How To Train Your Dog Without Touching It!

You Taste Horrible; Aversive Dog/Puppy Training for Mouthing

May 9th, 2011

Posted By:
Minette

Ick! You Taste Awful!

I get lots of complaints about young dogs and puppies that have biting or mouthing problems! Whereas I have written a few articles on the subject, I thought it best to write another with yet another point of view and one I don’t normally tend toward; aversive training.

A good dog trainer should have limitless tricks of the trade to use when needed, and this one is especially good for mouthy puppies! And, it is important to note that it is not aversive in a painful or frightening way! I would never recommend true aversive training; this is simply a bit of a mind game.

Aversive training is defined by the online encyclopedia as a form of behavior training or modification in which a noxious event is used to punish or extinguish undesirable behavior. I hate the word punishment, because punishment comes after the fact and is not effective even on humans who understand it (dogs don’t understand punishment)! But I do embrace the idea of “noxious event” because that is what I am shooting for in this scenario.

The first step is to redirect a mouthy puppy by giving him appropriate toys, or other things to chew on.

If that doesn’t work, crying out like a littermate or another puppy and whining is often effective to stop the offensive behavior!

If neither of those work, removing yourself from the situation and stopping all play is usually especially effective! As a matter of fact, the reason most puppies mouth, bite and chew on us is because they want to play with us; so if you remove the motivating factor you often extinguish the behavior!

Biting or teeth coming out = no interaction is usually enough to stop most puppies from biting. But you MUST be consistent!!! You can’t remove yourself sometimes and not others. For example, I don’t care what dramatic event you are witnessing on TV (Superbowl, or “Say Yes to the Dress) , you must get up and leave the room when your pup begins to bite you!! Consistency is the key!

If all of these techniques fail; then I recommend this simple bit of aversive training:

You must teach your dog that you taste AWFUL and therefore putting his mouth on you is the LAST thing he wants to do! If your puppy thinks you are simply grotesque in the tasty department, he won’t put his mouth on you anymore = problem solved.

How Do You Achieve Total Nastiness in the Taste Department?

You use a bitter spray or lotion on your skin or clothing. Lotion is better and lasts longer but the bitter sprays can be quite effective as well, you must just reapply more often. Not all bitter sprays are created equal and some dogs don’t mind some but hate others…you may have to shop around. My favorite is the true “Bitter Apple” spray and lotion.

If you are consistent about applying your dog should stop mouthing you in a matter of days, however if you are inconsistent you will continue to have problems because your dog will never know when you taste bad and when you taste good! So, be consistent and apply often.

You Can Spray Your Clothing Too!

This is extremely simple and usually incredibly effective! Remember to redirect and praise your pup when his teeth are not on your skin.

Exercise and dog obedience training is also crucial to curb any bad behavior, a tired dog is a good dog! And, a dog that is use to obedience is less likely to put his teeth on you!

Last but not least….WASH YOUR HANDS before eating or you too will experience some aversive tastes!

For more information check out one of my older blogs on the subject Help For Your Land Shark

Tags: Biting, Mouthing Puppies, Nibbling, Nipping, Puppies biting clothing
Posted in Biting Dogs, dog chewing, Dog Training, Puppy Training | 13 comments

13 responses to “You Taste Horrible; Aversive Dog/Puppy Training for Mouthing”

Gale writes:

I correct biting and nipping the same way their siblings did; I issue a very LOUD OUCH in a high pitched voice, just like a puppy yelp, and usually the biting and nipping stops. This is positive punishment, which makes that bad behaviour less likely. It is also the reaction that they are used to, unless they were a singleton or separated too young from the litter.

[Reply]
@ May 12th, 2011 at 06:47
Kathy Holmberg writes:

I have two dogs which I obtain one at 9 weeks the other 7. The first one had a very bad biting habit and we tried everything from different trainers and she finally out grew it. Buddy whom we got from a trainer at 7 weeks showed us while petting if the dog starts to mouth simply touch his back end and say eh loudly. We only had to do it a few times and he had never mouth us since. We used the bitter apple on the table legs when we realized he was chewing on the legs.

[Reply]
@ May 12th, 2011 at 06:54
Peter Gobel writes:

Minette, I agree, I hate aversives too. This is what I do: I set up in a low distraction area, with clicker and lots of treats. I bring my hand close to the dog and c/t before he opens his mouth. I’m rewarding not biting. I use the same technique to stop leash biting. This way my dogs still give me those lovely doggy kisses.
Thanks for all the training tips.

