This week as I watch my puppies develop from blind and deaf tiny beings into wide-eyed, vocal and playful tiny dogs, I am reminded of the importance of early handling and socialisation.
These early experiences being positive ensure my new owners are getting the best possible chance of owning a great dog.
Early training opportunities have begun with the puppies now interacting with each other beginning to learn valuable lessons in body language within their mini-pack, and experimenting with their own vocalisations.
In addition to pack interaction they are also receiving daily handling from me and my children, which builds a bond of trust and comfort with the foreign species in their environment. In eight short weeks humans become the main focus of their worlds as they leave us to join their new owners.
The most important lesson they will learn as they have their pin sharp baby teeth appear is, in my opinion, the most valuable of all - Biting hurts.
"It hurts to be bitten and when I bite it hurts someone else" is the realisation that all dogs must come to in order to never inflict harm on people or dogs in the future.
Acquired bite inhibition is a skill that needs to be taught by litter-mates, parents, other adult dogs and owners. The method for doing so is by mimicking the exact actions and responses of the canine species.
To communicate that the mouthing hurt, puppies will let out a pitched yelp and move away from the offender, effectively stopping play.
We need to do exactly this when our puppies mouth us. A high pitched "ow" and walking away from your puppy will soon teach them that the same rules apply with humans as their canine family. It is important to make the most of your puppies' soft and gentle mouthing that does not actually cause any pain and react in the same way.\
The ultimate goal with training bite inhibition is to have your dog think that humans are the softest thing in the world and they cannot cope with the slightest contact of their mouth on your flesh.
This means that if ever in life they are stressed to the point of having to choose to bite or fight, they are less likely to inflict harm if they contact skin of human or dog.
If our dogs have not been allowed to mouth and be trained to be soft mouthed, they simply have no idea how hard they are actually biting.
Paw point of the week
Older dogs and rescues whose history is unknown should also be trained in this way if they mouth during play to ensure they learn a degree of bite inhibition. Puppies present a greater opportunity to train due to their early exploration of the world being by mouth, don't miss it.
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