By Fran Jewell
I have a very strong opinion about dogs that mouth people, even if it is in play or because of youth. Imagine yourself visiting my house. You come in and my 95-pound BIG German shepherd, Brinx, decides to put his mouth on your arm! Most people would absolutely be terrified.
Yet, we let our puppies, who are learning and are imprinting machines, chew on our fingers, grab our pantlegs, play tug with our bathrobe, and on and on. We think they will grow out of it. I had a client with a full-grown golden retriever grab its owner by her blouse and drag her to the back door to go out! Imagine my German shepherd doing that to YOU!
Mouthing seems so cute to many of us, but the reality is that mouthing is not OKAY, even gentle mouthing. What we allow and consequently TEACH our puppies to do, they will do when they are older. Mouthing is simply a sign of disrespect. It means the puppy or dog sees you as another puppy to be played with. Maybe that sounds cute to some, but the reality is that we should NEVER be seen by a dog as an equal to be gnawed on. To have a healthy relationship with your dog, there must be respect, just like in human relationships.
When dogs find it easy to put their mouths on people in play, it is almost certain they will never learn “bite inhibition.” Some will say that gentle mouthing is okay. Again, I bring up the comparison of a German shepherd, and many other large, protective breeds coming up to you and putting their full-grown mouth on you. Even if YOU don’t mind it, someone visiting you might. I had an acquaintance whose German shepherd merely jumped on someone scratching them and then got sued for an aggressive dog.
Not only is mouthing offensive to many, it can land someone in the middle of a lawsuit or even in confrontation with the law. While you may interpret the behavior as cute, gentle, or affectionate, someone else probably will not. If you own a notoriously protective breed, it can be even more serious.
I can’t think of any situation where mouthing is something that should be condoned. EVER. Even puppies can be taught that mouthing and biting is inappropriate. If you have a puppy that is older than 6 months and still mouthing and biting you, you must take this as a red flag. By then, it is almost impossible to stop without some serious intervention.
Prevention is always the best method. Don’t allow it. Don’t encourage it. There are tons and tons of food-dispensing toys that will engage those teeth in a healthy way. Make those a part of everyday food dispensing instead of a bowl. Really strong chew toys are invaluable in redirecting that need to mouth and bite.
Teach bite inhibition as early as possible. How we interpret dog behavior is almost always different from how dogs actually mean the behaviors. Be sure that you are not encouraging mouthing and biting. This could be a serious legal sentence for your dog later on in life.
Fran Jewell is a dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor and vice president. She owns Positive Puppy Dog Training LLC and can be reached at (208) 721-7221.
