| The way I taught my dog to keep her teeth off me doesn't seem to be falling into the discussion here. I didn't do any cheek pinching, muzzle clamping, yelling or ignoring. I didn't do any of that at all. What I did do is redirect her to a stuffed toy ... every single time.
Puppies are puppies, and I took biting and chewing as a normal and expected part of her activity. I did not want to frustrate my dog by forbidding a natural part of her character, and I really didn't want to stifle her wonderful sense of play, but of course I didn't want her chewing on me, the cat or the furniture either. It was very important to me that she understand how she was allowed to use her natural inclinations from the get go.
When she tried to chew on me, I stuffed her mouth with a toy and told her "This is what you get to bite, you little rascal." When she played too rough with the cat, I shook her stuffed bear under her nose and tossed it across the room for her to chase and told her, "This is what you get to chase, you little rascal". If she looked cross eyed at the chair leg, I stuck a bone in her mouth and told her "This is what you get to chew, you little rascal." Long before she became my shadow, I was hers.
What I have now is an adult dog who, when she hits a certain level of excitement, immediately looks for a toy to pounce on. If we're not at home (or in the proximity of a toy) when she gets excited, she looks up at me like "What am I supposed to do?" and we do obedience (either heel, or sit or whatever suits the moment). It's really like a switch has been installed in her brain. I was really quite amazed when I first saw her make that decision on her own, have always praised her for making a good choice, and she's only gotten better since.
Anyway, that worked for us. :)  |