BehaviourLOG
JESSICA
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29/12/2020
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All dogs have the potential to do damage when they bite. We need to teach them how to control the pressure of their bite by teaching them how to inhibit their bite. If your dog has good bite inhibition, the risk of injury is greatly reduced. Dogs learn this in a few stages:
When puppies are born they begin to suckle on their mom. Their teeth emerge at around 14 days and are very sharp. At this stage, if the put any pressure on the mom while suckling, she will move away, restricting access to her teat. The removal of milk teaches them to suckle gently.
As the puppies grow they play with their litter mates and spend a great deal of time mouthing each other. If they use too much pressure during play, the pup will immediately stop playing. The removal of play tells the puppy to be more gentle next time.
The last stage is for people to teach the puppy to mouth gently on human skin:
Initiate play. If puppy bites your skin too hard, yelp, immediately stop playing and turn your back for 10 seconds.
Return to play; this is important so that the puppy gets an opportunity to play correctly. If puppy mouths your skin softly, praise and/or treat. Continue playing.
If puppy bites skin with any pressure, immediately stop playing and turn your back for 10 seconds.
Reengage. Praise and/or treat for soft mouthing.
Reduce the amount of pressure that you will allow until your puppy learns that teeth may not touch skin.
Begin redirecting all mouthing towards appropriate toys.
Sessions should be fun, short (five-ten minutes per day) and end a high note.
Continue training a soft mouth into adolescence and throughout adulthood for a danger-proof bite!
TOP TIP: If you have an adolescent or adult dog with a hard mouth, follow the same steps, but use heavy duty gloves to protect your hands (available from gardening centres and hardware stores). Hand feed meals one kibble at a time. If the dog tries to snatch, remove the food quickly for a few seconds. Only allow the dog to take a pellet when they are showing impulse control and are able to take gently.
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