what age does puppy mouthing/biting become unacceptable?

[lovelylurcher]

I've got a 5 month old puppy who was VERY mouthy as a young pup, and we we also had one or two episodes where I think she attempted to bite 'with intent', if that makes sense.

I posted on here and saw a dog behaviourist/trainer and I was reassured that all was normal. Mouthing they grow out of (puppy does seem to be doing this much less now). Snappiness they are testing boundaries (we have strategies in place to prevent this happening again).

But another thread got me thinking - at what age does such 'typical puppy' behaviour become a worry? I know that dogs are considered adults at two years of age. But say you had a 9 month old that snapped, or a 18 month old that still mouthed? Obviously as a responsible owner you would do everything you could to prevent negative behaviour...but I was just wondering where you draw the line between 'puppy that is learning' and 'we've got a problem'?

Would be interested to hear thoughts...

We still had the odd mouthing moment well last 5 months of age.

But it was obvious that it wasn't a bite and was still mouthing. Plus there was a cause which usually meant over tiredness and a simple timeout sorted out that behaviour.

Therefore given that the behaviour was getting better with management and we could see why and how to handle it then it never crossed that line and he grew out of it.

well last 5 months of age should have been well 'past' 5 months of age.

Thanks @BiteyShark.

She definitely seems to be improving with the mouthing, though a lot of stuff I've read online says that puppies SHOULD grow out of it by 6 months. That said, one of the sweetest dogs I know at age three still gently mouths her owner if they are sitting on the sofa together!

Once puppy has his/her adult teeth (around 6 months) mouthing should cease.

Mine still mouthed until about eighteen months or so. I can't say it ever bothered me as there was no aggression or pressure there. I don't remember when he stopped but he's not done it for months now.

I think the instinct to "mouth" or chew is something many dogs have lifelong. It is an enjoyable activity related to eating, hence the huge market for dog chews, leather strips etc.
The instinct to mouth needs to be directed to a suitable object or outlet at a very early age imo.
No allowing or encouraging puppies to mouth or bite human hands- however tempting in a play situation.
Puppies whi are teething need to chew- and suitable objects need to be available- rubber chews, rope toys etc.
At no point should a puppy bite or mouth a person.
I have raised several dogs- they need a firm hand.
Never any punishment, no cruelty - but they need to know early what is acceptable.

@lovelylurcher

Thanks *@BiteyShark*.

She definitely seems to be improving with the mouthing, though a lot of stuff I've read online says that puppies SHOULD grow out of it by 6 months. That said, one of the sweetest dogs I know at age three still gently mouths her owner if they are sitting on the sofa together!

Ahh but if you read things online you should have your puppy toilet trained in 2 weeks and if you don't perform all the socialisation by a set date it's too late blah blah blah .

My take on it is that just like our development puppies develop at different rates and some will just take longer to 'get it'.

For us he would grab DHs jeans in the evening and mouth. This was our key to do a timeout as we learnt that it was because he was overtired. We now have a very gentle adult dog who will suck things off your hand rather than go anywhere near you with his teeth.

@vanillandhoney - yes ours never mouths aggressively either. I think I may have confused the issue here by mentioning the (rare) episodes where our pup got a bit snappy. They were obviously different, but what I meant was that they are both examples of behaviour that wouldn't be 'okay' in an adult dog, but can be seen as part of a puppy's learning process, and I was wondering how we make the distinction in terms of their age?

@BiteyShark - you offer such sage advice and reassurance, thank you!

@speakout - 'At no point should a puppy bite or mouth a person' - I think if you read any of the puppy survival threads, this seems to be a case of 'easier said than done'

@speakout - 'At no point should a puppy bite or mouth a person' - I think if you read any of the puppy survival threads, this seems to be a case of 'easier said than done

It is absolutely possible though.

It takes work but not impossible.

It's unacceptable from day one! Unless it's a cute nibble that causes no discomfort which I encourage my pup to do.

From day one he has been taught to nibble cuffs and not pull.

My gorgeous girl (probably about ten years old when she died recently), occasionally mouthed your hand if she was walking beside you inside. There was never any intent and she was the most gentle dog I've ever known. When we first got her, about 36 months before she died, she would, at first, grab things out of your hand when they were offered. We taught her the command "gentle" and she was fine.

I know we didn't know what training she'd had prior to coming to us, but it didn't over bother us really.

@AbyssusAbyssumInvocat - it might be 'unacceptable from day one', but it is normal -

www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/puppy-biting-and-mouthing

I'm sure all responsible owners do try to train their puppies not to do this - but as speakout says it takes work, and some puppies might do this for longer. Equally, I think some puppies (labs for example) are mouthier breeds, just as some dogs are more yappy than others...

lovelylurcher

Yes of course-and some breeds of puppies have a need to mouth- retrievers for example- who have been bred to have great mouth sensitivity, and puppies need to explore this.
So care must me taken to firstly drain the energy - same for all dogs, not just puppies. Lots of walks if they have had their jabs, huge amounts of exercise will lessen the nervous energy that promotes mouthing. Then if they do mouth, re focus the target to a safe object- a rope toy, a chew, with lots of praise and encouragement.
With careful handling mouthing can be minimised and redirected in a safe playful way.
A puppy should never be encouraged to mouth a hand.

“She definitely seems to be improving with the mouthing, though a lot of stuff I've read online says that puppies SHOULD grow out of it by 6 months.”

That’s a tend to have kind of should rather than they should have or there’s an issue kind of should , IMO anyway.

Some breeds are mouthier than others btw, some are a fair bit later, some will never quite grow out of it, but, it turns into a gentle nibble sometimes instead of what young puppies do.

My 18 m old rescue does it. It’s very annoying and we’re trying to get her to stop. Easier said than done.