Your Dog and His Mouth
Karen Arnoff ©1990, © revised 2010
Does your Mr. Goodpuppy sometimes seem less like a dog and mor
e like a piranha? If so, you are not alone. Puppies use their mouths for everything we do with both our mouths and our hands. They do the usual mouth activities related to eating and they also investigate, play and carry with their mouth as well as chew, bite, nip. Although these behaviors are normal, how we humans, deal with Mr. Goodpuppy when he’s doing these mouthy behaviors will increase, decrease or maintain them.Genetics
Different breeds of dogs use their mouths in different ways because they were bred to do different activities. Some breeds have distinct mouthing behaviors such as retrievers. They will hunt and retrieve everything in your house i.e. shoes, pens, etc. They may kill them, ingest them and/or guard them. And although they tend to have a soft bite when they use their mouths, they can still be destructive. Herding dogs nip at your heels and protective breeds may have a harder bite. Besides the inbred tendencies of a particular breed, some dogs, when stressed, excited or defensive, become more oral while others tend to bark, whine, jump, paw, defecate and/or urinate. Some Goodpuppy’s do all of the above.Development
Let's look at puppy mouthing from birth. They are born without teeth so when they suckle their mother there is no pain. As a puppies get older, they develop needle-sharp teeth and if they bite too hard, their mothers either cease nursing and leave, nudge the puppies away, or growl and/or nip at them. Thus the natural weaning process begins and some Mr. Goodpuppys becomes motivated to inhibit their bite. At about 16 weeks of age, Mr. Goodpuppy starts to loose his teeth and wants to chew soft things because his teeth are now wobbly. He also wants to chew things that rub against his gums in order to alleviate the discomfort of the swelling caused by teething. Unlike human babies, after their teeth come in, dogs chew on hard things to strengthen their teeth.Play (prey), Pack, "Work" and Reflex Mouthing
Puppies use their mouths as a natural reflex and also when they play, establish dominance or work. They bite and nip to control, instigate play, compete, and, in rare cases, establish dominance. Some breeds nip at ankles to effect herding behavior. And, some Goodpuppys bite to defend their food, favorite toy, resting place and/or themselves.When Do You Know If You Need Professional Assistance?
Since all of these oral behaviors are natural, you’d expect Mr. Goodpuppy would outgrow them naturally. Right? Wrong! Chewing and biting, even though natural, will increase, decrease or be maintained by how they are dealt with by Mr. Goodpuppy’s family (including your children and other pets), 1) intentionally and unintentionally and 2) by the family’s attitudes and expectations about these behaviors.You Need Professional Help With Mr. Goodpuppy If:
- You feel out of control of your dog’s biting or chewing.
- You are being bloodied by the bites.
- He is playing aggressively and won't stop when you try to stop him.
- He is attacking (lunging and biting) at anything that moves.
- He show's signs of aggression when you move him from either from a resting spot or when he is intently engaged in a behavior.
- He show's signs of possessiveness or aggression when you go near him when he has something he values (food, toys etc.) or when your try to take things from him.
- He shows signs of aggression if you confront him negatively.
- He shows any signs of defensiveness such as: freezing (being rigid and still), cowering, backing away, growling, snarling (showing teeth), snapping, bristling (hackles up) or become agitated (pacing nervously or intermittently crouching as if about to attack).