Post by Kona on Apr 19, 2005 16:31:48 GMT -5
(Laura's thread is locked, and I wanted to add to the subject)
A puppy, in a natural setting, learns exactly how much pressure she can exert with her jaw. Different amounts of pressure, in different settings, provide her with both positive and negative feedback. She receives this feedback from four sources: her environment, her littermates, from older members of the pack, and eventually from prey.
When a puppy chews on an inanimate object like a stick or a bone or a rock, she feels pleasure or pain based on the hardness of the object and the amount of pressure that she exerts on it. A nice soft stick can be chewed vigorously until it is shredded. A bone must be approached with more caution; just the right amount of pressure, over a long enough period of time, reveals the tasty marrow. A rock can be used to amuse oneself, but more than a moderate amount of pressure hurts the teeth and gums, and therefore a puppy learns that she can (and sometimes must) use her mouth gently.
Littermates give a different type of feedback, but there seems to be a major misconception regarding the reality of this situation. The standard line goes something like this: “If puppy A bites puppy B too hard, puppy B yelps and backs away. Puppy A learns from the yelp that he has hurt puppy B, and he learns from her backing away from him that biting leads to him being socially ostracized.” The problem with this scenario is that it doesn’t always play out in real life.
Observe a litter of puppies and you’ll see a variety of personalities, actions, and responses. Some like to nuzzle without using their teeth. Some seem completely unaware that they are hurting others and they nip at anything that comes within range. Some show very early signs of prey drive and become excited when their biting elicits a yelp. Those who advocate imitating this “natural” method of teaching should consider this question: do you want to treat a puppy as if you yourself were another puppy?
Next we come to the older members of the pack. Again, we are dealing with a wide range of personalities, but there is usually a common denominator when it comes to puppies and nipping, and that is letting the puppy know in no uncertain terms that painful biting will not be tolerated. Period. Older pack members don’t whine or yelp, and they certainly don’t slink away and mope. They give a stern look, or they growl, or they bark, or they nip back, or they may even go so far as to give the puppy a good fright.
Finally we come to prey. Puppies know instinctively that a high-pitched squeal is probably coming from an excited littermate, but they also know that prey makes a similar noise when frightened or hurt. Herein lies the problem with yelping or squealing and recoiling when a puppy nips at us. As often as not I have seen puppies become very aroused by this response, and they bite with more vigor and aggression as the prey drive is thus stimulated; certainly not the response that we want.
The mistake that we humans make is in setting an unrealistic and possibly dangerous goal, and then going about teaching it in an impractical way. The goal that we usually try to teach is thought of as Bite Inhibition, but is in actuality Bite Prohibition. “Never ever let your puppy’s teeth touch your skin.” So then how is the puppy ever to learn how much pressure is appropriate? This becomes dangerous when a dog finds herself in a situation where she feels, correctly or not, that she absolutely must bite in order to protect herself, such as when her tail is accidentally stepped on, or when she is injured and someone causes pain while examining her. A dog that has only learned that biting is like a light switch, either all the way on or all the way off, will now bite with all of her strength.
Let’s go back to the adult pack members, the ones whose “shoes” we are trying to fill. We know what they do when the puppy nips too hard, but what do they do when the puppy isn’t biting too hard? They either ignore her or they interact in a positive way. They nuzzle, they touch with their paws, and sometimes they even playfully mouth the puppy. And of course we want our puppies to see us as adult leaders and not juvenile playmates.
So let’s set two goals that are more realistic. First, teach true Bite Inhibition rather than Bite Prohibition. Second, use a method that both makes sense to the dog and actually works. As with so many other issues in dog training, consistency is key. Decide what is allowable and what is not. Inanimate objects either belong to the puppy or they don’t. If they do not belong to the puppy (table legs, magazines, socks on the floor), then they are not chew toys. Ever. If they are attached to you (your hair, the hem of your robe), then they are not chew toys. Ever. However, that doesn’t mean that a puppy’s teeth can never touch an inanimate object that does not belong to her. Assistance dogs are taught to gently pick up any object that their owners have dropped, whether it is as small as a coin, or as delicate as a piece of paper, or as cumbersome as a telephone. Imagine how difficult these tasks would be for a dog that had been taught that using its teeth was never allowed.
