Puppies are inherently mouthy, and this behavior can be attributed to several factors:
1. Teething: Much like human babies, puppies go through a teething phase where their baby teeth fall out, and adult teeth come in. This process can be uncomfortable, and chewing helps alleviate some of the discomfort.
2. Exploration: Puppies explore the world primarily with their mouths. Unlike human toddlers who might use their hands to feel and grasp objects, puppies use their mouths to learn about their environment.
3. Play: Play is a crucial part of a puppy's development. In the wild, this mouthing and biting play would prepare them for more serious tasks as adults, like hunting. Domesticated puppies still retain this instinctual play behavior.
4. Attention-Seeking: Sometimes, puppies learn that mouthing or nipping gets attention, even if it's negative, and they might continue the behavior to engage with people around them.
5. Lack of Bite Inhibition: Puppies are not born understanding how hard is too hard to bite. They learn bite inhibition initially from their littermates and mother. If a puppy bites too hard during play, the other puppy might yelp and stop playing. This feedback teaches the puppy to moderate the force of its bite. Breed type also greatly predisposes them to more or less natural bite inhibition.
Ways to Discourage Mouthy Behavior:
1. Provide Appropriate Chew Toys: Ensure that your puppy has access to a variety of chew toys. This gives them an appropriate outlet for their chewing urges.
2. Redirection: If your puppy starts to mouth your hands or clothing, redirect them to a toy. This can help teach them what is and isn't appropriate to chew on.
3. Avoid Rough Play: While it can be tempting to play rough with a mouthy puppy, this can encourage aroused behavior and make the problem worse.
4. Training: Basic obedience training, like "sit," "stay," and "leave it," encourage thoughtful interactions and begin including self control. It’s easiest to control mouthy behavior by providing mental stimulation and teaching impulse control.
5. Time-Outs: If your puppy gets overly excited and mouthy, you can give them a brief time-out to calm down. This is not a punishment but rather a break to help them reset and for the owner to disengage from the unwanted behavior.
6. Socialization: Letting your puppy play with other vaccinated, well-behaved dogs can help them learn bite inhibition and appropriate play behavior. It’s usually best to discuss this with a trainer who can help you find an appropriate play match.
7. Consistency: It's essential for all family members to be consistent in their reactions to mouthing. If one person allows the puppy to mouth and another doesn't, it can be confusing for the puppy.
As with all training, patience and consistency are key. If your puppy is not responding to the usual puppy ‘to-do’ list when it comes to mouthing, check in with us! Usually there is just a misunderstanding somewhere down the line in communication.