Nipping and play biting
Nipping - the playful biting and mouthing of your hands and clothes by your dog - is
particularly common among puppies, but can also occur in older dogs that haven't been
taught proper bite inhibition.
It's natural for dogs to mouth and nip. They explore the world using their mouths - to a
dog, his mouth is as important as eyes and hands are to us. Nipping is very different from
true aggression: it's a form of communication, interaction, exploration, and play. From
birth, pups use their mouths to explore the den, their mother, and their littermates. From a
few weeks old, they use their mouths to play with their siblings: puppies play by biting and
mouthing each other. Some adult dogs - usually, those with owners who encourage rough
play, or who were removed from the litter at too early an age - retain these same
tendencies to nip during play and in moments of emotional duress.
Sibling play is actually how young pups learn a very important lesson, called bite
inhibition. If a puppy bites another puppy too hard, the other pup yelps loudly in pain and
stops playing with him. This teaches the biter that such a degree of bite force results in an
undesirable outcome: social isolation. When other puppies bite him, that's how he learns
what that pain feels like. (This is one of the reasons that puppies removed from the litter
too early are often 'maladjusted' - they've missed out on some of the important lessons
their mother and littermates have to teach).
Even pups that have learned basic bite inhibition from their siblings usually need to be
reconditioned again upon entering their new home: humans are much more easily
damaged than dogs, so it's necessary for us to intervene and refine the puppy's bite
pressure even further. A dog without any concept of bite inhibition is both annoying and
dangerous to have around: a harmless play session can rapidly turn into painful ordeal.
Puppies aren't capable of inflicting serious damage - although their little teeth are razor
sharp, their jaws are too weak to do much more than elicit a trickle of blood - but an adult
dog can do a great deal more than just scratch the surface, and it makes very little
difference to a wounded human that the dog "didn't mean to do it"!
Here's what to do to teach your dog good bite inhibition. Note: this same technique is
applicable to older dogs, although the same results may take a little longer to attain.
- When playing with your puppy or dog, you'll need to choose the level of mouthing that
you're prepared to accept. Some owners are content for their dogs to touch their hands
with their teeth, as long as no pressure is exerted; others (particularly those with large,
strong-jawed dogs) prefer to get the message across that no tooth-contact is acceptable
whatsoever.
- Whenever you reach your level of tolerance with your pup - he might give you a good
nip, or he might just grab your fingers gently in his mouth - squeal shrilly and loudly in
pain and immediately turn your entire body away from him. Get up and walk a few paces
away from him, keeping your face and eyes averted. Don't speak to him, and don't touch
him. The aim here is for the puppy to be completely socially isolated for the next 20 to 30
seconds - long enough for the lesson to sink in, but not long enough for him to forget
what it was that elicited such a response and start playing with something else. (Note: if
there are other people present, you'll need to ensure that they mimic your behavior here -
don't allow them to start playing with or otherwise paying attention to the puppy or dog, or
else all your good work will have been undone).
- Most young dogs, and some older ones, seem to have an innate need to chew
something - anything! - whenever they're being played with or petted. To keep the focus
off your hands, and prevent him from learning what a delightful chew toy your fingers
make, supply him with a more appropriate chew: anything with a slight give to it should do
the trick. Rawhide bones, pigs' ears, or squeezy rubber toys all go down a treat.
- If he should start snapping for your hands or face while playing, correct him quickly with
a sharp, "No!", or "AH-ah-aaah!" He should stop, startled. As soon as he stops, praise him
(you're praising the stopping, not the original behavior - don't be confused by their close
proximity) and then quickly redirect his attention to an appropriate chew. When his jaws
close around it, praise him again and give him a pat.
- Never use physical force to correct your dog for inappropriate chewing or mouthing. Not
only is it mostly unnecessary, but in most cases it will actually encourage further nipping
and biting. The cold-shoulder technique (as outlined above) is the most effective, and
humane, manner of conveying your displeasure to your dog. He wants to please you: he
just has to figure out how to do so. He has a much better chance of doing so if you refrain
from corporal punishment and give him 30 seconds of isolation instead.
- If your dog's getting really revved up and is making repeated attempts to nip you,
despite cold-shouldering him, he might need to cool down a bit. In this case, the 'time out'
method is appropriate: take him to his crate, or to a small room by himself, and leave him
there for five minutes to chill out a bit. When it's time to bring him back into the heart of
the household, you can start playing again - just try to tone it down a notch or two until
you're sure he can tolerate the play without further nipping.
- For a dog that needs little encouragement to become overexcited and mouthy
(high-energy herding breeds in particular are prone to this), choose non-contact play
whenever feasible. Frisbee and fetch are great choices; even tug-of-war, provided your
dog knows a reliable 'drop it' command, is suitable. Avoid rough play like slap-boxing
(where you hit the sides of a dog's face gently with open palms) and full-on wrestling at all
costs: these games encourage nipping, but also call a dog's instinctive aggression into
the mix, which is something to be avoided. Keep games friendly and low-key instead.
For more information
For further information on typical doggie behavior, including a fantastic resource for
training how-to's and loads of detailed information on preventing and dealing with problem
behaviors, check out SitStayFetch. Written by a professional dog-trainer, it's an absorbing
guide that deals with all the subjects a responsible dog-owner could ever want to know
about - well worth a look.
To visit SitStayFetch, just click on the link below:
Biting