Puppy Biting
Puppy Mouthing (chewing on his
owner’s body) is a continuation of your puppy’s exploring the world with
his mouth. It is also part of the way that puppies play with one
another. So, it is normal and it is natural. If our skin was thicker
and if it was covered with thick hair, puppy mouthing would probably not
bother us. But, puppies have needle sharp teeth and we have thin, bare
skin. Mouthing is aggravating. Puppy mouthing is best stopped by a
two pronged approach. The first is to make his mouthing as unpleasant
for your puppy as it is for you. The second is to not do things that
encourage him to chew on you.
Making Mouthing Unpleasant For Your Puppy:
The best deterrent to mouthing is to shoot your puppy when he does it. Get a water pistol. Fill it with full strength white vinegar. Do not dilute it. Use it just as it glug-glug-glugs out of the bottle. Any time that your puppy puts his teeth on you, squirt him in the mouth with the vinegar. This is a mild punishment. You must keep the water pistol with you. You can only change a behavior while that behavior is happening. If you need to cross the room to get the pistol, you are too late in punishing. Your puppy will not make a connection between being squirted in the mouth with the vinegar and his chewing on you unless you squirt him while he is chewing. Probably it is best to keep the water pistol stuck in your belt. You need to look like Roy Rogers walking around in your house.
Some puppies are not deterred by the taste of vinegar. If yours is not, I suggest that you go to a drug store and get a squirt vial of Banaca Breath Spray. Most puppies that can tolerate the taste of vinegar, do not like the taste of Banaca.
Quit Encouraging Your Puppy To Mouth:
We all have a tendency when ours puppies mouth us to push them away. Since his mouth is what is bothering us, this is where we push. We are, actually, giving him a handy target. Also, when we pet our puppies, we pet them on the head or chest. This is an invitation to him to chew on us. Much better to pet him on his back. A puppy especially enjoys being petted and scratched where this tail attaches to his body. Doing this gets your hand away from his mouth.
Making Mouthing Unpleasant For Your Puppy:
The best deterrent to mouthing is to shoot your puppy when he does it. Get a water pistol. Fill it with full strength white vinegar. Do not dilute it. Use it just as it glug-glug-glugs out of the bottle. Any time that your puppy puts his teeth on you, squirt him in the mouth with the vinegar. This is a mild punishment. You must keep the water pistol with you. You can only change a behavior while that behavior is happening. If you need to cross the room to get the pistol, you are too late in punishing. Your puppy will not make a connection between being squirted in the mouth with the vinegar and his chewing on you unless you squirt him while he is chewing. Probably it is best to keep the water pistol stuck in your belt. You need to look like Roy Rogers walking around in your house.
Some puppies are not deterred by the taste of vinegar. If yours is not, I suggest that you go to a drug store and get a squirt vial of Banaca Breath Spray. Most puppies that can tolerate the taste of vinegar, do not like the taste of Banaca.
Quit Encouraging Your Puppy To Mouth:
We all have a tendency when ours puppies mouth us to push them away. Since his mouth is what is bothering us, this is where we push. We are, actually, giving him a handy target. Also, when we pet our puppies, we pet them on the head or chest. This is an invitation to him to chew on us. Much better to pet him on his back. A puppy especially enjoys being petted and scratched where this tail attaches to his body. Doing this gets your hand away from his mouth.
