The dog interacts with the world through its mouth, but teaching it not to bite or hurt with it is important
Dogs bite: their mouths are used to interact with the world. But educating the puppy or adult dog not to bite or hurt is important. The consequences of the bites of a dog , especially a puppy, are known: a shattered cushion, rolls of toilet paper nibbled and deployed in the hallway … Nor should we forget those that hit his human in the ankles or elbows on the way to the Park. But the dog’s teeth are tools that must be educated to prevent it from biting badly and prevent damage at home. The following article shows how to make the dog not bite: play soft-mouth, teach the guidelines “let go” and “let go”, use appropriate toys and avoid practicing tug of war with the dog.
Dogs and puppies have to learn not to bite, to use their mouth without hurting
A dog interacts with the world through its mouth. The consequences of the bites of a dog, especially a puppy , a little explorer eager to discover the world through its mouth, are not unknown : shattered cushions, toilet paper rolls torn apart and spread out in the hallway, and bites in ankles or elbows when walking on the way to the park!
Dog puppies need to nibble because in this way they recognize and discover their environment. For them, their mouth represents the sense of touch since they are young. But, we must accept it: their teeth are tools that must be educated from an early age to avoid biting with damage and prevent damage at home. How to do it? Here are several tips .
1. The soft mouth game
Dogs must learn that a bite from them can hurt, which is important when children are around. The following exercise called “soft mouth” educates the dog not to bite and can be practiced with the animal from the age of three months. This game aims to make the puppy understand that it cannot clench its jaw because it hurts.
To get the dog to understand that its bite hurts, we must let it bite our hand , but only up to the level of pressure we want. When it reaches that bite, we must emit a little cry . The signal may be a slight “ow, ow”, never yells . This voice will be the sign so that the puppy does not exert more force. Once the little one stops his bite, reward him with an edible reward, such as some tasty homemade cookies.
The bite pressure allowed for the puppy should be gradually reduced until the dog learns to play “with a soft mouth.”
2. The “let go” and “let go” guidelines
A dog or puppy that bites should learn the “let go” and “let go” guidelines, which will help them release any bitten objects from his mouth .
To teach them to let go, and not to bite, you can use its favourite toy. First the little one is allowed to catch it with its mouth. And how do you get them to release it? Invite them to release him with the help of a treat that is more attractive than chewing on its fetish toy. An edible reward, petting, and other games will be sufficient encouragement for the puppy.
An instrument that is very useful for them to learn these simple guidelines, but stimulating for its intelligence, is the clicker to educate the dog. The sound emitted by this canine education device will be the signal that marks the puppy that, if it obeys, it will get a good reward.
3. Toys so that the dog does not bite
Puppies also bite due to teething discomfort . And on the market there are toys for it. This way the dog will be able to focus its urge to bite on these objects, when it needs to relieve the pain in its mouth.
Toys or objects that it can chew on should be clear. It is a mistake to offer them an old slipper or an unused sock , as it will assimilate that these are its toys and, when it is an adult, it will take them to nibble on them. It is difficult to correct an animal that has been allowed certain behaviours since childhood. Therefore, you have to set some basic rules from the moment you get home.
4. Do not play with your hands
Letting the puppy nibble on the hands of its human companion is a common mistake that must be avoided if the dog is to learn not to bite. Also, tug of war games don’t help either. In these games a person pulls on one side of a rope and the animal on the other end.
Experts warn, however, that these games stimulate the puppy’s compulsive biting behaviour. With this type of activity you enter the field of competition and when the dog wins, it reinforces its behaviour and will even growl as soon as it is opposed.
5. And so that it does not bite when it is alone at home?
The dog needs to learn to cope with the absence of its humans during certain hours of the day. The separation anxiety explains many cases of damage at home and dogs that bite furniture pure stress. And is that a dog can translate its rejection of loneliness with damage at home.
For this reason, a puppy that has walked and done physical activity (games and walks) will be more relaxed before being left alone. In addition, it must be provided with enough food and water , as well as accompanied by its chewing toys , so that it is entertained during the absence of its humans.
On the other hand, dogs that share a home with other animals, dogs or cats , feel more accompanied and spend more time playing with their partner than biting what they should not.
