Why should you teach your Puppy bite inhibition
If you are new to owning a dog, encouraging your dog to bite and mouth your hand when it is a puppy may seem very strange. However, it is going to be one of the most important things you are going to teach your dog to do. You are not really teaching your dog to bite but to control the force of its bite, known as Bite Inhibition. The full power of an adult dogs bite can have serious consequences, so teaching your puppy early on to control it will have far reaching benefits later in life.
Puppies bite and mouth as part of their natural development. Biting and mouthing is a part of play but also a way of relieving any discomfort during teething. When puppies play with their littermates they soon learn that a bite too hard is not a good thing. The bitten littermate will yelp in pain and if too severe will stop playing with the over zealous playmate. The puppy will not want to be excluded from play or think that it has hurt its littermate so the next time will limit the force of its bite. Mother has a role to play as well; if a puppy bites too hard during suckling she will remove the milk source completely and she may even reprimand the pup. Again, this is not an experience the puppy will want to repeat.
When you bring your puppy home for the first time it is up to you as its new family to continue its education!
How to teach your Puppy bite inhibition
Allow your puppy to mouth your hand either because it is teething or as part of play. When the puppy applies too much pressure to the bite make a high pitched yelping noise similar to that of another puppy and temporarily withdraw your hand. Look away from the puppy once you have removed your hand because this is another sign of disapproval. After a minute continue play with the puppy. If the puppy bites too hard again, repeat the process but this time remove your hand for 2 minutes before initiating play again. If the puppy continues to bite too hard remove your hand and yourself from the room altogether. Your puppy will soon learn the consequences of its actions and will limit the force of its bite the next time you decide to initiate play.
Try to practice bite inhibition regularly with your puppy before it starts to gain any of its adult teeth. You will not want to be teaching your puppy bite inhibition when it has a full set of adult teeth. Don’t forget gentle reminders of bite inhibition are needed throughout the life of your dog to remind the dog what is acceptable. If you wish you can eliminate biting altogether in your adult dog through training, but not until your puppy has learned excellent bite inhibition skills.
Written by Nicola @ Dog Store
