Some Tips we have learned on the way or that we have gotten as suggestions from other breeders and customers.
Dog Bites or Rough Playing
Step 1: Bite Inhibition: Teach Your Dog to Be Gentle
Bite inhibition refers to a dog’s ability to control the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog who hasn’t learned bite inhibition with people doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, so he bites too hard, even in play. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that a dog who has learned to use his mouth gently when interacting with people will be less likely to bite hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in a situation apart from play—like when he’s afraid or in pain.
Young dogs usually learn bite inhibition during play with other dogs. If you watch a group of dogs playing, you’ll see plenty of chasing, pouncing and wrestling. Dogs also bite each other all over. Every now and then, a dog will bite his playmate too hard. The victim of the painful bite yelps and usually stops playing. The offender is often taken aback by the yelp and also stops playing for a moment. However, pretty soon both playmates are back in the game. Through this kind of interaction, dogs learn to control the intensity of their bites so that no one gets hurt and the play can continue without interruption. If dogs can learn from each other how to be gentle, they can learn the same lesson from people.
When you play with your dog, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your dog and cause him to stop mouthing you, at least momentarily. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your dog for stopping or for licking you. Then resume play. If your dog bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period.
If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. Time-outs are often effective for curbing mouthy behavior in adolescent and adult dogs. When your dog delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. If necessary, leave the room. After the short time-out, return to your dog and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your dog until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your dog isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your dog to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your dog or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your dog can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.
Step 2 : What to Do Next: Teach Your Dog That Teeth Don’t Belong on Human Skin
After you teach your dog to be gentle with his mouth, you can move on to the next step: teaching him to avoid mouthing people altogether. Try the following tips:
Bite inhibition refers to a dog’s ability to control the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog who hasn’t learned bite inhibition with people doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, so he bites too hard, even in play. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that a dog who has learned to use his mouth gently when interacting with people will be less likely to bite hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in a situation apart from play—like when he’s afraid or in pain.
Young dogs usually learn bite inhibition during play with other dogs. If you watch a group of dogs playing, you’ll see plenty of chasing, pouncing and wrestling. Dogs also bite each other all over. Every now and then, a dog will bite his playmate too hard. The victim of the painful bite yelps and usually stops playing. The offender is often taken aback by the yelp and also stops playing for a moment. However, pretty soon both playmates are back in the game. Through this kind of interaction, dogs learn to control the intensity of their bites so that no one gets hurt and the play can continue without interruption. If dogs can learn from each other how to be gentle, they can learn the same lesson from people.
When you play with your dog, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your dog and cause him to stop mouthing you, at least momentarily. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your dog for stopping or for licking you. Then resume play. If your dog bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period.
If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. Time-outs are often effective for curbing mouthy behavior in adolescent and adult dogs. When your dog delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. If necessary, leave the room. After the short time-out, return to your dog and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your dog until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your dog isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your dog to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your dog or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your dog can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.
Step 2 : What to Do Next: Teach Your Dog That Teeth Don’t Belong on Human Skin
After you teach your dog to be gentle with his mouth, you can move on to the next step: teaching him to avoid mouthing people altogether. Try the following tips:
- Substitute a toy or chew bone when your dog tries to gnaw on fingers or toes.
- Dogs often mouth on people’s hands when stroked, patted and scratched. If your dog gets all riled up when you pet him, distract him by feeding him small treats from your other hand. This will help your dog get used to being touched without mouthing.
- Encourage noncontact forms of play, such as fetch and tug-of-war, rather than wrestling and rough play with your hands. Teaching your dog to play tug-of-war prepares him for dealing with arousal and frustration. To keep tug-of-war safe and fun for you and your dog, you’ll need to follow strict rules. Once your dog can play tug safely, keep tug toys in your pocket or in a place where you can easily access them. If he starts to mouth you, you can immediately redirect him to the tug toy. Ideally, he’ll start to anticipate and look for a toy when he feels like mouthing.
- Teach your dog impulse control with specific exercises such as sit, wait and leave it.
- If your dog bites at your feet and ankles, carry his favorite tug toy in your pocket. Whenever he ambushes you, instantly stop moving your feet. Take out the tug toy and wave it enticingly. When your dog grabs the toy, start moving again. If you don’t happen to have the toy available, just freeze and wait for your dog to stop mouthing you. The second he stops, praise and get a toy to reward him. Repeat these steps until your dog gets used to watching you move around without going after your feet.
- Provide plenty of interesting and new toys and things to chew so that your dog will play with them instead of gnawing on you or your clothing.
- Provide plenty of opportunities for your dog to play with other friendly, vaccinated dogs. He can expend a lot of his energy playing with them and have less need to play roughly with you.
- Use a time-out procedure, just like the one described above, but change the rules a little. Instead of giving your dog time-outs for hard biting, start to give him time-outs every time you feel his teeth touch your skin.