Playing Tug-of-War (another subject about which there is much bad advice) is an easy way to teach a dog that mouthing and biting an object are acceptable behaviors if and when you say so. You choose the object to be tugged, the game starts when you say it starts, and it ends when you say it ends. Again, this is a perfectly natural activity for a dog, one that wolf puppies engage in constantly.
Deciding how much bite pressure a puppy can apply to your skin is obviously the most important aspect of Bite Inhibition, and groundwork has to be in place ahead of time, namely a Positive Word Marker (PWM) and a Negative Word Marker (NWM). Your puppy will naturally at some point touch you with her teeth. If she is lightly touching you or rubbing her teeth on you, ignore the behavior or use your PWM in a quiet voice. When you feel that she is applying too much pressure (i.e. it hurts!), then use your NWM in a slightly forceful voice. If she stops, reward her with the PWM and an appropriate chew toy and a light caress.
If she ignores your initial NWM, escalate the strength of your message. Move into, not away from, her physical space (in other words, don’t flinch or recoil). Repeat the NWM while making your voice sound like a low growl. If this is ignored, FORCEFULLY move into her space while FORCEFULLY using your voice. For pups that are simply and naturally exploring the world with their teeth, this is probably as far as you will ever have to go. As soon as the teeth are no longer touching you, use your PWM and physical praise to reward the dog, and then give her an appropriate chew toy.
Besides Tug-of-War, you should also teach your dog Take It, Leave It, and Drop It. These combined form a solid foundation for your dog to understand an appropriate and acceptable way for her to use her mouth to relate to everything and everyone around her.
NOTE: This is specifically about TEACHING bite inhibition. It does not address dogs that have developed into biters. Much of the background information applies to dogs that bite, but the re-education of aggressive biters is not within the realm of the information provided here. Also note, I just wrote this at one sitting, so I will likely go back and add, rewrite, and edit parts of it.
A puppy, in a natural setting, learns exactly how much pressure she can exert with her jaw. Different amounts of pressure, in different settings, provide her with both positive and negative feedback. She receives this feedback from four sources: her environment, her littermates, from older members of the pack, and eventually from prey.
When a puppy chews on an inanimate object like a stick or a bone or a rock, she feels pleasure or pain based on the hardness of the object and the amount of pressure that she exerts on it. A nice soft stick can be chewed vigorously until it is shredded. A bone must be approached with more caution; just the right amount of pressure, over a long enough period of time, reveals the tasty marrow. A rock can be used to amuse oneself, but more than a moderate amount of pressure hurts the teeth and gums, and therefore a puppy learns that she can (and sometimes must) use her mouth gently.
Littermates give a different type of feedback, but there seems to be a major misconception regarding the reality of this situation. The standard line goes something like this: “If puppy A bites puppy B too hard, puppy B yelps and backs away. Puppy A learns from the yelp that he has hurt puppy B, and he learns from her backing away from him that biting leads to him being socially ostracized.” The problem with this scenario is that it doesn’t always play out in real life.
Observe a litter of puppies and you’ll see a variety of personalities, actions, and responses. Some like to nuzzle without using their teeth. Some seem completely unaware that they are hurting others and they nip at anything that comes within range. Some show very early signs of prey drive and become excited when their biting elicits a yelp. Those who advocate imitating this “natural” method of teaching should consider this question: do you want to treat a puppy as if you yourself were another puppy?
Next we come to the older members of the pack. Again, we are dealing with a wide range of personalities, but there is usually a common denominator when it comes to puppies and nipping, and that is letting the puppy know in no uncertain terms that painful biting will not be tolerated. Period. Older pack members don’t whine or yelp, and they certainly don’t slink away and mope. They give a stern look, or they growl, or they bark, or they nip back, or they may even go so far as to give the puppy a good fright.
