow out of.

I say "most likely," because there are certain breeds that are prone to use their mouths as a way to say "I love you."  These dogs may always want to put their mouths on you, in gentle ways, not actually biting.   German Shepherds are notorious for this; mouthing at your forearms with sweet squeezes when saying hello.  I've met a couple Labs who've done this, and the oddball Pointer, but what we are addressing today is not a polite exchange.  We are talking about that obnoxious stage where that little furball jerk is all pointy needle teeth, and chewing on your fingers, hands, ears, toes and whatever else he can stab those death-daggers in to.

Unless your pup is spending unsupervised time alone with young children who do not understand how to properly handle a puppy, this is a natural behavior primarily driven by teething.  This means they are looking for relief from the discomfort caused by losing their baby teeth, and replacing them with adult chompers.

This is also a very exploratory phase behaviorally.  Most puppies frankly do not get to spend enough time with their siblings, or their mother, to develop what we call bite inhibition:  Figuring out what pressure is "Too Hard" with their mouths.  It is a skill best learned practicing on brother and sister, instead of your soft, tender Human flesh. 

When a puppy of 8 weeks old (the standard for "old enough to go to a new home," but should you pick up a pet store pup, beware that they may have been removed even earlier, so that when they arrive at the store they are 8 weeks) is removed from his litter-mates, he is still in infancy.  The next four to six weeks is when I get most of the "He Bites!" complaints.  That is due to his jumping from an infant-like stage, to that of an 8 or 10 year old boy.  How much physical damage does a baby cause to those holding him?  How much trouble can a curious, playful, strong, independent 10 year old boy cause, or get in to by accident?  Exactly.

A puppy of 12 to 14 weeks of age wants to play!! Explore!! Bite!!! Chase!!! Everything exciting and fun to a puppy this age, will be repeated.  Biting you is suddenly an exciting game.  Can you imagine the difference it might make, if that same puppy had spent those few extra weeks chomping on siblings, and learning what "too much" was, before they made their way to your home?

A slightly older puppy is "ripe" for training.  That is not to say that you cannot teach an 8 week old puppy some really great things, it just makes everything easier.  They can be less prone to some of the fears that can lead to later behavioral issues (providing they came from a good environment).  They have learned bite inhibition to a greater degree, and more readily take to the ideas presented by you.  Not to mention, you may also have a more solid idea of his personality at 12 weeks old, vs. when he was a stumbling, sweet little 8 week old.

But I got on a tangent there....
How do you stop the little monster from biting?

1.  Offer Appropriate Alternatives---A lot of them.
Keeping a variety of appropriate chew toys (not soft stuffed animals, soft ropes, etc) around for the little dude is VERY important.  As your puppy grows, they will change their tastes and desires for different textures, and flavors.  Finding a variety of stuff for them to chew will help avoid things like destroyed window-sills, or torn up carpet.

Toys such as Nylabone (make sure you are matching your puppy to the right level of "chew") or Benebone come in a wide variety of shapes, flavors and textures.  The original Kong, when stuffed with some puppy food that has been soaked in water (or chicken broth) 'til the kibble swells, then frozen inside, can be a great way to exercise those jaws.  Try to avoid rawhide--it doesn't break down in the gut properly and can lead to blockage or tummy upset.  PetStages makes some incredible puppy chew toys. Talk to your vet or qualified professional to get some other great ideas.

This person is PREPARED !  This is a Kong Stuffing Station like I've never seen.  Lots of Kongs, pre-made stuffing in the bag, alternatives to mix in to the stuffing, different versions of treat dispensing toys...yeah, this person has a busy dog who is NOT chewing the furniture, or carpet, or hands, or shoes....

Always keep an appropriate chew in your pocket, or just within reach.  Every time he starts to put his mouth on you, (this includes clothes) say "no" in a calm but firm voice, then offer the alternative.  Encourage and entice the pup to put that in his mouth instead.

