April 21, 2011
Our puppy is very, very mouthy. It grabs my kids, my arms, my pants. What should I do to stop this?
Full Question:
Our puppy is very, very mouthy. It grabs my kids, my arms, my pants. What should I do to stop this? 
Ed's Answer:
Many puppies younger than 4 or 5 months are very mouthy. They bite pant legs, arms, rags, kids, etc. Puppies do this to establish pack structure in their new family pack (your family) or they do it because something has triggered their "prey drive".
They are not doing this because they are mean and in the vast vast majority of pups this has nothing to do with human-dog aggression. The fact is that 99.9% of these puppies are probably have a pretty sound temperament.
When a pup grows up in a littler it instinctually establishes its rank within the litter (or pack) by biting littermates. I have graphic video of this on my DVD "Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog" The web page for this DVD has a 22 minute streaming video that demonstrates this. Go watch it.
When a pup bites in "prey drive" it is instinctually biting something that moves. If you would like to read more about "prey drive" go to the articles I have written on my web site on the Drives of Protection Training. Even if you have no interest in protection training you will learn what "prey drive" is from this article.
This mouthiness often goes away on its own when most dogs are 4 to 5 months old. But if you have a little 10 week old alligator that can seem like an eternity. Puppies can be taught not to bite the handler or family members by simply screaming "NO, or PHOOIE."
Some pups need to be picked up by their cheeks and firmly scolding. You do this while staring directly into the pups eyes until they submit (this can take some seconds). I demonstrate how to do this in my DVD YOUR PUPPY 8 WEEKS to 8 MONTHS.
Dogs are instinctual pack animals. If you read the article I wrote titled THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING you will understand why pups do this.
By using your head and a very limited amount of force or pressure you become the unquestionable pack leader. This helps control any later dominance problems with the dog.
They are not doing this because they are mean and in the vast vast majority of pups this has nothing to do with human-dog aggression. The fact is that 99.9% of these puppies are probably have a pretty sound temperament.
When a pup grows up in a littler it instinctually establishes its rank within the litter (or pack) by biting littermates. I have graphic video of this on my DVD "Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog" The web page for this DVD has a 22 minute streaming video that demonstrates this. Go watch it.
When a pup bites in "prey drive" it is instinctually biting something that moves. If you would like to read more about "prey drive" go to the articles I have written on my web site on the Drives of Protection Training. Even if you have no interest in protection training you will learn what "prey drive" is from this article.
This mouthiness often goes away on its own when most dogs are 4 to 5 months old. But if you have a little 10 week old alligator that can seem like an eternity. Puppies can be taught not to bite the handler or family members by simply screaming "NO, or PHOOIE."
Some pups need to be picked up by their cheeks and firmly scolding. You do this while staring directly into the pups eyes until they submit (this can take some seconds). I demonstrate how to do this in my DVD YOUR PUPPY 8 WEEKS to 8 MONTHS.
Dogs are instinctual pack animals. If you read the article I wrote titled THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING you will understand why pups do this.
By using your head and a very limited amount of force or pressure you become the unquestionable pack leader. This helps control any later dominance problems with the dog.
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