Dog nipping, consisting of a playful mouthing or biting of your hands or clothes, is a pretty common behavior in young puppies. It's perfectly natural, because unless they've been taught bite inhibition, dogs use their mouths to communicate, play and interact with each other, and explore their surroundings. For example, a group of puppies will mouth or nip each other while they're playing.
As a result, it takes a while for a puppy to learn the proper etiquette of living with humans and not use his mouth to explore you or show his affection. Occasionally, dog nipping (which is also called play-biting) is also seen with older dogs, usually those that were removed from their littermates too early or have owners who like to roughhouse with them. Puppies usually learn to control their play-biting while playing with their littermates and interacting with their mother, but when a puppy is removed from the litter too early, the owner will have to serve as the instructor.
Although the potential for injury exists with dog nipping, it isn't an aggressive behavior. Instead, it's actually quite playful and one of the normal ways a dog interacts with his world. Unfortunately, dog nipping will probably continue until you teach your dog proper manners, so to speak.
In order to stop dog nipping, you'll need to teach your pup or dog about bite inhibition. An adult dog that hasn't learned this valuable lesson can be difficult to play with because he won't know how much bite pressure is appropriate when he's mouthing you. That can be annoying to adults, but it can be dangerous for young children.
Follow these steps to teach your dog how to eliminate or at least adjust the pressure of his play-bites to something that children can tolerate:
1. Act like one of your puppy's littermates. Whenever he nips too hard, let out a loud yelp and start squealing. Then, immediately turn away and avoid making eye contact. Your goal is to teach your dog that playtime is over if he nips. Don't turn around or make eye contact until your dog's been calm for a few minutes. He'll understand this lesson instinctively because that's exactly how puppies teach bite inhibition to each other.
2. Never encourage your pup to focus on your hands. Instead, distract his attention by giving him a chew toy during play sessions or while you're petting him.
3. Immediately correct any dog nipping (attempted or actual) with a firm "No." Once again, prevent your dog from focusing on your hands by giving him a chew toy. Follow it up with some lavish praise as soon as he takes the chew in his mouth. He'll soon learn that mouthing or biting on a chew toy is perfectly acceptable, but your hands are a different story.
4. It's essential to be consistent, so everyone who plays with your dog or pup must be on board with these steps. Your dog will learn bite inhibition much quicker if the message is consistent, with everyone helping.
5. Always remember that punishing your dog or pup for dog nipping is a big mistake. He'll only be confused if you shake or hit him. Many dogs will interpret this as a form of roughhousing, which just encourages dog-nipping. Other dogs might interpret it as a challenge and take the opportunity to start a power struggle for the alpha position in your household. Isolation (the cold shoulder treatment where you turn your back and avoid eye contact) is a much more powerful deterrent to dog-nipping.
A Case Study Illustration Related To Dog Nipping
A young pup continues to take every chance he can to nip his owner's hands, even though the owner has tried to divert his attention by petting him while the pup is playing with a toy or eating. The problem is, the owner is doing nothing to actively discourage his pup from dog nipping.
As soon as he starts nipping or mouthing, the owner should firmly and loudly say "No." He would probably be startled into stopping if this happened, and if it did, the owner should immediately hand him a chew toy, praising him when the dog takes it in his mouth. The owner should also consider reinforcing the lesson with a treat. If the dog nipping is painful, the owner should yelp and squeal loudly, just like a littermate would if it was bitten, and then completely ignore his pup for a few minutes.
Remember, it will take time to teach bite inhibition to puppies, because this is a behavior that's almost hardwired. Everyone in the household will need to be patient and consistently apply these steps, but eventually the dog nipping will be controlled.
