# Mouthing toddler



## Redd (Jun 26, 2014)

Hello all,
My spoo is turning 1 year old in a couple months. He is very gentle and well behaved. He is also very smart. I only have to teach him something a handful of times and he gets it. 
However, I am still having trouble with mouthing. I have been training him not to mouth but he gets very mouthy with my toddler. He does not snarl, but that's just the way he plays with my 3 year old. I always keep an eye on them when they are playing, but today, I noticed the spoo was mouthing him right around his head/neck and I was very concerned. He wasn't aggressive it all, it just seemed like play, but I still felt very uncomfortable.
Is there anything I can do about this? How long is he going to keep mouthing and why does he almost exclusively only mouth my toddler?

Thank you so much!


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## Rachel76 (Feb 3, 2014)

I am sure more experienced dog owners will have some info for you and I would work very hard to put a stop to that. My girl is a year old too and can still get mouthy. I would still not trust her with a little kid. She just wants to play and I think yours does too. 

I assume they are always supervised when together. I would start by giving him something appropriate to chew on every time he even looks like he might be thinking about getting mouthy with your little one. Reward him when he goes straight for the toy. If your poodle started to mouth your toddler (or anyone else) give him a time out by leaving the room. 

I was very strict with everyone around Hemi and did not allow her to chew on them in any way. Exactly because I didn't want her to try it with a little kid. She has developed a very soft mouth and I still would not trust her around a little one. It is too easy for such a young dog to forget to be careful during play.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

This sounds very like puppy on puppy play - play biting around the head and neck is a favourite game. I think you are right to be concerned as it also sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I would supervise all interactions between your dog and your toddler very closely, and intervene at the first sign of jumping or play biting, asking the dog to sit or to come to you, and offering praise, a treat or a game, whichever most motivates him. If you can't be actively involved in this way I would ensure the two are separated by baby gates or the pup is crated. I would also make sure everyone, including all the adults in the family, discourages all jumping and mouthing even when the child is not present, to help fade it out of your pup's repetoire of behaviours.

It might also be a good idea to involve your three year old in training, so that he can better control the dog. If you do it is wise to ensure the treats used are in some kind of container the child can access but the dog can't - you don't want the pup mugging him for a jackpot reward! Your dog sounds highly intelligent - if you all three play training games together you should quickly be able to show him that obeying the child is more rewarding than playing puppies with him.

And finally I would make sure he has plenty of other outlets for all that puppy energy and exuberance. Off leash running and playing, training classes, puppy beginner agility (I would not start anything involving jumping or pole bending until he is much older, but there are low impact introductory classes), etc, etc. Think a couple of hours of dog centred exercise a day - not easy in winter with a small child in tow, I know, but that is what a young dog really needs! If your other commitments make it impossible I would look into using daycare and/or dog walkers several times a week.


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