Looking for Ways to Stop Your Dog From Mouthing?

If you’ve never heard the term “mouthing” with dogs, it’s pretty much what it sounds like. The dog uses his mouth to connect with a person. Not to bite or harm, but to get their attention. It can often happen during playtime when he’s likely to grab hold of a hand or an arm when overly excited or when he’s trying to redirect your attention to him.

While it’s fairly typical for puppies to use their mouths in day-to-day interactions, by the time they reach six months of age, you should be training them out of this behavior because larger mouths and bigger teeth run the risk of causing harm, whether intentional or not. Injuries aside, drooly mouths aren’t something visiting friends and family will appreciate from your four-legged buddy and for children or those nervous around dogs, being mouthed can be a frightening experience.

So, how do you keep the playfulness in your dog, but not the mouthy behavior?

Redirect

It starts with redirecting your pet’s attention away from grabbing your hand or arm to a new or favorite toy. Whether you’re working with a puppy who needs to be weaned away from mouthing or an adult dog that’s never been taught “no”, that redirection of their focus is key.

You already know what he’s going to do, so be proactive with his mouthing behavior and the moment he begins to grab hold, pull out a toy you know will capture his attention. Then place it near his mouth, and if he redirects his efforts towards it, give him plenty of verbal praise to reinforce this positive behavior.

Step Back from Play

If your pooch is not distracted by the toy and still determined to grab and mouth during playtime, withdraw your attention and immediately stop interacting with him. Turn your back and stop responding to him for up to one minute. Do this every time he ignores your attempt to redirect him.

And to further reinforce that mouthing is a no-no, cry out “ouch!” or “yip” every time it happens. This tip is shared by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and it mimics the sound made by his littermates when play-biting becomes too aggressive. Catching his attention, this sudden, high-pitched sound helps him to understand that what he’s doing is unpleasant and needs to stop.

If he continues, crate him for a short time to drive home the message that biting is not okay.

Engage in Non-Triggering Play

We all love to rough-house with our dogs, but for those prone to getting overly excited and immediately grabbing and mouthing, it’s time to consider other options. Games of hide and seek, tossing a ball or Frisbee, or just taking him out on a long walk that will help tire him out and doesn’t result in over-stimulation, are good options.

Train the Key Commands and Reinforce Them

Come, Sit, Down, Stay, Leave It are the five basic commands every dog should respond to for your sanity and their safety. Procrastinating? Imagine your pooch running towards traffic and not responding to your recall. Now you understand why it’s so important not to put off this training. Both the “Sit” and “Leave It” commands will tell your dog to immediately disengage from what they’re doing (mouthing, in this instance) and pay attention to you. When they’re boisterous and having fun, gaining their focus and redirecting their energy can be difficult if they don’t respond to the five basics. And before you can begin to redirect, having their attention is crucial.

Now, it may require oodles of patience because we all know that high-energy puppies have zero attention span, and fully grown dogs will assume you’re kidding. I mean, why change behaviors now, after having used his mouth to grab your attention for so long?

But if you choose patience and rewards-based training over punishment, you’ll soon net a dog that’s welcome wherever you go.