How to Train Your Dog to Not Play Bite

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How to Train Your Dog to Not Play Bite

Hard

1-8 Weeks

Behavior

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Introduction

You understand that when your dog nips during play, he doesn't mean any harm by it. However, recently you became aware of how non-dog lovers may perceive a 'love bite' and how it could get the dog into trouble with the authorities. The latter is too awful to think about, so perhaps it is time to stop being brave and let the dog know he shouldn't nip.

Things came to a head when a friend came round with her teenage daughter. They laughed as you rough-housed the dog, and the friend's daughter then wanted a go. You were secretly delighted, as the girl is wary of dogs and you thought it would do her self-confidence good. However, this backfired badly.

In a predictable way, the dog quickly became over excited and nipped at her arm. Unfortunately, the girl screamed and claimed the dog tried to bite. Her mother became irate and it took a deal of convincing on your part, that the dog meant no harm and was only playing.

Still, another time and another place, and things might have ended differently with a phone call to the police, so perhaps it is time to teach the dog to be gentle and not nip.

Defining Tasks

Training a dog not to play bite is about replicating what happens naturally within a litter as the pups learn what's acceptable behavior and what isn't. What should happen when a young pup is playing with his litter mates and bites too hard, the others will squeal and stop the game. This shows the pup in a way he understands that his bite was too hard. Next time, in order to avoid ending a fun game, the pup will nip more lightly.

Re-educating an adult dog means you must be prepared to play act a bit, and yelp when the dog's teeth make contact with your skin, no matter how minor the incident. In addition, it helps to learn strategies for calm play and how to distract the dog out of trouble. All of this takes time, so if you have small children in the home or are worried about the dog's behavior then always seek the help of a certified dog behaviorist.

Getting Started

Teaching a dog not to bite means communicating with the dog in a way he understands. This means reacting in an appropriate way (such as yelping and letting your hand go limp) , and by rewarding good behaviors.

To aid the process you will need:

Tugger toys or toys for the dog to hold without direct contact with your skin
Treats
A willingness to yelp and squeal

The Bite Inhibition Method

Effective

0 Votes

Step

Understand the idea

Adult dogs that nip during play usually do so out of excitement and because they haven't learned that nipping is painful for people. When a dog recognizes human skin is delicate and avoids biting as a result, this is called bite inhibition. This behavior is often learned as a pup when litter mates squeal when a boisterous pup bites too hard. However, it can still be taught to adult dogs who missed out on the lesson, it just takes longer for them to learn.

Step

Speak 'Dog'

When you dog gives you a playful bite, you need to let him to understand that it hurts, in other words you need to 'speak dog'. This is done by making a loud squeak or squeal when the dog's teeth make contact with your skin. This is equivalent to a litter mate crying when the game gets too rough, and is how dog's learn. However, some dogs can become overexcited when they hear squealing, in which case a good firm "No!" is acceptable.

Step

React to nips

When the dog nips, no matter how lightly, react and let your hand go limp. While it is tempting to either smack the dog or wag a finger at him, both of these can arouse further excitement and runs the risk of turning things into a game. The absence of participation, in your hand going limp, is a much clearer message to the dog that nipping ends play.

Step

Stop the game

Again, an overexcited dog who loses control in the heat of the moment, may keep jumping at you after your hand has gone limp. You need the dog to understand that nipping instantly ends the fun, so that he has the motivation of keeping on with the game to encourage him not to nip. Take advantage of this by downing toys, once he nips, folding your arms and, if necessary, turning your back until he has calmed down. In extreme cases you may even need to leave the room, and only come back once he is calm.

Step

Reward gentleness

If you yelp after a bite and the dog sits and looks bashful or attempts to lick your hand, then praise him for being good. Remember, praise for a job well done is a powerful motivator for future good behavior.

The Do's and Don'ts Method

Effective

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Step

Don't: Be brave

When a dog nips, even lightly, don't be brave and pretend it doesn't hurt. Your dog needs to know that a nip, no matter how gentle, is not appropriate. Therefore you must squeak or squeal in such a way that he thinks "Goodness, these humans are easily hurt," and takes care to be more gentle next time.

Step

Do: Seek professional help

Mouthing, nipping, and biting are all complex behaviors which can have different motivation behind them. While the majority of dogs bite during play because they didn't learn not to as a puppy, a small percentage of dogs may bite due to aggression or fear. If you suspect the problem to be anything other than straightforward, always seek the advice of your vet, who can refer you to a certified animal behaviorist.

Step

Do: Give chew toys

Give your dog's natural need to chew a sufficient outlet. Remember, he needs the satisfaction of mauling things in his mouth, so when he has plenty of chews he's a lot less likely to chose your hand instead.

