ASK THE TRAINER:
WHY PUPPIES BITE EVERYTHING
And Why Most Owners Accidentally Make it Worse
By Andrew C. Sherwood, Professional Dog Trainer with 25 years of experience.
Essentials: Puppy mouthing
Reading time: 7 minutes
Best for: Puppy owners, new dog owners, rescues and breeders
Key Takeaway: Chewing has physical and social components
“My puppy will literally put anything in his mouth!”
Dogs are notorious for having a terrible teething phase- but is that a blank check for all mouthing? You and I would probably think “I’m not going to put an electrical wire in my mouth and chew it” but to a puppy, it might seem irresistible.
The most important thing you need to understand about puppies teething, is that nothing is supposed to be off limits. Dogs are still genetic wolves, and in the wild, nothing is off limits; rocks, trees, dirt and bones- nothing.
Instead of having rules, wild dogs must pay the consequences of all bad luck and all bad ideas. For pet dogs, we turn the equation inside out; everything is off limits unless prescribed to you. And by doing that, we remove all the risk of bad ideas and bad luck.
Problem is, none of that removes the puppies instincts to explore the world and their mouth is how they are going to do it.
WHY IT HAPPENS
As I’ve already mentioned, the notion that things are off limits from chewing is foreign, and since there are no pet stores in the wild that sell chew toys, it’s natural for the dog to constantly be chew-checking items around them, to see what they might enjoy. But a puppy getting their adult teeth is not reason enough to make sense of it all.
There are two massive reasons why dogs put everything into their mouth:
First, humans fail to realize that the dog’s mouth is both its mouth and also its hands. Now, consider that the puppy has a lot of activities it would like to accomplish, and his/her mouth is usually a better tool than their paws, so they need to get really good at using it. For instance, here in the Catalina Foothills and the surrounding Tucson areas, if a dog gets cactus in their side, they will use their mouth to remove the cactus, instead of trying to clumsily use their paws.
Second, roughhousing is a sacred ritual for dogs because the puppy is getting ready for battle by sparring his packmates. It’s a mistake to just think of nipping, biting and chewing as empty gestures. Yes, it’s socializing but there is a reason they socialize this way. I say it all the time, dogs are predators, and dogs are social animals. This means that violence is going to be part of their life. The problem is that pet puppies don’t know that they won’t need to hunt during their life- ever. Nor do they know that there will not be nasty social disputes for power within the pack or competing predators. Therefore, they instinctually believe that they must be getting ready for wars which will never be fought. Even my favorite toy breed, the Maltese, it’s puppy instincts are driven by an expectation and enthusiasm that is similar to a wolf or coyote.
COMMON MISTAKES
Since you are trying to dissuade a natural instinct, technique and timing become important, and most folks go off the rails right away. Here are two examples:
One: “If you don’t catch them in the act, you cannot punish them, because they will not remember having done the deed”. Sound familiar? This is perhaps the biggest zombie lie in dog training. I’ve seen this concept explored and disproven for over 25 years, but it never matters how many times we knock it down, it will get up and go around the world again every time. Everytime you don’t enforce your rules because you didn’t catch the dog in the act, you have enabled the bad behavior.
Two: When most people get a puppy, they are unknowingly going to reinforce their puppy’s mouthing. This happens when the puppy starts mouthing on your hands or arm, and so you engage the dog and start playing with them. That dog isn’t putting your body in their mouth to chew, rather, they are learning that putting things in their mouth gets them attention, even if its just you taking something out of their mouth.
WHAT BLACK BELT CANINE ACADEMY DOES DIFFERENTLY
I think most people understand how to do a “redirection” from an item that is off limits, like a power cord, to an item that is within limits, like a chew toy- in that you simply replace the item and say something like “chew this instead pup”. But what people miss is the redirection of social cues. When your dog starts getting mouthy on things like people’s arms or other animals, you’ll want to redefine this behavior as undesirable, as opposed to redirecting to something that is desirable. So it’s not a redirection from an unapproved item to an approved item, is a redirection from an unauthorized behavior to an authorized behavior that is undesirable.
Additionally, I always introduce some accountability for when the dog breaks the rules, and this requires a clear understanding of how to convert your expectations into their boundaries. As I mentioned earlier, you can hold a dog accountable, even if you don’t “catch them in the act”.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can you punish a dog “after the fact”?
Yes, but there is an enormous amount of nuance and technique which goes into this subject.
What is the normal amount of time a puppy will be teething?
Two or three months, which will typically take place between four months old and six months old.
Can you eliminate all forms of teething/mouthing?
No, but you can eliminate the bulk of the problems. There 3 elements of teething that can be resolved:
- Losing puppy teeth (Happens naturally)
- Defining what things are off limits. (Needs training)
- Rebellion. (Needs training)
Beyond this, dogs will want to mouth on you during playing, pulverize their toys and wrestle with each other, but they will continue to do them in ways which are acceptable.
NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP?
Some owners have a brand new puppy that is chasing chewing shoes and socks, other folks have a 5-year old who is chewing up the irrigation in the backyard. Whatever the situation, I can break it down for you and give you a custom plan, complete with a timeline of what to expect and when to expect it.
How and when to teach puppies not to put everything into their mouths is extremely nuanced, and if you live anywhere in Tucson, Vail, Marana, Oro Valley or the surrounding area- I can offer you private lessons in your home, and frequently you will start seeing results that same day.