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
May 12th, 2011 at 8:13 am
Excellent! There are a lot of ways, I too prefer the positive but for those insane constant nippers and biters, learning people, clothing and furniture taste bad sometimes works without the regular negatives of other aversive training!

I too, enjoy a good doggy kiss here and there…but shhh don’t tell anyone

[Reply]
@ May 12th, 2011 at 07:06
Antoinette Drake writes:

How can I get my dog to stop barking when the dog across the street barks? And it is quite often.

[Reply]
@ May 12th, 2011 at 10:19
Robert writes:

I’ve got a three-year old Shepard lab mix. He gets “mouthy” when he and my kids (ages 7 and under) are playing on the floor. I’m worried that having them yelp will reinforce that he’s the alpha. Advice?

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
May 12th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Read my article, Help for Your Land Shark there should be a link at the bottom of this article or you can do a search.

[Reply]
@ May 12th, 2011 at 10:42
Karleen writes:

Minette,

Thanks for the advice. I haven’t had a puppy for a long time since I usually rescue older dogs, but it is definitely something to keep in the back of my mind, if, as you say, all else fails. I am a mobile dog groomer and I have clients ask me training questions sometimes so I will pass this information on to the ones who have mouthy puppies!

[Reply]
@ May 12th, 2011 at 17:38
Mai writes:

hey there minette~
great blog there i actually tried this a few days ago with my pup and it did wonders!. but i didn’t use lotion since i’m afraid of poisoning him. so i went with spicy vinger and chili i dipped my right hand in vinegar and rubbed it with a fresh red hot chili i kept my left hand safe from the vinegar and chili by wrapping it in plastic. so i played with my puppy with only my left hand and everytime he bit my left hand i’d quickly stuff my right hand in his mouth and he’d jerk back trying to shake the taste away a couple of tries later he stopped biting.
thanks a lot minette i’m sure whenever he has the idea of biting he’d think of chili

[Reply]
@ May 13th, 2011 at 22:55
Jack Falkner writes:

I’m confused. I was under the impression that dogs loved chilli…meaning cayenne, etc. Am I wrong??
Thanks!!

[Reply]
@ May 14th, 2011 at 01:41
Roberta McIntyre writes:

Thank you for the tips on chewing. My daughter’s dogs chew the edges of the benches and the trim around the glass door from the porch into the main house. They do it out of boredom I think. I tried a flour and water paste with hot pepper mixed in, but that stuck to the surfaces as hard as cement so I was not very popular. Will try the bitter apple.

My own dog, 5 year Jack Russell, is very good about not barking in the condo except for the two quick shrill rings when the intercom buzzes for someone visiting. She did it the very first time she heard it, and still spontaneously lets out two loud yelps. I move fast, say “no barking” then walk straight to our door, waiting for the company. She stands there trembling in anticipation while I talk quietly saying, “just a minute, just a minute.” Do not know my way out of this one. People do tell me she is the best trained Jack Russel the know. Roberta

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@ May 15th, 2011 at 08:53
Sue Taylor writes:

I wonder if you have a suggestion for discouraging a pup from eating his own poop. My Boston terrier is 2, and has been doing this from day one. I have tried everything that’s sold by vets and over the counter, plus a couple of other so-called remedies. At this point in time, the “give her banana because she’s probably lacking in potassium” doesn’t work, because she probably likes the poop now. I go outside with her to pick it up before she can recycle her meal, but she’s become somewhat cagy – watches for me – delays until I get tired of waiting, etc. If you have any suggestions, they would be much appreciated, because I can’t think that what she is doing is healthy, even if I am getting, as my husband says, “twice the bang for my buck!”

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@ May 17th, 2011 at 20:08
Lauren writes:

I have a dog who has two spots on her front legs that she obsesivly licks. There is no fur left in those spots and sometimes they bleed when she licks. We have tried various sprays, and covering the spots up with bandages that are supposed to have stuff to keep them from licking. She chews them off and licks anyway. We tell her no when we catch her licking and will turn her head away and place a toy over her front legs. She will play with the toy for a while, but always starts licking again. Any ideas on what we could try?

[Reply]
@ January 3rd, 2012 at 11:06