Doggone Etiquette —

Stop Biting

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

Your VIPerson tells you not to bite, but you get lots of attention when you do, so you bite. That is definitely the wrong kind of attention for a nice puppy dog, even though you may figure it’s better than none. Maybe you make a game of it that amuses your people – up to a point. “I’m a naughty little dog, so catch me!” And, of course, when someone does catch you, you bite because your rules of the game are “you catch me and I’ll catch you.” However, that’s the “point” I’m talking about. It’s where you get a whack across your snout and a lot of angry scolding, and you figure the game is only over until next time. Your excuse is that you’re just a puppy? Well, you’d better pay attention now while you are still a pup because know this: Good dogs do not bite, and good owners make sure they don’t.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

Biting invariably begins with mouthing which is normal in a very young pup. It follows nursing and precedes teething. It’s also a form of play among pups in a litter. As a new owner you think it’s so cute that little Rufus gives kisses, so you ooh and coo to let him know how much you love his kisses. Face it, new puppy owner – those are NOT kisses! It is mouthing and it leads in no time flat to a few nips, or puppy nibbles. Sorry, friend, that is all just the precursor to hearty, hefty bites.                               

Depending on the size of his teeth and strength of his jaws at the time, even Baby Rufus can deliver a bloody puncture. You scream and yell at the pup, and he merely says to himself, “I gotcha!” Possibly the next time he is corrected for a minor bit of disobedience, the pup will hold back on the bite. But if you go so far as to smack him to enforce the correction, that hand is a prime target for a bite. It’s called justified retaliation – at least that’s how the dog would define it. Also, it’s the number one reason never to hit a dog!             

Mature dog-biting too often begins this way, and the sad thing is that it can be stopped fairly easily in a puppy. Stop the “licky-kissy” nonsense with the puppy. No tug-o-war or other rough play, no teasing, and for a positive activity start teaching the “drop it” command. For continued biting, try putting a foul taste in his mouth (via your hand) AS you say, “No bite.” A smear of soap will do it if nothing else is handy, but there are products made just for this purpose available in pet stores.

As with any correction, follow up with an immediate distraction. Tell the dog to do anything you know he can do to earn him a somewhat unenthusiastic, but matter-of-fact “good dog” reward. Teaching a dog to “drop it” on command will prevent a bite that could easily occur if you have to pry open the dog’s mouth to remove the object.

A lot of you are saying you know all this. Well, the hardest part of stopping a puppy from biting is getting the owner to go along with all of it. A mature dog that bites is a different story. Lots of questions need to be answered, primarily what provokes the biting. For example, does he bite just anyone or certain people? Or only when he’s given a stern correction? Or perhaps when a hand comes down toward his head whether to pet him or take something away from him? These can be indications that the biting stems from either a fear factor or a dominance one, both requiring the help of a behaviorist. And that means the whole family must understand, accept, and work with the advice given to control the problem. Remember: Dog bites can cost an arm and a leg in court!

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi