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JeanieK · 06-29-2006, 11:28 AM

I found this on our local humane society website.

There have been several threads lately on this subject so I thought I'd post this.

Nebraska Humane Society
Training and Behavior Department
Behavior Helpline
402-444-7800 Ext. 221
Copyright Nebraska Humane Society. All rights reserved. Revised Oct. 2000.
Play Biting and Mouthing in Puppies
Why is my puppy nipping and biting family members?
Nipping, mouthing and biting in young dogs is generally a form of social play not a teething
behavior. Teething is more likely to involve gnawing or chewing on household objects. When
puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. We must teach our puppies that any
mouthing behavior with humans is inappropriate.
The first thing you must do is provide lots of opportunity for play, without biting. Social play with
people could involve fetch, hide and seek, as well as long walks or jogging. Although wrestling
and tug of war games can be fun, they may lead to play that is too rough or rambunctious.
Puppies need to learn bite inhibition. This is something they start to learn while with their
littermates. It is one reason that puppies should not go to new homes until 7 - 8 weeks and they
have had time to practice social skills with other dogs. It can therefore be extremely beneficial
for the puppy to have regular interactive social play periods with other dogs in the home or in the
neighborhood or at Bone Jour dog day care.
How can I stop play biting?
You must provide the puppy with proper outlets for social play and exercise. Playing fetch or
hide and seek is an excellent way to exert some energy. It is important to never entice the
puppy to play with human hands by wrestling with the puppy. Petting is also social interaction
and the puppy may want to bite your hands. To encourage the puppy not to mouth hands
during petting, always offer a chew toy with on hand while you pet the puppy with the other. If
the puppy should try to mouth your hand, stop all interaction, walk away from the puppy and try
again in a few minutes.
Provided the dog is receiving adequate play, attention and exercise, you can turn the training to
bite inhibition. One of the things that they need to learn is how much pressure from their jaws
causes pain. Without this feedback, a puppy does not learn to inhibit the force of its bite.
Because all dogs can and will bite at some time, this lesson is vital for human safety.
How is this lesson taught? When puppies play with each other, if puppy A bites on puppy B too
hard, puppy B will yelp. If that does not work, puppy B will leave. This sends the message to
puppy A that its bites were too hard and if he wishes to continue to play, he needs to be gentle.
However, people often do not send this message to their puppy. In the beginning, they often
allow the puppy to chew on them without reprimands and the puppy assumes that the behavior
is acceptable.

06-29-2006, 11:28 AM	#1
JeanieK Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa Posts: 12,552	Play Biting Behavior Lesson I found this on our local humane society website. There have been several threads lately on this subject so I thought I'd post this. Nebraska Humane Society Training and Behavior Department Behavior Helpline 402-444-7800 Ext. 221 Copyright Nebraska Humane Society. All rights reserved. Revised Oct. 2000. Play Biting and Mouthing in Puppies Why is my puppy nipping and biting family members? Nipping, mouthing and biting in young dogs is generally a form of social play not a teething behavior. Teething is more likely to involve gnawing or chewing on household objects. When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. We must teach our puppies that any mouthing behavior with humans is inappropriate. The first thing you must do is provide lots of opportunity for play, without biting. Social play with people could involve fetch, hide and seek, as well as long walks or jogging. Although wrestling and tug of war games can be fun, they may lead to play that is too rough or rambunctious. Puppies need to learn bite inhibition. This is something they start to learn while with their littermates. It is one reason that puppies should not go to new homes until 7 - 8 weeks and they have had time to practice social skills with other dogs. It can therefore be extremely beneficial for the puppy to have regular interactive social play periods with other dogs in the home or in the neighborhood or at Bone Jour dog day care. How can I stop play biting? You must provide the puppy with proper outlets for social play and exercise. Playing fetch or hide and seek is an excellent way to exert some energy. It is important to never entice the puppy to play with human hands by wrestling with the puppy. Petting is also social interaction and the puppy may want to bite your hands. To encourage the puppy not to mouth hands during petting, always offer a chew toy with on hand while you pet the puppy with the other. If the puppy should try to mouth your hand, stop all interaction, walk away from the puppy and try again in a few minutes. Provided the dog is receiving adequate play, attention and exercise, you can turn the training to bite inhibition. One of the things that they need to learn is how much pressure from their jaws causes pain. Without this feedback, a puppy does not learn to inhibit the force of its bite. Because all dogs can and will bite at some time, this lesson is vital for human safety. How is this lesson taught? When puppies play with each other, if puppy A bites on puppy B too hard, puppy B will yelp. If that does not work, puppy B will leave. This sends the message to puppy A that its bites were too hard and if he wishes to continue to play, he needs to be gentle. However, people often do not send this message to their puppy. In the beginning, they often allow the puppy to chew on them without reprimands and the puppy assumes that the behavior is acceptable.