- The instant you feel your dog’s teeth touch you, give a high-pitched yelp. Then immediately walk away from him. Ignore him for 30 to 60 seconds. If your dog follows you or continues to bite and nip at you, leave the room for 30 to 60 seconds. (Be sure that the room is “dog-proofed” before you leave your dog alone in it. Don’t leave him in an area with things he might destroy or things that might hurt him.) After the brief time-out, return to the room and calmly resume whatever you were doing with your dog.
- Alternatively, you can keep a leash attached to your dog when you’re around to supervise him. Let the leash drag on the floor. Instead of leaving the room when your dog mouths you, you can immediately take hold of his leash and calmly lead him to a quiet area. When you get there, tether him to a heavy piece of furniture or put him behind a baby gate to confine him. Then leave the area or turn your back to your dog for the brief time-out. When the time-out is over, untie him or release him, and resume whatever you were doing.
- If a time-out isn’t viable or effective, consider using a taste deterrent. Spray the deterrent on areas of your body and clothing that your dog likes to mouth before you start interacting with him. If he mouths you or your clothing, stop moving and wait for him to react to the bad taste of the deterrent. Praise him lavishly when he lets go of you. Apply the deterrent to your body and clothes for at least two weeks. After two weeks of being punished by the bitter taste every time he mouths you, your dog will likely learn to inhibit his mouthy behavior.
- If your dog shows no reaction when you yelp, does not stop mouthing when you use time-out and isn’t deterred by bad tastes, another possibility is to make it unpleasant for him when he mouths. The following technique should only be used as a last resort—only if nothing else has worked. Carry a small can of peppermint or spearmint breath spray in your pocket so that it’s always handy. The instant your dog starts to mouth you, yell “Ouch!” and squirt a short burst of the breath spray directly into your dog’s mouth. He won’t like the taste, and he really won’t like the sensation of the spray. Your action should be swift and smooth. This tactic won’t work if it deteriorates into a wrestling match between you and your dog—and it definitely won’t work if your dog becomes aggressive or afraid of you. You should only need to use the spray a few times. If you’re uncomfortable using punishment and can’t implement it quickly and without struggling with your dog, it’s best to use the other procedures recommended here or seek professional help.
- Because mouthing issues can be challenging to work with, don’t hesitate to enlist the help of a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). A CPDT will offer group or private classes that can give you and your dog lots of assistance with mouthing.
Crate training
Your puppy will be happy in his/her crate if the puppy is exposed to it properly. You should start crate training as soon as your puppy comes home.Keep the crate in n area where you will be spending a good amount of time at. You may find that your new puppy is more happy if your able to move the crate to the rooms that your at, including your bedroom when you go to bed. This way, your puppy is at ease as you will be able to be seen and heard when the puppy is in the crate.
Make the crate a safe place for your puppy, never use it as a punishment . It's best if you leave the crate door open while introducing the puppy to the crate, also during the training you should feed your puppy in the crate; put toys in his crate; give the puppy treats in the crate as well. This will provide a good reason for your puppy to spend some time in the crate. All of these activities will reinforce the idea that the crate is a special and safe place.
Once the puppy starts to enter the crate on his/her own for treats, begin to shut the crate door. Its best to choose a time such as mealtime or treat time to start closing the door. We also suggest the treat to be given in a hollow toy, such as the ones Nylabone makes, so treat time last a bit for training. Keep the door closed only for a very short time at first, and try to open the door before the puppy becomes impatient. You will want to slowly increase the time the door is closed. Always wait till the puppy is calm and quiet before opening the door, never when he is whining.
Your puppy should be put in his crate with his toys, after potty time and a very long day. While the puppy is sleeping keep the door closed, after he wakes up, take him to the potty immediately.
Please remember, if you use the crate as a punishment you puppy will never be content to be in the crate. Rather, he will despise it. Make sure that the crate is not a place that your puppy feels he is in prison. It is suggested that the puppy spends only the time necessary in a crate. the least amount of time the better.
Make the crate a safe place for your puppy, never use it as a punishment . It's best if you leave the crate door open while introducing the puppy to the crate, also during the training you should feed your puppy in the crate; put toys in his crate; give the puppy treats in the crate as well. This will provide a good reason for your puppy to spend some time in the crate. All of these activities will reinforce the idea that the crate is a special and safe place.
Once the puppy starts to enter the crate on his/her own for treats, begin to shut the crate door. Its best to choose a time such as mealtime or treat time to start closing the door. We also suggest the treat to be given in a hollow toy, such as the ones Nylabone makes, so treat time last a bit for training. Keep the door closed only for a very short time at first, and try to open the door before the puppy becomes impatient. You will want to slowly increase the time the door is closed. Always wait till the puppy is calm and quiet before opening the door, never when he is whining.
Your puppy should be put in his crate with his toys, after potty time and a very long day. While the puppy is sleeping keep the door closed, after he wakes up, take him to the potty immediately.
Please remember, if you use the crate as a punishment you puppy will never be content to be in the crate. Rather, he will despise it. Make sure that the crate is not a place that your puppy feels he is in prison. It is suggested that the puppy spends only the time necessary in a crate. the least amount of time the better.
