Punishment is not the answer. As annoying as all these behaviors are, they are all normal puppy behaviors. It isn’t fair to punish a puppy for engaging in normal puppy behaviors before you have given him time to learn the rules for living in human society. Punishment would only confuse him and make him afraid of you. Remember, we are talking about a 7- to 12-week-old puppy.
The real answer requires understanding, prevention, training, and time. Puppyhood is a temporary state. The razor-sharp needle teeth will fall out. Your puppy will eventually have tasted everything in your house and will be bored with it. He’ll calm down, at least a little. He’ll hopefully learn the rules. Meanwhile, you want to prevent damage, distract him from getting into trouble, and tire him out with plenty of exercise.
Mouthing upsets and scares many puppy owners because it seems aggressive. People expect a fuzzy bundle of love when they get a puppy, not a tiny alligator with hair. However, mouthing is a perfectly normal puppy behavior. It is how puppies and even adult dogs play with each other—they chew on each other. So a puppy mouthing you is only attempting to play with you in the way that is most natural to him. With age, the little needle teeth fall out, and with a little mild discouragement, the puppy learns that mouthing is not an acceptable form of play with humans. Many corrections that people make to try to solve this problem actually end up stimulating the puppy and making it worse. Very few dogs are still mouthing when they grow up, so don’t kill yourself trying to correct a problem that will go away on its own. Your mouthy puppy is not trying to dominate you; he just needs to find a humancompatible way to play.
A dog who tends to mouth a lot and a small child can be a difficult combination. Puppies tend to view small kids as littermates and play with them accordingly. This can be very frightening to a child who is not much bigger than the dog. Try kneeling and fending off a rambunctious puppy from that height. It’s not easy. Parents need to teach their children to behave appropriately around the puppy, such as not running through the house and roughhousing with the puppy. Parents also need to firmly discipline the puppy for nipping at the kids.
If things get so bad that your three-year-old is taking refuge from the puppy by climbing on the kitchen table, or your five-year-old’s clothing is being torn, you need to take further action. Fill a spray bottle or plant mister with a 50-50 mixture of water and white distilled vinegar. Instruct your child to say “no” when the puppy grabs at him and then spray the puppy in his face. The vinegar will not hurt his eyes. Do not allow your child access to the spray bottle unless you are directly supervising him. The spray bottle will eliminate the chance of provoking a defensive reaction from the puppy. Never allow your child to hit your puppy.
Preventing damage is done by limiting your puppy’s freedom. As with housebreaking, do not let him have free run of your home. Keep doors to rooms shut. Just as a baby might be put in a playpen for his own safety when he cannot be watched, confine your puppy when he cannot be watched. Teach your kids to pick up their toys and your husband to pick up his socks.
Damage control also means puppy-proofing your home. For example, to deal with a puppy who is chewing the fringe on the Oriental carpet, roll up the carpet and put it away until the puppy is older. You could also tuck the fringe under the carpet and tape it there. Another tactic would be to spray the fringe with something the puppy won’t like the taste of, such as Grannick’s Bitter Apple spray (available in dog supply stores and catalogs). Apply this kind of creative problem solving to whatever problems you are having.
When your puppy grabs something he shouldn’t have and runs around the house with it, do not make the multiple mistakes of chasing him, wrestling whatever it is out of his mouth, and then punishing him. All these actions will make the problem worse. Chasing him is exactly what your puppy wants, so you are rewarding him and thus making it more likely that he will repeat the behavior in the future—exactly what you don’t want.
You’ll find him grabbing things just to get your attention. Instead, try to get him to come to you. You might want to wait a few seconds before calling him to give him a chance to discover that nobody is going to chase him. Don’t use a threatening or angry tone of voice. Entice him to you with a treat if necessary, exchanging the treat for whatever he has in his mouth. This problem is especially difficult if you have young children who are all too anxious to join in the catch-me-if-you-can game. A family conference at which everyone promises not to chase the dog if he has something in his mouth is a good idea.
