Dear Nervous: Biting or “mouthing” is normal behavior for puppies, especially those under 12 weeks of age. Puppies are naturally curious, just like babies, and because they don’t have hands to explore with they use their mouths. While you can’t stop this behavior you can teach the puppy “bite inhibition,” which lets him know when he is being too rough. It is best to teach this before the pup is four months old. After that you have lost that small window of opportunity for optimal training.

A Big Game

If you observe puppies at play with their mother and littermates you will notice a lot of biting going on. This play-fighting in puppies serves many purposes. It’s teaching the pups coordination and reflexes as well as social skills among the pack. The mother will “notify” the pup when he is being too rough with his biting by a loud yelp, a nip at the scruff of the neck or to simply run away from the pup.

At 10-weeks-old your pup still needs the language spoken by his mother in order to get the message. You must step in and take the role of “pack leader” to teach the pup that his boisterous playing and nipping is now unacceptable behavior.

Since biting is a game you must learn the rules of the game. Puppies learn from experience. We cannot train them to understand when biting is too much. This natural learning comes from seeing what the “reaction” is to the object they are biting. A startling yelp from mother says “too hard, knock it off”.

Leader of the Pack

Let’s say he comes up to you and nips at your ankle. It hurts! Let out a loud “ouch” directed at him. If he comes back for another nip, yell “ouch” even louder. Make an impression that you are unhappy. If he comes back for a third nip, simply walk away and ignore him. If he is nipping at your fingers try folding your arms. This will signal to him, “If you can’t play nice, we won’t play at all.”

If your pup is persistent and comes back again for a nip, this time grab him by the scruff of his neck and give him a little shake and a firm “No”. If he returns again, grab that scruff and give him a firmer shake. If he still doesn’t get a clue and comes back once more (remember this a game to him) grab him and hold him until he shows a sign of submission, such as ears back, a relaxed body or just being still for a few moments. The pup may squirm and shriek at the prospect of being held, but you must not give in to his objections. Just wait it out and he will settle. When all is calm, release him and tell him he is a good boy.

He will test your limits so be prepared. A word of caution, always supervise your pup’s visits with the five-year-old as she is not old enough to control her reactions to a nip from a small puppy. You could put Bitter Apple® on the youngster’s fingers to discourage the puppy from going there. It will also help the pup if you have a neighbor with an older, gentle dog that could interact with the pup to let him know in canine language when his nipping is too hard. Early socialization is the key to a well-behaved adult.

Lisa Peterson, a breeder and exhibitor of Norwegian Elkhounds, is a Delegate to the American Kennel Club. Send questions to elvemel@aol.com or P.O. Box 197, Newtown, CT 06470.