2.  Remember to tell him "no," "gentle," or "no biting" in calm, lower, serious tones, whenever he begins to chew on you.  
No need to yell at the puppy, it won't work in the long run.  If you present the idea that you are not stable, by yelling or overreacting, you are setting yourself up as "not the leader" in that puppy's opinion.  Leaders are in control.

Immediately after telling him "no," offer one of those alternatives.

There is a train of thought out there, that says you should "yelp like a puppy" or exclaim "OW!" in a loud voice when the pup bites, and then walk away from him.  While I'm OK with the walking away part, (he will most likely chase you and grab your pants or shoes, but whatever)

I disagree with sounding like a wounded prey animal when your dog bites you.  This reaction, I have found, can exacerbate your pup's already excited state, and perhaps make him even more keen on tackling and chewing on you.

This is why puppies Looooove to bite kids.  They cannot help but shriek, jump or jerk around and otherwise make it really and truly fun to bite. 

3.  Do Not Encourage Wrestling Games. 
Getting on the floor and communicating that it is ok for your puppy to treat you like another puppy is a sure way to invite them to inappropriately use their mouths. 

4.  Apply some kind of chew deterrent to your skin and clothing. 
This doesn't work for all dogs, but a majority of them find products like Bitter Apple, Phooey, or plain ol' White Vinegar to taste gross.  You can spray this on the back on one hand and forearm, keeping your fingers and palms free of this yucky taste.  When the pup begins to teeth on you, simply and calmly say "no," and offer the yucky tasting part of you to the puppy.  It is a nice, gentle, passive way to teach them that they don't want to chew on Humans because we taste gross.

Immediately offer that alternative chew after making your point.

5.  Offer Ice.  
For some puppies, the pain of teething is such that you may get days when you cannot touch him without him chewing on you.  If you are there to supervise, you can help him get some cold, numbing relief from this discomfort by offering ice, or toys that have been frozen.  I like to freeze the Whimzeez Dental Chews for this.  They are a natural, vegetable based dental chew, which makes them gentle on the tummy.  If you go this route, choose a size that looks 'too big' for the pup, so you can observe to make sure they aren't getting large chunks off to swallow, posing choking hazards.  This can be done with frozen carrots, or long slices of sweet potato too.

6.  Do Not leave puppy unattended with children. 
I had an 11 week old Beagle in a group class once.  We were doing some off-leash playtime, and he was intent on bothering a much smaller puppy, so I picked him up, via hands around his rib cage, to redirect him.  What resulted was a snarling, snapping, growling, angry little guy.  I gently held him 'til he relaxed, and as I set him down (as reward for calming down) I asked Mom and Dad, "How old are your kids?"  They were shocked, because they had not mentioned they had any. 

Even the sweetest children can be accidentally cruel. 

Not knowing how to respect a puppy, or how to properly pick up a puppy, can result in hurt, which can cause a pup to bite out of desperation.  This can become a bad habit of learning very quickly that the fastest way to 'get free' is to bite...hard.  For the future of your puppy growing up to be a tolerant, patient and trustworthy "kid-dog," please make sure you are supervising interactions with kids.  That way, you are the reasoning and in-control Adult who can help both parties learn to be kind to one another.

7.  It is OK to use Time Out.

Both the toys seen are Nylabone. 

Let's say you have already given the puppy everything he needs, tried Ice, given toys, exercised him, etc, and he still thinks you are more fun to bite.  Totally OK to give him a time out in his kennel or puppy pen.  We all need a break sometimes, and a puppy running on Tilt is no exception.  Just like a tired little kid, he may just need a nap.  This is not a punishment, so make sure he has something to chew on in there that is 'crate-safe,' but give yourself a break.  I do not mean it is OK to stick him in the crate for hours just because you can't handle yourself; I mean a 30-45 min nap would do everyone some good. 

8.  Try not to use "ol' school" methods. 
Without describing them, I will just say that if the "bite fix" method involves striking, or causing him pain, you may be setting yourself up for a true attack later.  There are pups out there that only see this approach as a challenge, and will one day retaliate...Usually after they are much, much faster than you. 

