Bite Inhibition

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Has anyone had any experience with a pup taken away from its Mom too early (say before 6, 7 or 8 weeks), and as a result the pup missed out on an important part of doggy socialization?

 

My inlaws dog Abbey (an akbash with perhaps some lab too) is around 8-10 months old and constantly chews on Cooper. Cooper is very submissive and wont tell her to back off, she just tries to squirm out of the way.

 

We arent too sure how old she is, but she was at least 7 months when they got her according to the vet as she has all her adult teeth, and they have had her around a month. She is very mouthy, and will mouth our legs and feet sometimes, constantly chews on Cooper, and tries to mouth the cats (they win that fight!). She will try to eat anything.

 

The only thing I can think of is lack of bite inhibition resulting from being taken from her doggy mom too early. I know she is still a puppy, and will do anything to not fall asleep. When Im in charge of both dogs i often put Abbey in her crate (the inlaws only put her there at night or the rare occasion they both leave the house) and she will lay there awake, even though she gets tired and her eyes get all red by the evening. She has plenty of walks, and plays with Cooper, so shes getting lots of exercise. She has lots of toys (Coopers) which she plays with, and lots of bones to chew on.

 

We didnt have this problem with Cooper, and shes not my dog, so Im not sure what to do....

 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I can't help with the bite part, but she still is settling in so some of the problems may just go away with time.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some dogs who are taken from their litters too early do have a lack of bite inhibition, and may also have difficulty relating to and interacting with other dogs appropriately.  I have had experience with a dog who was taken from the litter too early and did have a lack of bite inhibition. Fortunately, he ended up with a very experienced owner who was able to successfully work with him, with the help of his "brother", a very dominant Old English Sheepdog.

But that kind of bite inhibition is different from "mouthing". Bite inhibition doesn't mean a dog doesn't mouth, it means that when they do, they keep a "soft" mouth and do not actually bite down. A dog can just be "mouthy".

Here's some good information on bite inhibition:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_BiteInhibition.php

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition

Most of the tips for teaching bite inhibition in these articles are intended for puppies. In adult dogs, it's more difficult.

I think the first thing I would do is consult with a good trainer who can tell you if this behavior is just normal (but excessive) mouthing, or if there's a real problem. Adult dogs who truly have poor bite inhibition are dangerous. Hopefully this is something else.

 

[Carol Brand]

Some dogs can be bullies and they can pester other dogs mercilessly.  Ideally, the dog being bothered would eventually lay into the bully and tell him to BACK OFF.  Some dogs just won't do this.  They are either submissive or overly tolerant and long suffering (I have one of these at home).

 

I think it is an owner's job to keep dogs from bothering other dogs.  If it continues, it can really stress out the dog that is being picked on.  Teach the bully to LEAVE IT.    If the bully won't stop then separating the dogs can help.  I have also seen people use an E-collar to stop this behavior.  The bully is given a verbal warning and if it does not quit, then the owner can deliver a buzz on the collar.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Hey Carol-when did you meet Myla???? She's the bully here

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Has Abbey had any training yet?  The first thing I think you need to correct (IMO) is when she's "mouthing" a human.  I would let her know that isn't going to "fly". She's too old for this, and her mouth does not belong on any human.  You may need to put a training collar on her with a short tab so that you are able to correct every time her mouth goes where it shouldn't.  If that's not practical, it may still work with a firm verbal correction and then a "down/stay" (time out).  Cooper may get pretty sick of having her "chew" on him and eventually correct this.  I assume she's annoying him....but not hurting him.  When Murph has pushed Guinness too far, I do intercede.  I walk over, give a firm verbal correction, and back Murph away from Guinness.  Then Murph goes into a down/stay until he has calmed down.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Cooper occasionally yelps if it hurts and Abbey backs off. Usually she just puts up with it. Because Cooper often sleeps by my feet I do correct Abbey, tell her no, and pull her away, but I dont put her in her crate because she is not my dog. I think that if she repeatedly does it I might start doing that, no matter what the inlaws think. My MIL tells Abbey no, but rarely actually stops her, unless Cooper is crying.

 

She hasnt had any formal training (with a trainer) and I know my inlaws wont pay for that. But she is pretty well behaved apart from the chewing. A down stay would not work as the only commands she knows is peepee sit and (somewhat) leave it 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

You're in a tough position, Kaytlin since Abbey isn't your dog.  If your MIL tells her no, but does nothing to enforce it, it probably isn't going to do much good.  If she doesn't know a down/stay, then I would definitely put her in a crate when she's driving Cooper crazy....certainly if she's making Cooper cry.

[Cindy M, Zachary & the Frenchies]

If she knows leave it - you could try leave it with her. That was one of Zach's early commands, and I used it a lot and still do especially when he is bothering Gracie - since she is mute and I don't think that she is always able to communicate her annoyance with him with body language alone - he can be a bit oblivious at times. Although I agree, that she is your MIL's dog, and ordinarily you wouldn't interfere with how they train (or don't train) you might want to consider talking with her about your need to protect Cooper by putting Abbey in the crate for a time out when she is  being too rough.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hi Kaytlin,

I started a discussion in the training group with the same idea. I got the most wonderful help. Here is the thread...

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets/forum/topics/sep...

I hope this is helpful for you and your in-laws.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

great discussion, thanks!