Nipping and mouthing

Nipping and mouthing are natural, usually nonaggressive behaviors. Dogs use these behaviors to communicate during play and normal interaction with other pets and people. However, most people don’t appreciate being nipped or mouthed. Adult dogs can inadvertently cause injury while nipping and mouthing, so this behavior should be discouraged starting in puppyhood. If you suspect that your dog is nipping, mouthing, or biting because of aggressive behavior, please consult a veterinarian or qualified veterinary behaviorist.

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It can be difficult to tell the difference between nonaggressive and aggressive nipping and mouthing by dogs. Some dogs use their mouths out of fear or frustration, which can develop into problematic behavior. In most cases, playful dogs have a relaxed body and face. During play, your dog’s muzzle might look wrinkled, but the facial muscles shouldn’t look tense. Playful dogs have a playful body posture, and their tail may be held low and wagging. The dog will clearly be enjoying itself and want to continue interactions. However, a dog exhibiting aggression often has a stiff body, a wrinkled muzzle, and exposed teeth. Its tail may be held up high and waving in the air or tucked between its legs. The dog’s body language is signaling a desire to end the interaction. The context is also very important. Mouthing or nipping associated with a desire to end the interaction is often displayed when a person is attempting to do something to the dog, ie put on the collar, take something away, or move the dog from a resting spot. In contrast, nipping motivated by play is the dogs attempt to engage the person in a friendly or overenthusiastic interaction.

If you suspect that your dog is nipping, mouthing, or biting because of fear, aggression or frustration, please consult a qualified professional, such as your veterinarian, a certified clinical animal behaviorist (CCAB), or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.

Do not use verbal or physical punishment. Reprimanding your dog could cause him or her to become more afraid or aggressive.

Puppies often chew on people’s hands and feet. This behavior might seem cute when your dog is small, but it may not be enjoyable when your dog is bigger and stronger. Therefore, it’s important to teach your dog more appropriate interactions with people.

Bite inhibition is a dog’s ability to control the force of nipping and mouthing. A dog that hasn’t learned bite inhibition doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, so the dog nips and mouths too hard, even when playing. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that dogs that have learned bite inhibition are less likely to bite hard and break the skin if they bite someone due to fear or pain.

Young dogs usually learn bite inhibition while playing with other dogs. When dogs play, they nip and mouth each other. Occasionally, a dog nips his or her playmate too hard, causing the victim to yelp and, usually, stop playing. The offender is often surprised by the yelp and also stops playing for a moment. Usually, the dogs soon begin playing again. Through this kind of interaction, dogs learn to control the force of their nipping and mouthing so that they don’t hurt each other, and the play can continue uninterrupted.

Only play with your dog with toys, never allowing biting of human limbs or chasing of children or adults.

Proactively engage your dog to play with toys and provide ample exploratory, social, and physical exercise with at least two short walks off the property daily, two short training sessions daily, and other exploration opportunities.

Give dogs a toy to hold in their mouth prior to interacting with them. If the dog’s mouth is occupied, a person’s hand cannot be in it.

Positively reinforce your dog for playing with toys and allowing petting without mouthing. Treats may be offered with petting. Keep petting sessions short and perform them when the dog is calm and tired.

During certain parts of the day, it may be necessary to proactively give your dog some alone time in a crate or exercise pen. Confinement can be used to provide the dog with a safe area to play with his own toys and settle. Confinement is good for management and should not be used as punishment.

If preventive measures have failed, address play biting and mouthing with a combination of briefly ignoring the behavior and response substitution, as follows:

• Ignore: briefly ignore your dog, and if possible, freeze, to avoid reinforcing the behavior with a reaction. To avoid frustration, ignoring or withdrawing from your dog should be brief, just a few seconds. Sometimes the lack of engagement will result in the dog finding something else to do. After the brief pause, reinforce the dog for not mouthing by redirecting to a toy or treat. Some people recommend yelping, likeca litter mate would, when a dog bites or mouths, but that technique is not recommended because it has the potential to excite some dogs, frighten others, and potentially be reinforcing for some.
• Response substitution: when the behavior cannot be ignored, because it hurts or because the dog has grabbed onto clothing, freeze for a moment, slowly move the hand away if the dog is mouthing it, or stand still if the dog has latched onto a trouser leg. Redirect the dog to perform a known alternate behavior such as sit, go to place, or retrieve a toy. Reinforce that behavior with playtime using a toy or a small food treat.

• Avoid any form of punishment (verbal or physical reprimands): punishment does not teach the dog an appropriate way to interact with people and can result in the dog becoming frightened, frustrated, or angry. Punishment is damaging to the human-animal relationship.
• Train a new behavior: to channel the behavior in an appropriate direction, teach the dog to find a toy. A toy in the mouth prevents human extremities or clothing being in the mouth. The dog may be taught to sit for attention. Sitting is a preferable and reinforced attention-seeking behavior.
• Don’t discourage your dog from playing with you. Play can build a strong bond between you and your dog.
• Avoid quickly pulling your hands or feet away from your dog when he or she mouths, as this may be seen as a game. Instead, try to let your hands or feet go limp.