If you are still struggling with it, or you think your pup's biting has an aggressive edge to it, call a professional.  Talk to your Vet, ask about finding a good Teacher, and get some help.  Check out ASPCA's website, or get a book by Dr. Sophia Yin.  You are not alone in fixing this.  This list is also not a 'one-size-fits-all' thing.  Most pups can stop biting and chewing using these methods, but you may have a special case that needs an individual approach.  So don't be afraid to ask. 

We are here for You.

p.s.  Don't leave the pup alone with the kids :)

Too Much Training?

Is there such a thing as Too Much Training?  In a word, yes.

We all want our dogs to be civil, loving, easy to handle members of our family.  To act like gentlemen and ladies when they are in public, and to be seen as "well trained" by those who pass us by.  If we are using our "big, reasoning human brains," (thank you Zac George for that turn of phrase) we have made the decision to enroll our new dog in some kind of class, or hired a private instructor to come to the house.  We start to make progress, but it feels slow.  It doesn't feel "all encompassing," or the Teacher we hired doesn't show us the "fun stuff."  So, being the curious species we are, we start looking at what else is out there; what else we can get involved in.  We are doing Simple Obedience, what about Agility, I heard that's fun.  Or how about Nosework?  Tricks?  Rally?  Protection?  Conformation? 

Wanting to do all of these things is Great.  I encourage you to do so, but please, for your dog's sake, Not All At Once.

The thing about taking multiple classes are the Instructors.  Trainers are a lot like Hair Stylists:  We may all be cutting hair, but we all do things just a little bit differently.  This becomes VERY confusing for your dog.  This confusion can lead to what may look like a lack of cognition, or stubborness.  Outright refusal to do what you ask may not be a stubborn dog at all, but a confused animal who can't speak the language.

Take something simple, like teaching a "Sit."  One Teacher may ask you to hold a piece of food in front of your dog's nose, and slowly use it as a lure, to cause him to raise his nose and follow it back over his head a bit.  This causes his butt to go down in to a Sit position, and then you give him the treat.

Another might suggest you hold a treat in your closed fist, a bit above the dog's head out of reach, with your arm extended straight in front of you.  Say "Sit," then patiently wait for the dog to stop jumping, rearing like a pony or otherwise trying to investigate your hand.  As he looks up at your hand, he may sit.  When this happens, you say "Good" and give him the reward.

Here comes somebody who shows you to position the collar just behind his ears, and apply upwards pressure (slowly choking him) to his leash, while you press down on his butt.  Thus creating leverage so he begins to go in to the sit position.  Release of pressure happens as he begins to drop his haunches, reapply this pressure should he begin to stand.

Still another comes 'round and tells you to simply wait 'til the dog sits all by himself at some point.  When he finally does, you are to repeat "Good Sit" over and over again while you reward him.  Then ignore him again and repeat this process a few times.  Once he is offering this behavior to get the reward, and you think he is starting to understand that butt on the ground equals food, you can then experiment by asking him to "Sit" when he is standing, and see if he puts it together, thereby making it a cue, and not just free food for a randomly offered behavior.

Oh and then there's using a clicker to get the behavior on cue.....

You see?  So many different ways are out there to teach even the simplest of things, that there are bound to be enough inconsistencies to create confusion in your dog.  I am not saying don't take these classes.  I want you to.  Just take them one at a time, unless they are all from the same Instructor.  That way, if you do encounter a Teacher who is using a different approach, your dog will have time to adapt to this change, and succeed.  They are extremely capable of learning different styles, and cues, but it must come at a speed they can handle.

Think of it as though you were trying to learn two different languages at the same time (and yes, I know, some of us out there are AMAZING humans who actually can do this...I speak to the majority here).  On Mondays, you attend Russian class, and Wednesdays, you go to a Mandarin hour.  You may recognize some of the gestures and tones that those two instructors have, but they are so very different, it may be near impossible to be successful.  Keeping up with the rest of the class in both languages may be more of a challenge, and you may find yourself falling behind and feeling frustrated.

