Category Archives: Puppy Parenthood

All things puppy: health, teething, chewing, potty training, excess energy, leadership, puppy proofing, manners, obedience, and socialization.

Deter Puppy Play Biting and Mouthing Using the Tie-Down Technique

Puppy Parenthood, Training Tips

Rough-housing and play nipping is the way puppies play with their litter-mates. Although puppies have sharp teeth and nipping can hurt, the intention is always play, and never meant to harm. Contrary to what you may have heard, you don’t need to inflict pain to stop your puppy from biting and mouthing. There’s a very simple, tried-and-true technique you can use to deter puppy play biting and mouthing, and teach Fido not to put teeth on human skin or clothes. It’s called the Tie-Down Technique.

Teach Bite Inhibition to Your Pup

Puppies get their first lessons in bite inhibition from their mother and litter-mates. If a puppy bites too hard, his play buddy yelps, stops playing, and leaves. Mother dogs usually freeze, and if that doesn’t work, they may growl or even nip the pup to stop the offensive biting.

Though most puppies learn bite inhibition (how to mouth and nip with a soft mouth), some puppies are taken from the mom and litter-mates too soon, or don’t have enough siblings with which to learn bite inhibition. These puppies may nip harder because they haven’t learned how to be gentle.

The good news is that puppies that have a “hard mouth” can be taught to have a “soft mouth.” However, instead of learning bite inhibition from their mothers and litter-mates, they learn it from us.

The following method works well because it mimics the kind of response a pup would receive from its mother or litter-mates.

Use a 3-ft, Chew-Proof Tie-Down

Provide a nice bed or comfy pad for the pup in an area that is easily accessible.

Next, attach a 3 ft. long, chew-proof tether or tie-down to your puppy’s harness or collar. Attach the other end of the tie-down to a large, sturdy piece of furniture, or mount it to a wall-mounted eye screw. (Please refer to the graphic below for more information).

Implement the Tie-Down Technique

Now, gently start petting your dog on the chest and behind the ears. All the while, speak to your puppy in a soft, calming tone of voice.

The instant your puppy puts its mouth on your body, let out a loud, high-pitched “ouch!” and then quickly remove your hand, turn, and walk away. Please note: The mouthing or nipping does not need to be painful. Your objective is simply to teach your puppy that it’s unacceptable for its mouth/teeth to touch any part of your body at any time. Show him that nipping results in unpleasant consequences by “turning off” any attention and social interaction with you.

Up the Ante

Wait about two minutes. Pick up a favorite chew toy, and walk over to your dog (still on tether). Tell your dog to “Sit.” Once your dog sits, offer him the chew, and say “Take,” but don’t let go of the chew. Hold onto the chew with one hand, while you soothingly pet your dog with the other hand.

Alternate which hand does the petting, and which one has the toy or chew. As long as your puppy’s teeth are on the chew, continue telling him how good he is. This is a great way to teach your pup what he should be doing – mouthing the chew, rather than your hand.

The very second that your puppy’s mouth leaves the chew and touches your hand, loudly yelp “Ouch!” and walk away with the chew. Remember that the nipping doesn’t need to hurt, and that you must respond to mouthing instantly. By reacting this way, you’re teaching your puppy that it’s “good” when he puts his teeth on the chew, but that it’s not “good” when he puts his teeth on you.

Ignore your puppy for about two minutes, and then repeat this exercise. Do this 5-10 times, and then take a break. It’s best to pet for short periods of time. The longer you pet your pup, the more likely he is to get excited and start to nip. Always quit while you’re ahead and end on a positive note.

Practice Regularly and Be Consistent

All family members must be consistent and immediate with their responses. Mouthing or nipping must elicit a sharp, “Ouch!” and the end of something pleasurable…namely your attention or the chew toy. Expect that it will likely take 2-3 weeks to teach your puppy not to nip. Eventually, your puppy will get the message: “If you can’t play nice, I won’t play with you at all.”

Teaching your puppy not to nip requires time, patience, and consistency. Everyone in the family needs to work with your puppy in the same way. Taking the time to address puppy nipping and mouthing as soon as it arises makes it easier to eliminate, and is much easier than trying to resolve it later in life.

