From: "Dawn Gabig, Classique" To: "Julie Rachelle" Subject: Bite Inhibition by Melissa Alexamder Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:49:13 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_06C1_01CA571D.08DDC460" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Windows Mail 6.0.6001.18000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.0.6001.18049 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_06C1_01CA571D.08DDC460 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Bite Inhibition Training By Melissa Alexander on 01/01/2007=20 Filed in - Ask the Expert: Q&A=20 Excerpted from Click for Joy: Questions and Answers from Clicker = Trainers and their Dogs by Melissa Alexander, an unparalleled guide to = the concepts of clicker training. -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- Q: I have a new puppy, and she wants to chew on everything, including = me. What can I do? A: Puppy mouthing is 100% natural dog behavior. It's not dominance. It's = not meanness. It's a puppy being a puppy, roughhousing with parents and = littermates or with human substitutes. Rather than "no bite," I = strongly, strongly urge you to teach your puppy bite inhibition instead. = Bite inhibition means training for a "soft mouth." It teaches your pup = to use his mouth gently with people. Bite inhibition training Dogs have one defense-their teeth. Every dog can bite. If frightened = enough, or in pain or threatened, your dog will bite. That doesn't in = any way make him a "bad" dog. It makes him a dog. It's your = responsibility, therefore, to teach your dog that humans are fragile. If = you teach your dog bite inhibition, that training will carry over even = if he's later in a position where he feels forced to bite. Dr. Ian Dunbar, an expert in the field, tells a story of a bite incident = he had to assess. A golden retriever therapy dog was leaving a nursing = home when his tail was accidentally shut in a car door. The owner went = to help and the dog delivered four severe bites before she could react. = Dunbar wasn't the least bit surprised by the dog's response. The dog got = his tail shut in a car door! Of course he bit! What shocked Dunbar was = that a dog with no bite inhibition training was being used as a therapy = dog. "Bite inhibition training does not require any added aversive-yelling, = 'popping' the dog on the nose or under the chin, shoving your hand down = his throat, or spraying him with water." "But he's never bitten before." Of course not. And barring such an = incident he probably never would have. But an accident is just that. An = accident. Unpredicted. What if something similar had happened in the = nursing home? A dog that's had bite inhibition training from puppyhood = is less likely to cause serious damage even under severe provocation. According to Dunbar, there are four stages in bite inhibition training. = The first two involve decreasing the force in the bites; the second two = stages involve decreasing the frequency of the bites. The training must = be done in that order. If you try to decrease the frequency first, the = dog won't learn to soften his bite. Because bite inhibition works by shaping natural play behavior, this = kind of training should begin during your first, spontaneous = interactions with your puppy and continue in more structured = play/training sessions as he grows. a.. "No painful bites." Ninety percent of puppies will stop mouthing = in mid-bite if you give a high-pitched squeal or yelp. Then you praise = the dog and reinforce by continuing to play. The other ten percent-and = puppies who are tired or over-stimulated-will escalate their behavior = instead of stopping. This requires you to confine the puppy or end the = game. Remove all attention. Bite inhibition training does not require = any added aversive-yelling, "popping" the dog on the nose or under the = chin, shoving your hand down his throat, or spraying him with water. b.. Eliminate all pressure. Gradually shape the dog to "gum you to = death." (Service dog trainers do this routinely, because service dogs = often have to use their mouths to manipulate human limbs.) Set a limit = of how hard the dog can bite during play/training sessions. If he bites = harder, yelp. Gradually set your limit for softer and softer bites. Move = at a pace that ensures that the pup can be successful most of the time. = A big jump in criteria is confusing and frustrating to the dog. c.. "When I say stop, you stop." Teach cues for "take it," "leave it," = and "drop it." Be able to both start and stop the game on your own = terms. d.. "You may never touch a human with your muzzle unless invited." Put = the bite inhibition behaviors you have taught under complete stimulus = control. Stimulus control means the behavior happens on cue and only on = cue. Coping with puppy mouthing in the meantime Although bite inhibition is a vital lesson, making it a training goal = doesn't mean you have to tolerate constant puppy mouthing. Puppy teeth = hurt! Work on bite inhibition only when your pup is calm and you have time to = sit on the floor and play gently. If the pup bites too hard, yelp. If he = backs off, reinforce with calming pats and more interaction. If he gets = too excited and bites harder, end the game immediately. To end the game, you must be able to get away from the puppy with as = little fuss or attention as possible. Even negative attention is = attention. It's often helpful to have the puppy tethered, so you can = simply move back out of his reach. Or play with him in a confined area = and simply stand up and leave that space when he bites too hard. The rest of the time, deal with mouthing by redirecting the puppy to = acceptable chew toys. Literally surround yourself with chew toys, so you = can stuff them in his mouth, one after the other, until he gets the = message that you are not going to let him chew on you. Puppy mouthing never requires anything more aversive than time outs or = withdrawal of attention. Work on bite inhibition when you can, and at = other times redirect or end the game. Physical aversives are confusing, = unfair, and unnecessary. You can read more about puppy nipping in the clicker approach to puppy = nipping by Karen Pryor.=20 About the author Melissa Alexander is a writer and clicker trainer in = Seattle, WA. She owns the highly popular ClickerSolutions mailing list = and is the author of Click for Joy, the award-winning, essential guide = to clicker training. ------=_NextPart_000_06C1_01CA571D.08DDC460 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Bite Inhibition Training

=
By Melissa Alexander on = 01/01/2007
Filed in - Ask the = Expert:=20 Q&A

Excerpted from Click for Joy: = Questions and=20 Answers from Clicker Trainers and their Dogs by Melissa = Alexander, an=20 unparalleled guide to the concepts of behavior. = It's not=20 dominance. It's not meanness. It's a puppy being a puppy, roughhousing = with=20 parents and littermates or with human substitutes. Rather than "no = bite," I=20 strongly, strongly urge you to teach your puppy bite inhibition = instead. Bite inhibition means training for a "soft mouth." It teaches = your pup=20 to use his mouth gently with people.

