What is the number one reason for a puppy to mouth (nip, bite) humans?
The number one reason puppies mouth at humans is that they lack the opportunity to get regular mouth-on play with other puppies.
Puppies interact with each other by putting their mouths on each other. When puppies are quite young, they begin to wrestle with each other and put their mouths on each other in play. By the time puppies are 8 weeks of age this “jaw sparring” occurs several times a day, and will continue until about the age of 2 years old. At 8-10 weeks of age, most puppies are removed from their littermates and go to a new family. IF there is another young dog in the household, the puppy will attempt mouth-on play with that dog. If there is not another dog willing to play with the puppy, then usually young children, or the person who likes to get on the floor with the puppy become the “puppy-play substitute”. It is NOT appropriate for humans to allow a puppy to put its mouth on their hands and arms in play. While it might seem innocent enough when the puppy is small. the puppy is learning that its o.k. to play with humans by putting its mouth on their skin. Instead, what the puppy needs is mouth-on play sessions with other puppies 3-5 times a week.
Hallmarks of “good” dog-dog play
- A small group of carefully selected dogs, where play is mutually beneficial to all dogs involved. Large group play often causes dogs to be over-stimulated and can even trigger something known as “predatory drift”. The most effective play groups are groups of 2-4 dogs. After all, in the wild, dogs would group themselves in packs of no more than 6-8 dogs. If two dogs in a pack don’t get along, they would have a fight and the loser would leave the pack. This is the reason dog parks are NOT a good place to bring your puppy. At Teamworks Dog Training’s Doggie Dayschool, our play groups are usually composed of 2 dogs. We keep detailed records of the play styles of dogs and take our time matching your dog up. We like to call what we do “Doggie E-Harmony”.
- When one dog yelps the other dog backs off and shows calming signals. The purpose of mouth-on play in puppies is for the puppy to learn something called “acquired bite inhibition”. If a puppy puts too much pressure with its teeth onto another dog, it needs to be given feedback that the other dog was hurt by that amount of pressure. Young dogs will yelp. Older dogs might snarl and snap at the puppy. These are totally appropriate responses from the dog who received the inappropriate bite pressure from the puppy. The puppy should also show calming signals and change its style of play, or take a short break from playing.
- Good play has lots of motion and sometimes lots of vocalization. If both dogs are still and staring hard at each other, that is a warning sign that play has just taken a turn towards the dogs taking things too seriously. You should interrupt hard stares and stiff posture with a loud noise and a break in playtime. If two dogs continuously have to have humans intervene in their interactions, they may not be compatible playmates. If you have two dogs at home that get over-stimulated and too serious when they play, consider setting up an InHome Consultation.
- Remember that effective socialization of your puppy is about the QUALITY of the experience, not the QUANTITY of dogs present. Your puppy should benefit from play, and not be overwhelmed or frigthened. Your puppy should not be bullied, nor bully other puppies. Our Puppy Class instructors will work with you to help you find the right play match for your puppy in class. Our Doggie Dayschool instructors are also very skilled in “Doggie E-Harmony”.
- Also remember that as puppies become adult dogs, they become more socially selective. Think about kindergarten children for a minute. Who gets invited to their birthday party? The whole class! What about high school kids? Who gets invited? Only the “besties”. Just like people, dogs become more socially-selective as they get older. This process begins at about 6 months of age. While some breeds were actually genetically selected to be more accepting of other dogs for a longer period of time, most “natural” dogs will only get along with a few compatible dogs after they reach puberty. So, if your adolescent dog no longer does well in large group play, there is nothing abnormal about that behavior. Again, dogs in the wild group into compatible packs of 6-8 dogs maximum. After reaching adolescence, if your dog has one or two compatible playmates, that is perfected normal.
Michele Godlevski has been a Certified Behavior Consultant since 2004.
Michele Godlevski, ACDBC, CCBC-KA, CPDT-KA, CC