Wonder Dog Training & Pet Services

Miscellaneous, Puppy Parenthood, Wonder Dog Technique

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Puppy Parents: 10 Things You Must Know

Puppy Parenthood

Just about everybody loves a puppy. What’s not to love? Okay, maybe there are a few things — like accidents in the house, torn up blankets and potty pads, needle sharp baby teeth, whining and crying. The good news is that it will get easier in time…as long as you know how to get things off to a good start.

Here are a few things that you should know about your new puppy:

1. When you bring your new puppy home, he won’t know very much. He’s spent most of the first weeks of his life living with his mother and siblings, who are dogs. That means he knows some basic dog things, like how to whimper and bark to get attention. He knows how to poop on papers. His breeder may have taught him a few things but there wasn’t time to teach him very much. Your puppy is pretty much a blank slate. It’s up to you to teach him everything he needs to know.

2. Your puppy is a little animal, not a small person in a furry suit. He has animal instincts and will always react as an animal when he doesn’t know what to do. That means that your puppy can bite and scratch and hurt somebody if he’s not supervised and trained. He needs training while he’s young so that he grows up to be a well-mannered dog.

3. Puppies need socialization at a very early age. The best window of opportunity for socializing is up until 12 weeks of age, which doesn’t give you very much time! Socialization is the process of introducing your puppy to the big, wide world and everything in it. Your puppy needs to go places, see new things and meet people. What’s more, your pup’s encounters need to be very positive, not frightening or overwhelming in any way. He should learn that new things and new people are good. Socialization teaches a puppy to be confident and helps him later in life. Puppies that are well-socialized tend not to develop behavior problems later on.

4. You should begin training your puppy early. You can train a dog throughout his life but it’s always easier and advisable to start training a puppy when he’s young. Ideally, you can start training as early as 8 weeks of age. Teach your puppy good manners and some basic obedience skills like Sit and Come. You may also wish to enroll him in a local group puppy class, such as Puppy Socialization, or AKC STAR Puppy, where he can learn some simple obedience and enjoy some socialization at the same time.

5. Your puppy will most likely chew on things so you should try to “puppy proof” your house as much as possible. Put away your shoes and other things that he can reach. When your puppy chews on things take them away. If you catch your puppy in the act of chewing on something he’s not supposed to chew on, you can correct him (no physical punishments). Otherwise, if you don’t catch him, you should let it go. There is no point in correcting a puppy or dog for something that has already happened. Your puppy or dog won’t know why they’re being corrected.

6. Puppies may nip, and bite too hard when they are playing and feeling rambunctious. If your puppy nips you, let him know it hurts. If he even touches his teeth to your skin, yelp and stop playing with him. Immediately disengage, walk away, and ignore him. If you stop playing with him whenever he tries to nip, he will stop nipping.

7. If you have children teach them that they can’t mistreat a puppy. Tell them not to stare at a puppy, wrap their arms around a pup, squeeze a puppy, pull on tails or legs, lay on the puppy, or otherwise make the puppy uncomfortable. Many pups will lunge at and even bite kids if provoked too much. If a child runs away screaming, the puppy is very likely to chase them, and in fact, it would be difficult for a puppy to resist. Children under six should be supervised at all times when they play with puppies.

8. Puppies may whine and bark and whimper for attention. Sometimes you will have to ignore them, especially if you want to get any sleep.

9. You should be sure that you are feeding him a good  quality dog food. Check the label to make certain that there is no corn, soy, wheat, by-products, or artificial ingredients. The first two ingredients should be a specifically named protein, such as chicken meal, lamb , beef, or chicken. Avoid foods that list generic proteins, such as meat meal.

10. Puppies of all breeds have a TON of energy and must be able to exercise multiple times per day. Even so, remember that bones and joints are still forming, and be careful that you don’t overdo the exercise. Play dates in your yard with other friendly, healthy puppies can be an excellent way to burn off some of that excess energy. A daily game of fetch can also be a huge help. Be creative and have fun with your pup! After all, that’s half the fun of having a dog.

Puppies can be a lot of work, but if you make an effort to do things the right way from the start, you will reap the rewards: a dog that is house trained, has good manners, is comfortable and confident with other dogs and people, and is a joy to be around.