Finally we come to prey. Puppies know instinctively that a high-pitched squeal is probably coming from an excited littermate, but they also know that prey makes a similar noise when frightened or hurt. Herein lies the problem with yelping or squealing and recoiling when a puppy nips at us. As often as not I have seen puppies become very aroused by this response, and they bite with more vigor and aggression as the prey drive is thus stimulated; certainly not the response that we want.
The mistake that we humans make is in setting an unrealistic and possibly dangerous goal, and then going about teaching it in an impractical way. The goal that we usually try to teach is thought of as Bite Inhibition, but is in actuality Bite Prohibition. “Never ever let your puppy’s teeth touch your skin.” So then how is the puppy ever to learn how much pressure is appropriate? This becomes dangerous when a dog finds herself in a situation where she feels, correctly or not, that she absolutely must bite in order to protect herself, such as when her tail is accidentally stepped on, or when she is injured and someone causes pain while examining her. A dog that has only learned that biting is like a light switch, either all the way on or all the way off, will now bite with all of her strength.
Let’s go back to the adult pack members, the ones whose “shoes” we are trying to fill. We know what they do when the puppy nips too hard, but what do they do when the puppy isn’t biting too hard? They either ignore her or they interact in a positive way. They nuzzle, they touch with their paws, and sometimes they even playfully mouth the puppy. And of course we want our puppies to see us as adult leaders and not juvenile playmates.
So let’s set two goals that are more realistic. First, teach true Bite Inhibition rather than Bite Prohibition. Second, use a method that both makes sense to the dog and actually works. As with so many other issues in dog training, consistency is key. Decide what is allowable and what is not. Inanimate objects either belong to the puppy or they don’t. If they do not belong to the puppy (table legs, magazines, socks on the floor), then they are not chew toys. Ever. If they are attached to you (your hair, the hem of your robe), then they are not chew toys. Ever. However, that doesn’t mean that a puppy’s teeth can never touch an inanimate object that does not belong to her. Assistance dogs are taught to gently pick up any object that their owners have dropped, whether it is as small as a coin, or as delicate as a piece of paper, or as cumbersome as a telephone. Imagine how difficult these tasks would be for a dog that had been taught that using its teeth was never allowed.
Playing Tug-of-War (another subject about which there is much bad advice) is an easy way to teach a dog that mouthing and biting an object are acceptable behaviors if and when you say so. You choose the object to be tugged, the game starts when you say it starts, and it ends when you say it ends. Again, this is a perfectly natural activity for a dog, one that wolf puppies engage in constantly.
Deciding how much bite pressure a puppy can apply to your skin is obviously the most important aspect of Bite Inhibition, and groundwork has to be in place ahead of time, namely a Positive Word Marker (PWM) and a Negative Word Marker (NWM). Your puppy will naturally at some point touch you with her teeth. If she is lightly touching you or rubbing her teeth on you, ignore the behavior or use your PWM in a quiet voice. When you feel that she is applying too much pressure (i.e. it hurts!), then use your NWM in a slightly forceful voice. If she stops, reward her with the PWM and an appropriate chew toy and a light caress.
If she ignores your initial NWM, escalate the strength of your message. Move into, not away from, her physical space (in other words, don’t flinch or recoil). Repeat the NWM while making your voice sound like a low growl. If this is ignored, FORCEFULLY move into her space while FORCEFULLY using your voice. For pups that are simply and naturally exploring the world with their teeth, this is probably as far as you will ever have to go. As soon as the teeth are no longer touching you, use your PWM and physical praise to reward the dog, and then give her an appropriate chew toy.
Besides Tug-of-War, you should also teach your dog Take It, Leave It, and Drop It. These combined form a solid foundation for your dog to understand an appropriate and acceptable way for her to use her mouth to relate to everything and everyone around her.
NOTE: This is specifically about TEACHING bite inhibition. It does not address dogs that have developed into biters. Much of the background information applies to dogs that bite, but the re-education of aggressive biters is not within the realm of the information provided here. Also note, I just wrote this at one sitting, so I will likely go back and add, rewrite, and edit parts of it.