This is the third of our 3-part POV series and we are looking at your future.

Show Highlights

• Tired of having your Hallmark moment of a happy family with a puppy ruined by your dog nipping?
• Let’s discover how to set temptations for your puppy and the importance of the 5-count to overcome play biting.
• Working on this play biting behavior will require you to put a leash on your dog
  • Right out of the crate if needed
• Locate objects your dog can chew on such as toys or another type of hard treat
• Think about the things that trigger your dog to play bite
  • When you are rough housing with him?
  • Certain times of the day?
  • Mainly when he has been in the crate or alone for a long period of time.
• Set your dog up in all of these situations and use the objects as a source of distraction and redirection.
• Give your dog some big love and rile him up.
• The moment he does…POP with a NO!
• Pause.
• Give him the time to process what just happened.
• After about a 5 count put your hand directly in front of his mouth, as if you are going to put it in.
• He will make one of two choices here:
  • He will again bite, which will result in the same process as before or he will avoid your hand and either turn away or lick.
• When he makes that second choice you have to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE on him.
• When you are loving on him, avoid putting your hands where he can get to them with his mouth.
  • Under his chin or around the back of his neck are great places to pet.
• Then again pause for a 5-count and again tempt him with your hand.
• Some dogs especially puppies will get frustrated with this very and may even get a little more aggressive.
• If you see this go to a higher extreme of aggressiveness then:
  •  After one of the 5-counts put one of the objects toward his mouth.
  • When he takes it, give another 5-count then start praising him for chewing on the object you gave.
• Why the 5-count?
  • Your dog needs to process the correction or the praise you give.
  • It takes a dog about 5 to 15 seconds to move on to something else in their head.
  • In Ep 020, What was My Dog Thinking? We talk about this.
  • After a correction you should never praise.
  • You do not want your dog to think it is okay to do this behavior and just stop when told, Ref Ep 052.
• The progression usually experienced when working on this behavior.
  • Get the dog riled and put my hand in front of him…bite, pop, NO.
  • Pause, then I reach toward the dog…Avoid, lots of praise, bite, pop, NO! Pause.
  • Wait for about a minute or two and just be with the dog.
  • Leave your hand available and the dog will do great then turn and lightly put his mouth on my hand, pop, NO. Pause.
  • Tempt again and there is big avoidance and huge praise.
• You will see avoidance many times after this purposeful test from your dog.
• Only do 10 temptations in a day.
  • You can do these all at once, or you can spread them out throughout the day.
• Praise your dog 10 times for keeping his mouth to himself more than you corrected for the play biting.

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