mouthing

R

robun

Forums Regular
We have a 10 month old sheltie, and in the past month or so, he's started, what I would call "mouthing". When someone goes to pat him, he puts his jaw/teeth around your arm or hand, He does not bite down, just opens his mouth and gently "mouths" your arm/hand. We have a lot of kids come to visit, and they think he's trying to bite them.

So I wondered, why is he doing it, and secondly, how do we get him to stop ???

Thanks for your suggestions

ROb
 
He's an adolescent now, fun times. They tend to revert back to puppy behaviour during adolescence - both mouthing and peeing inside are two common problems at this age. You need to go back to basics on this one. When they revert to puppy behaviour treat them like you would a puppy (although one that should know what the word 'no' means). So back to saying 'ouch', or ignoring/turning away if it is attention seeking behaviour.

Here is an earlier thread on a similar problem
http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=2448
 
The earliar post~

I just read all the posts in the earliar thread,and every one of them has very good points.Many of which we have used here.Some used in combination,some alone.I can vividly remember Earnhardt going thru this stage.I used to call him my ankle biter.He would bite my ankles,feet,and do that very quick nip at my thigh.After a few times of him doing that,I utilized some of those tips,and he quickly learned the meaning of "no bite". Also ignoring him.Sometimes that meant actually turning your back on him,at the time he was about to mouth me. The two words "no bite" done quickly,and a tone of voice certainly differant than your regular tone. I read also,that you can try saying "ouch" in a louder voice when they mouth you.Say for instance when the pup was still with siblings in the litter,they play,bite,etc..if one pup were to get bitten harder than he likes,he would yelp quite loud,as it hurt.so the louder "ouch" from you simulates the loud yelping that may have been done by his or hers siblings in the litter.
We also and still to this day,make Earnhardt sit,before he enters the house,from being outside.Or when we come home.Before he crosses the threshold to come in the house,he is at a sit position,composed.I knew at a early stage with him,he was going to be a big dog.And I knew I was not going to tolerate being jumped on,nor did I want company to be scared of him when they visited.Now he automatically sits,and often times will raise his paw in jesture to shake.He also when its meal time for him,his food is fixed here in the house,and he eats on the sunporch most times.At one time two years ago,we had two fosters,plus him.All dogs dishes were placed,and each one was taught,to sit calmly,eat from thier own bowls,no wandering from dish to dish.It took a bit of time,especially since at the time I had a deaf chow/australian shephard mix,as part of the trio.Still to this day,he will sit,and wait for me to invite him to enjoy his meal.
 
Thanks Caro,


I read your advice on the previous thread, and very much appreciated it. I think my biggest problem is, is that I've been thinking Henry is now an "adult", but he's obviously still an adolescent and I need to be mindful of this.

So thank you, it certainly has calmed me down, so that I'm not too stressed about his behaviour. We've had to put a previous dog down because of aggression (severe), and I tend to panic whenever Henry shows any "spunk" as I couldn't bare to lose him.

Thanks again Rob
 
Rob, I don't think you need to worry :wink2: Mouthing is very common and normal, though I admit it came as a shock to me when Cadbury came home and started nibbling everyone! Also at 10 months those new adult teeth are still settling in and when Cadbury was this age I found he always wanted to put his mouth on you when he was being stroked.

Cadbury is 18 months and will still sometimes mouth when he is over-tired, though I suppose technically it isn't mouthing as he just puts his mouth around someone's arm and that's it. And he is so gentle that half the time people don't even know he is doing it :rolleyes2:
 
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