It's not always easy to
convince a new puppy not to bite the hand that feeds him . . . pets him . .
. or plays with him, for that matter. When puppies play with each other,
they use their mouths, so they may also be inclined to bite or "mouth" your
hand during play or when being petted. This is rarely aggressive behavior
meant to do harm, but it is a difficult habit to break unless you encourage
your puppy to try an acceptable alternative behavior. The goal is to
redirect your puppy's energy onto acceptable chew toys, and to teach her to
be gentle when a hand is in or near her mouth.
Encourage Acceptable Behavior
Redirect your puppy's penchant for nipping and biting by offering her
more acceptable objects (such as chew toys) whenever you pet her. This
technique can be especially effective when children want to pet her. As you
or the child reaches out to scratch her behind the ears with one hand, offer
the chew toy with the other. This will not only help your puppy learn that
people and petting are wonderful, but will also keep her mouth busy while
she's being petted. Alternate which hand does the petting and which one has
the chew toy. You may need to start off by petting or scratching your puppy
for short periods of time, since the longer she's petted, the more likely
she is to get excited and start to nip.
Discourage Unacceptable Behavior
You must also teach your puppy to be gentle with hands, and show her that
nipping results in unpleasant consequences. Teach your puppy that nipping
"turns off" any attention and social interaction with you. As soon as a nip
occurs, look your puppy right in the eye and yell "OUCH" as though you've
been mortally wounded. Then ignore her. Leave the room if you must, but
ignore her until she's calm, and then try the chew toy and petting method
again.
Jumping Up
When your puppy jumps up on you, she wants attention. Even if you push
her away, she is still getting attention (even if it is a response that you
might consider negative).
When your puppy jumps up:
- Fold your arms in front of you, turn away from her, and say "off."
- Continue to turn away from her until all four paws are on the ground,
then quietly praise her and give her a treat. If she knows the "sit"
command, give the command when all four paws are on the ground, then
quietly praise her and give her a treat while she's in the sitting
position.
- If she begins to jump while you're praising her, simply turn away and
repeat the second step, above. Remember to keep your praise low-key.
When your puppy realizes that she gets no attention from you while she's
jumping up, but does get attention when she sits, she'll stop jumping up.
Remember, once you've taught her to come and sit quietly for attention, you
must reward her behavior. Be careful not to ignore her when she comes and
sits politely, waiting for your attention.
What Not to Do
Attempts to tap, slap, or hit your puppy in the face for nipping or
jumping up are almost guaranteed to backfire. Several things may happen,
depending on your puppy's temperament and the severity of the correction:
- She could become "hand-shy" and cringe or cower whenever a hand comes
toward her face.
- She could become afraid of you, and refuse to come to you or approach
you at all.
- She could respond in a defensive manner and attempt to bite you to
defend herself.
- She could interpret a mild slap as an invitation to play, causing her
to become more excited and even more likely to nip.
Never play "tug-of-war" or wrestling games with your puppy if you're
having a nipping problem. These types of games encourage out-of-control
behavior, grabbing, lunging, and competition with you, behaviors you don't
want her to learn.
Be Consistent
It's important that all behaviors, acceptable and unacceptable, be
managed consistently by all family members. And remember that any method you
try will probably not be effective unless you work hard to teach your puppy
an acceptable alternative behavior.
A Note About Children and Puppies
It's very difficult for children under eight or nine years old to
practice the kind of behavior modification outlined here. Children's first
reaction to being nipped or mouthed by a puppy is to push the puppy away
with their hands and arms. This will be interpreted by the puppy as play and
will probably cause the puppy to nip and mouth even more. Adults should
closely monitor all interactions between their children and dogs.
© 2002. Adapted from material originally developed by
applied animal behaviorists at the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado.
All rights reserved.
