Non-Aggressive Biting/Playing

    • Silver

    Non-Aggressive Biting/Playing

       My Aussie terrier, Kazimer, is just shy of a year old.  He is a very people oriented dog, never aggressive towards people.  He gets along great with  all the neighborhood dogs, just a playful fun little guy.

       His only real problem, and one I'm having a bit of difficulty with, is the placement of teeth on skin. When he wants to get your attention he will come up & grab your hand, not hard, just enough to let you know he wants something.  If you play with him he will bite a little harder, but never enough to cause pain, or even redness of the skin.  Being a terrier who is not quite a year old, he has a busy life, play, eat, & sleep.

      I've tried the stand up & walk away thing, he just doesn't connect with the idea that play, fun, or socialization has just ended.  I have had some success with  howling like he has just dismembered my hand the second his teeth hit skin,  this makes him stop, and usually sit and look at me.  He does know "kisses",  so once he stops, I tell him kisses, he licks the hand,  click &  a piece of puppy chow.   He is just starting to understand that if he walks up, and licks the hand instead of mouthing he gets a treat for less work.

      Having a puppy brain he will often forget the easy way if excited, and mouth first.  I often do not have to say a thing anymore, just a look of complete amazement, and he stops, sits, and gives a small lick.  I have friends stopping by on a regular basis, who understand that if he mouths, it is horribly painful for you, respond accordingly, which usually gets him to stop, unless you continue to play with him.

      I'm wondering if I'm headed in the right direction with this, and if anyone else has any other ideas on how to work through this.  This is not aggressive biting at all, just a pup/near dog looking to play.  My biggest concern is someone in the future who considers any dog tooth hitting their skin to be a dog bite, and with today's litigation bloated society this is not something anyone needs to deal with.


     

     

    • Gold Top Dog

     Does he mouth people who he is unfamiliar with?

    I have found that dogs are very careful about who they chose to mouth, and will only mouth people they know very well.

     

    Other than that I think you are going in the right direction.  He will figure it out soon enough. 

    • Silver

       He is pretty selective with it.  He won't do it at all with younger kids, it doesn't matter if it's the neighbor's kids, who he plays with once in a while, or like today.  A buddy of mine stopped by with his grandkids, 7 & 9 or so.  Kaz loves kids, no teeth at all, just hanging out, happy to sit on the couch or be carried around my fishroom with dozens of tanks.

      He also never does it with older folks.  My parents are in their 70's, over here on a regular basis.  He knows them well, and never uses the teeth, the tongue is a different story.  I've had him to the nursing home a few times to visit my dad, he's a complete gentleman.  My wife's aunt, who is in her 80's, has stopped by a couple of times, very well behaved little dog with no teeth.

      I'm in my 40's, anyone my age he will do it to.  My kids are in their 20's, he'll do it to them as well.  It does seem the better he knows you the more he tends to do it, but he has some sort of upper & lower age cut off, weird.