How to fix mouthiness

Mouthy dogs can be a big problem: while they are usually trying to get attention or play, those teeth can hurt! Mouthing is not biting, nor is it puppy teething/chewing: it’s a learned behavior that seems to be more prevalent among dominant or pushy dogs, and some breeds are more prone to it than others. Either way, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed before it causes real damage.

The best way to stop mouthiness is to teach bite inhibition. We do this through bitework, which might sound counterintuitive, so let me explain: if we teach a dog to bite a specific target, then he has to have control and has to be specific as to where he puts his teeth. So aside from the logical purpose of giving him an outlet for a play style and behavior that dogs engage in instinctively, we are teaching him to think about what he’s doing and to act accordingly.

Teaching a reliable “leave it” is crucial to combat mouthiness. When the dog starts mouthing, tell him “leave it” and, if needed, add in an uh-uh or other secondary correction to help him understand. Since “leave it” applies universally (leave the other dog alone, leave the smells on the sidewalk, leave the shoe that he wants to grab, etc.), it is something dogs learn quickly: the key is to follow through and enforce it every time. If this foundational work has been done, then the habit of adhering to “leave it” whenever he wants to chew on your wrist will eventually translate to him not even bothering to try in the first place!