Dog mouthing

Why is my dog biting/mouthing me? 

Most dogs/puppies mouth as a way to engage their human in play. If you’ve ever seen a litter of puppies playing, I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of biting, growling, and probably yelping. All of this play helps teach the puppies bite inhibition and social skills for future interactions. 

Also, because dogs don’t have thumbs, their only real option for exploring the world or getting their human’s attention is by using their mouth. Mouthy behavior is especially common with puppies, and while many dogs will outgrow this behavior others may not.

What can I do to stop this behavior? 

It’s incredibly important to be proactive about providing mental and physical stimulation for your dog so that you’re providing appropriate outlets for their normal behavior. Don’t think about stopping the behavior AFTER it’s occurred but rather be proactive so that the behavior DOESN’T occur at all. Below we’ll give some examples of ways to provide your dog with the appropriate outlets for their behavior and create a better relationship with you. 

Tug of War Play: (Click this link for a great video on tug play: https://youtu.be/wdTKtAGss6w) 

Appropriate play between you and your dog is the most important thing you can do to prevent mouthing. Tug toys allow you to engage your dog in the type of play they would do with a littermate without getting injured. 

How you play with the toy is also important. If you just present the toy to your dog, they may not show interest in it. You make the toy come alive, without that interaction with you, the toy just isn’t fun. 

Unfortunately, most people have heard the common myth that they should always “win” tug of war otherwise their dog will think it’s “dominant” over you. This is not true at all! In fact, if your dog never gets to win the game, they’re not going to want to play. First, make the toy come alive by making it move on the ground like a prey item. Once your dog is interested and gets the toy say “Good Dog! Get it!” and tug back on the toy briefly before letting it go. When you let it go, encourage the dog to bring it back to you and repeat the process. 

Appropriate play between you and your dog is the most important thing you can do to prevent mouthing. Tug toys allow you to engage your dog in the type of play they would do with a littermate without getting injured. 

How you play with the toy is also important. If you just present the toy to your dog, they may not show interest in it. You make the toy come alive, without that interaction with you, the toy just isn’t fun. 

Unfortunately, most people have heard the common myth that they should always “win” tug of war otherwise their dog will think it’s “dominant” over you. This is not true at all! In fact, if your dog never gets to win the game, they’re not going to want to play. First, make the toy come alive by making it move on the ground like a prey item. Once your dog is interested and gets the toy say “Good Dog! Get it!” and tug back on the toy briefly before letting it go. When you let it go, encourage the dog to bring it back to you and repeat the process. 

When you’re ready to end the game say “All Done” stand up and walk away from your dog. If they try to engage you in play, continue to ignore them. If they drop the toy and come to you, praise them and give them a treat. 

Provide Lots of Chewing Outlets: 

Chewing is incredibly important for all dogs. Not only does chewing help to clean your dog’s teeth, scientific research has shown that chewing inhibits the production of stress hormones in the brain. That means that chewing is a great coping mechanism for your dog’s stress! 

Puppies ages 2 months to 1 year also need chewing outlets to help with teething. Puppy teeth fall out and adult teeth grow in between 4 – 8 months of age. If you don’t provide chewing outlets, your puppy may use your arm, leg, sofa, or shoes to help soothe sore gums. 

There are many chewing toys on the market and it may take trial and error to find the one that works best for your dog. Some great examples are Nylabones, deer antlers, bully sticks, and frozen raw marrow bones. Make sure to give your dog access to these chewing outlets frequently and try to do it BEFORE the mouthing starts rather than after. 

What do if my dog still mouths me? 

1. Try to re-direct them to a toy first. If they’re still grabbing on to you or your clothes, proceed to the next step. 
2. Calmly say “Ouch” and walk away from your dog. If you’re on the floor with them, stand up and walk away. Go into another room where you can close the door if you can. a. This teaches the dog that mouthing causes all interaction to end.a. It’s important to respond quickly and calmly. If you continue to play with your dog or say things like “No” and push them away, you’re still giving them attention which can inadvertently reinforce the behavior.b. After a few moments, return to your dog and calmly interact with them. Make sure to praise them for interacting in a way that you’re comfortable with. 
3. Label and reinforce “kisses”. A lot of dogs will lick their people’s hands and this is a more acceptable way for your dog to interact with you. Any time they lick you say “Good kisses!” and praise them.
4. Eventually, you can cue your dog to give kisses rather than mouthing. 

Things to avoid:

1. Harsh Corrections: Things like yelling, screaming, hitting, or scruffing your dog can cause the mouthing to intensify or worse, turn into actual biting with intent to harm. 
2. Moving Too Much: Things that are moving; especially people (or kids) who are waving their arms, screeching, or pushing on the dog are very exciting and will encourage mouthing.
3. Moving Too Much: Things that are moving; especially people (or kids) who are waving their arms, screeching, or pushing on the dog are very exciting and will encourage mouthing.  

Have further questions? Reach out to our behavior team at behavior@bvspca.org