Bite inhibition training

Dogs have one defense=97their teeth. Every dog can bite. If = frightened enough,=20 or in pain or threatened, your dog will bite. That doesn't in = any way=20 make him a "bad" dog. It makes him a dog. It's your responsibility, = therefore,=20 to teach your dog that humans are fragile. If you teach your dog bite=20 inhibition, that training will carry over even if he's later in a = position where=20 he feels forced to bite.

Dr. Ian Dunbar, an expert in the field, tells a story of a bite = incident he=20 had to assess. A golden retriever therapy dog was leaving a nursing home = when=20 his tail was accidentally shut in a car door. The owner went to help and = the dog=20 delivered four severe bites before she could react. Dunbar wasn't the = least bit=20 surprised by the dog's response. The dog got his tail shut in a car = door! Of=20 course he bit! What shocked Dunbar was that a dog with no bite = inhibition=20 training was being used as a therapy dog.

"Bite inhibition training does not require any = added aversive=97yelling,=20 'popping' the dog on the nose or under the chin, shoving your hand down = his=20 throat, or spraying him with water."

"But he's never bitten before." Of course not. And barring such an = incident=20 he probably never would have. But an accident is just that. An accident. = Unpredicted. What if something similar had happened in the = nursing=20 home? A dog that's had bite inhibition training from puppyhood is less = likely to=20 cause serious damage even under severe provocation.

According to Dunbar, there are four stages in bite inhibition = training. The=20 first two involve decreasing the force in the bites; the second two = stages=20 involve decreasing the frequency of the bites. The training must be done = in that=20 order. If you try to decrease the frequency first, the dog won't learn = to soften=20 his bite.

Because bite inhibition works by shaping natural play behavior, this = kind of=20 training should begin during your first, spontaneous interactions with = your=20 puppy and continue in more structured play/training sessions as he = grows.

  • "No painful bites." Ninety percent of puppies will stop = mouthing=20 in mid-bite if you give a high-pitched squeal or yelp. Then you praise = the dog=20 and reinforce by continuing to play. The other ten percent=97and = puppies who are=20 tired or over-stimulated=97will escalate their behavior instead of = stopping.=20 This requires you to confine the puppy or end the game. Remove all = attention.=20 Bite inhibition training does not require any added = aversive=97yelling,=20 "popping" the dog on the nose or under the chin, shoving your hand = down his=20 throat, or spraying him with water.
  • Eliminate all pressure. Gradually shape the dog to "gum = you to=20 death." (Service dog trainers do this routinely, because service dogs = often=20 have to use their mouths to manipulate human limbs.) Set a limit of = how hard=20 the dog can bite during play/training sessions. If he bites harder, = yelp.=20 Gradually set your limit for softer and softer bites. Move at a pace = that=20 ensures that the pup can be successful most of the time. A big jump in = criteria=20 is confusing and frustrating to the dog.
  • "When I say stop, you stop." Teach cues for "take it," = "leave=20 it," and "drop it." Be able to both start and stop the game on your = own=20 terms.
  • "You may never touch a human with your muzzle unless = invited."=20 Put the bite inhibition behaviors you have taught under complete stimulus=20 control. Stimulus control means the behavior happens on cue=20 and only on cue.

Coping with puppy mouthing in the meantime

Although bite inhibition is a vital lesson, making it a training goal = doesn't=20 mean you have to tolerate constant puppy mouthing. Puppy teeth hurt!

Work on bite inhibition only when your pup is calm and you = have time=20 to sit on the floor and play gently. If the pup bites too hard, yelp. If = he=20 backs off, reinforce with calming pats and more interaction. If he gets = too=20 excited and bites harder, end the game immediately.

To end the game, you must be able to get away from the puppy with as = little=20 fuss or attention as possible. Even negative attention is attention. = It's often=20 helpful to have the puppy tethered, so you can simply move back out of = his=20 reach. Or play with him in a confined area and simply stand up and leave = that=20 space when he bites too hard.

The rest of the time, deal with mouthing by redirecting the puppy to=20 acceptable chew toys. Literally surround yourself with chew toys, so you = can=20 stuff them in his mouth, one after the other, until he gets the message = that you=20 are not going to let him chew on you.

Puppy mouthing never requires anything more aversive than time outs = or=20 withdrawal of attention. Work on bite inhibition when you can, and at = other=20 times redirect or end the game. Physical aversives are confusing, = unfair, and=20 unnecessary.

You can read more about puppy nipping in the clicker approach to = puppy=20 nipping by Karen Pryor.

About the author Melissa = Alexander is a=20 writer and clicker trainer in Seattle, WA. She owns the highly popular = ClickerSolutions mailing = list and is=20 the author of = Click for=20 Joy, the award-winning, essential guide to clicker=20 training.
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