# Dunbar, Bite Inhibition and Kids



## Kmaw (Sep 13, 2016)

Our 12 week old mini can get quite mouthy when excited (I don't think it is anything out of the ordinary). I would say his mouth is quite soft as it rarely hurts much. I would like to be on the right track for bite inhibition/prevention though. I'm wondering what other families with children have done (mine are 10 and 15). Should I tell them to do the high "yipe" sound every time his teeth hit skin and reserve the gentle mouthing experiences to when he is with me? I think it might be hard for them to judge in the split second what to do and he does get quite excited when they are around. Also, should I "yipe" when he bites clothing too, or do I reserve that for skin only?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Rather than yipping, redirect your pup to an acceptable alternative behavior like taking a toy and tugging a bit or asking for some static behaviors like sits and downs. The basis for stopping mouthy behavior is helping the puppy to understand that there are other things to do to interact with you and also to understand that acting like a nut doesn't get rewarded by continuing to do so.

I also would enlist your children heavily into training your puppy. Sometimes dogs think they rank higher than small people (kids) and will try to push the boundaries with them. If your children are an active component of working with your pup they will be seen as in charge rather than people to be taken advantage of. I would suggest making a schedule where each day each child is in charge of doing something organized with the pup (i.e. not rolling on the floor and wrestling with baby dog).

You mentioned Ian Dunbar so I hope that means you are not putting this pup's food in a bowl. Puppies should be fed most of their food from people's hands or in a puzzle toy or a kong. If food is in a kong or other toy where the pup has to work to get it they will learn that chewing certain things (toys) is rewarding and getting food from hands accompanied by teaching (mental work of learning impulse control and that following orders) gets rewarded but that ignoring orders does not.

It sounds like you are off to a great start and that you have read from good sources to prepare for making this pup into the great family dog you want. Keep up the good work and know that we are all here to help when you feel uncertain.


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## Sammy the spoo (Jul 7, 2016)

My children are 9, 5(6 in a couple of weeks), and 3.5 yo boys. Since the kids are small, and their friends are small, I opted out for no mouthing at all at our house. I understand that bite inhibition method is the textbook, and preferred method by many trainers but I found that I was able to keep Sammy from nipping easier. 

The itch to mouth was really bad up until 5-6 months old when his teeth fell out and his new ones came in. He almost never mouthes anyone now. And the kids have a much better relationship with Sammy now. (Sammy still love to steal socks off of dangling legs from the couch and the kitchen table though!!!)

I'm in line with Catherine on letting the kids be part of the training. Sammy tried to pull rank a few times with our kids, but we made sure that kids will not be taken advantage of. My youngest actually has the best temperament with Sammy, and my best trainer so far. He is firm, and he is not afraid of saying no. 

I hope this helps from the family perspective... I'm still learning as I go 


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I found squealing came instantly and automatically when the biting hurt, as did the impulse to redirect those needle teeth to something else! If he is already being careful with his mouth then a quick reminder to be gentle may be enough. For clothes I would freeze and then quickly redirect - I think pups can differentiate between skin and clothes very easily, and I prefer them to learn to be very, very careful around skin.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm I agree that a quick squeal when those needle teeth hit skin comes very naturally, but wonder whether small children can make the squeal short, sweet and meaningful and then bring their energy down instantly will always work. I see that small kids can just get more and more worked up and that makes the pup more and more worked up.

My neighbor who watches my house and animals for me when my mom isn't available has a young son who loves Lily but is really overwhelmed by Javelin. Despite both me and his mom telling him to be a tree and keep his hands up with his arms tucked close to his body to send calming signals to Javelin last fall when they were visiting him on my long work days he just couldn't make his emotional energy match his physically static position and Javelin sensing that would continue to engage Zeke pretty heavily.

The OP will have to gauge her pup and her kids to figure out which strategy will work best for each child. Both approaches are very useful.

Sammy I am not at all surprised that your youngest child is your best trainer. I think younger children tend to be better at following very specific instructions to the letter. Older children (and even worse know it all adults) listen halfway and then put their own spin on things. One of my friends who trains an Aussie for obedience has a no training rule in effect for the adults in her family and gives them a set of commands that is entirely different from those she uses for the training ring. She doesn't want her DH and others to pollute her ring orders.


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## Kmaw (Sep 13, 2016)

Thank you all so much for the advice. It has been so helpful having this group to get information from more experienced owners!



lily cd re said:


> You mentioned Ian Dunbar so I hope that means you are not putting this pup's food in a bowl. Puppies should be fed most of their food from people's hands or in a puzzle toy or a kong. If food is in a kong or other toy where the pup has to work to get it they will learn that chewing certain things (toys) is rewarding and getting food from hands accompanied by teaching (mental work of learning impulse control and that following orders) gets rewarded but that ignoring orders does not.


We are currently doing a mixture of a little food in the bowl, hand feeding throughout the day and stuffed kongs. I will admit the original plan was for no bowl, but the breeder believes in free feeding and we just got him at 12 weeks, 5 days ago. Since he was free feeding I'm not even sure how much he should be getting in a day. The breeder says not to follow the chart on the back of the food package as he will eat when he needs. When he gets really hungry he doesn't seem to be able to calm down enough to take it from my hand.

I'm not sure if I am stuffing the Kongs properly. I have basically been filling it up with kibble (I'm using size small for 5 to 20 pound dogs) and plugging the top with cream cheese. It definitely makes him more willing to go into his crate! When I tried mixing the kibble with all natural peanut butter he didn't seem to get much of it out. Should I be only giving him the Kongs in his crate? Should I keep trying to make it sticky so it doesn't come out easily or is the loose kibble with the cream cheese OK?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I free feed, but still gave Javelin all his food from hand or in a puzzle toy until he was about 4-5 months old. He had no problem transitioning to free feeding. Making sure little baby pups are hungry when you train ensures they will pay attention to you.

Lily really has zero interest in PB, so if cream cheese works to spark your pup's interest in the kong then go with it, but make sure it is just a dab so most of his calorie needs are met by the kibble rather than the cheese. I always gave a food toy when I was leaving and Javelin was going to be confined. A nice treat when going into the crate gives a good positive association for liking the crate.


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