Step

Do: Start young

Ideally, start teaching your new puppy bite inhibition. A young puppy has a plastic mind that is geared towards learning. Now is the ideal time to react as his litter mates would, so that he knows biting hurts.

Step

Don't: Jerk your hand away

If the dog nips in play, resist the desire to jerk your hand away. A rapidly moving object engages the dog's instinct to chase, and he's more likely to think you are playing than hurt.

The Reducing the Risk Method

Effective

0 Votes

Step

Understand the idea

By their very nature, dogs are prone to investigate things with their mouth. Therefore, for a dog mouthing and nipping are normal exploratory behavior, but it just so happens if they aren't gentle then there's a real risk of injury to the person. However, you can reduce the risk of play biting by how your interact with the dog and redirect his natural urge to mouth onto more appropriate objects such as a toy.

Step

Regular time-outs

If your dog play bites because he gets over-excited, then anticipate this. Instead of playing until he reaches fever pitch, take a break every 30 seconds or so, and make him sit and wait, before resuming the game. The idea is to allow him to calm sufficiently to safely re-engage with the game.

Step

Use non-contact toys

Instead of rough-housing the dog with your hands and arms, whereby the dog may confuse your limbs with toys, be sure to use a tug-toy or another toy that the dog latches onto rather than your hand. Praise him when he picks up this toy, so that he understands that rough play and biting with the toy is acceptable.

Step

Use distraction techniques

If the dog is about to latch onto your arm, distract him with a squeaky toy. Then toss the toy and redirect his play behavior onto that. Again, be sure to praise his interest in the toy, so that he focuses on it next time.

Step

Teach self-control

Learning bite inhibition requires the dog to acquire a degree of self-control. You can help him learn this with basic obedience training, such as 'sit' and 'stay' whereby you require the dog to wait before getting his meal or his collar put on for a walk.

Success Stories and Training Questions

Training Questions and Answers

Question

Sable

German shepherd mix

1 Year

0 found helpful

Question

0 found helpful

Sable

German shepherd mix

1 Year

i've had my dog for about a month and we really struggle with play biting. this is during me playing with her, but also pretty much any time she greets a new person. she gets so worked up and she just play bites constantly. i've tried getting everyone to stop interacting with her and/or putting her in a short time out but it seems like she's not getting it. is one month just too soon? she's lived in a shelter all her life and doesn't know how to interact with people. i just want to know approximately how long i'll have to exercise this type of consistency before i begin to see results. right now it's hard because people want to interact with her, but she is so rude and bitey that they can't.

1 month ago

Sable's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

460 Dog owners recommended

Hello Cassandra, With pup's current age and history, I actually suggest another training route. Check out the article linked below and follow the "Leave It" method. Work on Leave It as often as you can throughout the week. How fast a dog learns a behavior has less to do with time and more to do with how many training sessions they practice it during...If you have 1-3 training sessions throughout the day 6-7 days per week, pup will learn a lot faster than if you only had 3 training sessions throughout the week, but pup will need a couple of hours break between each training sessions. You can also incorporate training into your daily routine in many cases. Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite First, pup needs to learn to stop biting or not start biting when you say so. He also needs to develop the impulse control necessary to actually obey you. Practicing the Leave It method like the one described in the article I linked below can help with both of those things. Once pup knows Leave It really well, tell pup Leave It when he may bite or begins to bite. If he doesn't bite, reward with calm praise and a treat. If he disobeys Leave It and bites anyway, add a consequence. Check out the video linked below for an example of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcwvUOf5oOg Practice getting pup excited yourself and telling him Leave It and rewarding if he obeys and correcting if he keeps biting. As he improves, and no longer bites you, recruit friends and family to be the exciting person and you or them tell him to "Leave It" and give praise and reward if he obeys, and you correct if needed. Also, practice other commands that increase trust and respect to help pup learn better impulse control, listening, and calmness. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Crate Training: Crate manners: https://thegooddog.net/training-videos/free-how-to-training-videos/learn-to-train-the-good-dog-way-the-crate/ Surprise method for introducing crate: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Thresholds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-w28C2g68M Heel article - The turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel If pup has ever shown any signs of aggression or has a history of aggression, don't deal with the biting on your own or you could be bitten. Hire a trainer who is very experienced with aggression and behavior issues to help you. If pup has issues with aggression in other areas the biting at this age could be related to more than just excitement. From your description, I am guessing that pup's issue is similar to the dog in the first video I linked above - the labrador mix who was jumping and mouthing. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

1 month ago

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