EPISODE 18
Mouthing and Chewing 101 - Ouch!
Survival guide to help you with your puppy's chewing. This episode will cover all you need to know to understand and learn how to manage your dog's mouthing and chewing. What's normal, what isn't and how to stop it!
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As a dog trainer, this is a topic I am very often asked about by my clients. Many clients mistake mouthing for aggression.
Understanding Why Puppies Chew
- This is completely normal behavior as puppies learn by exploring their worlds with their mouth.
- Teething
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Unfortunately for us, their baby teeth are very sharp and painful, like little needles.
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It helps if we understand that they don't mean to be hurtful.
- Normally puppies outgrown this stage by about 6 months.
Techniques We Can Use to Control Puppy Mouthing
- Teach the puppy bite inhibition - a soft mouth.
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REDIRECT the puppy onto something else like a squeaky toy, or tug toy, or bone making it much more fun than us.
- Use an instinctive guttural tone to let them know this is not okay.
- Praise them when they learn to release their mouth.
- Use a negative reinforcement like a time out in their crate.
What NOT to Do:
- Never use Bitter Apple.
Links mentioned in this episode:
>> Kong