My Retractable Leash Experiment

I know the lot of you have heard me say over and over, that, for the most part, I do not think there are many places where a retractable leash is a good tool.  Yes, there are certain applications that it can be helpful in, but not, in my opinion, for every day walking of your dog.

That said, I bought one.

My larger dog has recently been diagnosed with a condition that we are now asked to "keep him to a dull roar" for the rest of his life.  Our vet has encouraged us to take him places, in a very limited fashion.  I asked about taking him on a car-camping trip, because that sort of excursion is Big Dog's 'happy place,' and the vet said "Sure.  But keep him tied up."  So I bought a retractable tape-leash to minimize the tangled mess that a traditional tie-out can become.

As a couple weeks went by, and I looked at that leash sitting under the table by the front door, I got curious.  I mean, as a Teacher, I coach my students about all the reasons why you probably shouldn't be using those to walk your dog.  As a Human, I thought "What if not paying as much attention to my dog on a walk might actually be relaxing?"  I've had this thought before.  I just want to stop being a "trainer" for a minute, and become like every one else in my neighborhood: Let my dog do what he wants.  Let him sniff all over.  Pee on everything.  Wander a little too far.  He's a good dog.  I've taught him his manners and then some.  What's the harm?

I call Little Dog, and hook up his harness (which, by the way, is a graduation--he began his training process 6 years ago, and has earned the right to wear a body harness, because he listens, and can be trusted), and snapped the retractable to it.  "ok buddy, let's see what the obsession is about, yes?"

Here is what I discovered:

He didn't like the feeling of the constant, but small tugging pressure on the leash.  I have worked hard to teach him not to pull, and when he felt the leash's tension, he would slow his steps, or look up at me to question what he may be doing incorrectly.

After some encouragement, he started to figure out that he could linger longer at smelling points, and just wait for the end of the leash to pull him forward to catch up to me.  This meant I was now 16 feet away from my dog, not at all knowing what he was doing, or what he was attempting to eat/smell/roll in.  Not to mention the few times I glanced back and found him off the sidewalk, nose down to some scent, in the street.

When we arrived at the park, and started to see other dogs, I was annoyed at myself at just how little control I felt like I had using this leash.  It is awkward in my hand, and while the lock seems to be working now, I feel like yeah, that could fail me at any time; or I could drop this whole thing and it would be a loud plastic thing retracting towards my dog, possibly causing him to run.  Every time I "locked" it to either pull him back to me, or shorten him up so he couldn't reach something, I was feeling frustrated.  So was my dog.  He is used to taking guidance from me on our walks, and here I am saying "make your own choices while on a leash."  I could actually see him slipping in to what I like to refer to as "a**hole mode."

This is a problem for a lot of dogs in our world, actually.  Without proper leadership, they try to be their own bosses, and this causes anxiety.  This heightened state of mind, this stress, can cause some dogs to become reactive.  Little Dog used to want to fight anything on four legs.  As I'm observing, I see him snap to attention at the sight of an approaching dog.  His ears are forward.  His stare direct.  His hackles creep like a slow-motion mohawk from his shoulders to his tail.  He begins to whine.  He is looking for a fight.

I tell him to leave it, call him off to the side, have him lay down in the grass for some belly rubs and scratchin's, and we wait for the other dog to leave.  We head home.  I lock the leash at approximately five feet long, ask him to Watch Me, and we Heel almost all the way home.  By the time we've gotten to our cul-de-sac, he is relaxed, wagging his tail and no longer anxious or concerned about the things on his walk.  He needs the structure in order to feel good.

That is not to say that I require him to pay attention every time I walk him.  He has earned the right to sniff and lag, and even to walk in front of me.  What he has earned, he respects.  On an six foot lead (which is what I usually walk him on) he is close enough that he is paying attention to me, and I to him.  I talk to him.  I can see what he is smelling, and tell him NOT to eat the things he would like to--STILL wants to snack on cat poop!!!!  There is something disgustingly funny about watching him reluctantly drop a chunk of feces and walk guiltily away from it.

The retractable leash no longer calls to me as I walk out my front door.