What you need to know …
Is it playful or should you be worried? Mouthing and puppy biting is all quite normal when they are very small but typically this issue has resolved by 6 months old. You may get the odd mis-judgement or bit of clothes tuggy up to 9 months but in an adult dog any mouthing, tugging or biting on people or their clothes is unacceptable.
Breed Predispositions
Some dogs can be predisposed to being mouthy, typically retrieving breeds like to hold things in their mouth, even if it’s your arm! I can think of a few golden retrievers and labradors who’ve had this habit which can be at it’s worst when the dog feels frustrated as they just want to grab you!
Bullbreeds often like a bit of biting down but often it’s well controlled … Rocky the bulldog who we fostered for a bit liked to mouth gently on your feet and shoes for comfort – it was unbelievably gentle! Both of these, for me, fall under the bracket of bad habits which can be re-trained with a change in management, rather than any form of aggression.
Biting with intent
Biting with intent is (99% of the time) a fear-based behaviour, even if the dog is ‘taking charge’ of a particular moment in time. It’s often preceded by anxiety behaviours, which have remained unseen by the dog’s human who has continued to allow the situation to unfold. The dog may back away, turn away while look at you, showing the whites of their eyes. They may try to self sooth with some nose licking, yawning or panting, but if the situation continues without any supportive intervention they may growl, lunge, bark and even air snap as a final warning. Bites are often the very last straw for a dog who has been pleading for a different outcome.
Escalations
Biting with intent is, therefore, often part of an escalation of other behaviours. If a dog has felt ignored over repeated escalations, then each escalation is likely to be quicker and quicker. It may therefore appear as if the bite is ‘out of the blue’, which it sort of is, but only because of what’s happened before. Dogs with a high level of background anxiety may also appear trigger happy in their escalations as they are permanently ‘on edge’.
Bite inhibition
Finally, different dogs may have different levels of what we call ‘bite inhibition’. This is learned as a young puppy when they are playing, usually with the rest of their litter. Lots of mouthy play at this age often leads to better bite inhibition in an older dog. Dog’s with good bite inhibition are often referred to as soft mouthed whereas dog’s with little bite control are referred to as hard mouthed. Bite inhibition just means the extent to which they exert pressure with their jaws i.e. the extent to which they are grabbing at the threat to just stop what’s happening vs to actually hurt the threat (to make it go away). The theory is that all dogs will bite with intent if sufficiently provoked. Our job, as responsible owners, is to advocate for our dogs to ensure we never put them in such a position.
When to worry?
If your dog is escalating from anxiety behaviours to warning behaviours through to aggression increasingly quickly then seek help. Any growling, lunging and snapping at you or other dogs are high level warnings and we need to stop and listen to what your dog is saying. Finally, if you’ve had any tooth to skin contact in an adolescent or adult dog, regardless of intent, then seek help. There is a bite scale developed by Ian Dunbar which is in the public domain which is useful in assessing bites.
What help is available?
Coaching for you to better understand and manage your dog is important. A thorough vet check is important too as this will identify if there is any physical contributing factor to their escalating behaviour. Behaviour modification training is available to help shift difficult behaviours through desensitisation and counterconditioning. And of course, consensual muzzle training. Feel free to get in touch if you are worried about your dog.