Trying to pull something out of your puppy’s mouth is again rewarding a behavior you don’t want. Just as playing chasing games is a normal puppy play behavior, so is playing tug-of-war, so these behaviors are easy to encourage unintentionally. Pulling on something will encourage him to hang on harder. To get your puppy to release something, apply pressure with your thumb and forefinger on both sides of your dog’s muzzle, pressing his lips against his teeth. At the same time, give your dog the command “drop it.” He will learn to drop things when you just touch the side of his mouth, and eventually on command. Don’t forget to praise him for releasing the object.
Punishing your dog in this situation will only make him less likely to come to you next time. He will grab something, then run off and hide, where you won’t discover he is destroying it until it is too late. If you cannot tell him “no” when he is thinking about grabbing something, it is too late to punish.
Tug-of-war is a good way to use up puppy energy, contrary to some myths about raising dogs. It is certainly a good alternative to having your puppy bite you or your clothing. You can use something as simple as the leg cut off an old pair of jeans. Dog sport competitors try to teach their dogs to play tug because it builds attention and relationships. Do not continue tug-of-war if your puppy plays too aggressively and gets too excited, although some playful growling is not a problem. Make sure your puppy will release whatever you are using on command. It’s a good way to work on the “drop it” command. Give the command and stand very still, no longer tugging. As soon as your puppy lets go (which may take a while at first), reward with more tug play.
Distracting a puppy with lots of toys is a good technique to prevent damage and to use up puppy energy. Instead of giving him all the toys at once, try giving him only two toys at a time, then exchange them for two new ones when he becomes bored. Seven- to 12-week-old puppies need soft toys because they do not have adult teeth and will soon be losing their baby teeth. Toys that would be dangerous to give them as adult dogs are safe now, such as a piece of fake fur cloth that they can pretend to kill. Sometimes the best toys are as simple as a knotted rope, a cardboard paper towel roll, or an empty plastic bottle.
If prevention, distraction, calling your puppy’s name, or using the command “leave it” don’t work, you will have to do something physical to get your puppy’s attention. Don’t continue yelling or chasing your puppy. Silently approach your dog, take hold of his collar and give him a shake as you repeat the command. If he is up on a counter, grab him by the scruff of the neck and pull him off. Make sure he looks at you and he makes eye contact. You should be forceful enough to make your point, but not so much that your puppy avoids you.
Some puppies do bite aggressively, which is an entirely different matter than playful mouthing. If your puppy growls or snaps when you try to take something away from him, when you try to move him when he is sleeping, when you try to restrain him, or when a stranger tries to pet him, all these instances require immediate and very firm discipline as described above, if the biting continues, obtain the help of a dog trainer experienced in handling such problems.
Never hit your puppy with your hand or an object. It generally just causes your puppy to get more excited and may trigger a defensive response on his part if he interprets the hitting as an attack. Don’t verbally abuse him, either. Loud screaming will undermine his trust in you.
Exercise is a great way of dealing with all puppy behavior problems. A tired puppy gets into less trouble. Puppies need frequent, short bursts of exercise. One way of tiring out a puppy is having two people stand 50 feet or more apart and call the puppy back and forth between them, giving the puppy a treat each time he comes. You will be teaching your puppy to come when called and tiring him out at the same time. We had fun with our Greyhound puppy by tying an old dust mop cover to a piece of string and letting her chase it. I’d hold her while my husband took off running, dragging the dust mop behind him. When he was far enough ahead, I’d release her to chase after him. The walks you will be taking as part of your off-leash training will also help. And one of the best ways to tire out a puppy is to give him a chance to play with another puppy.
Be realistic. Some damage is probably going to be done while you are raising a puppy, in spite of your best efforts to prevent it. A magazine may be ripped up, trash may be strewn all over the floor, and you may get a nasty scratch from puppy teeth. If you can’t handle this without getting angry, think twice about bringing a puppy into your home. Even if you are looking at your most expensive pair of shoes in tatters on the floor, remember that he is just a puppy and try to laugh. Losing your temper is a waste of energy. It won’t bring your shoes back. And remember, you left them where he could get at them.
Enjoy your puppy’s antics. I laugh now at the memory of Zephyr, my Greyhound, who jumped in the car while I was unloading my groceries, grabbed a package of rolls, and took off through the woods at top speed, leaving a trail of rolls behind her. Although it may not seem so at the time, you’ll miss the puppy games after they grow up.
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