Inappropriate Mouthing

These are spaces where the dog can be physically separated from you with a barrier so that they are unable to mouth you. One barrier option is to install a gate. Look for a gate that is tall enough that the dog cannot jump over it, that can be pressure mounted or installed into the wall, and that securely shuts. 

The crate should at least be large enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down without their body touching the sides, but it can also be larger! The crate should never be used for long-term confinement. See more about crate training your dog.

A drag line is simply a lightweight leash that you can attach to your dog’s harness or collar and let drag as the dog moves about your home or enclosed yard. Only use a drag line when someone is able to supervise the dog. If the dog begins mouthing, grab the drag line and use it to hold the dog away from you long enough to redirect the behavior or move the dog to a management place, like the no-go zone or a crate. When holding the line away from you, stand still and hold the drag line up and away from you, with your arms straight out in a T-shape.

The longer the dog engages in the behavior, the more excited they become and the harder it is for them to calm down. Calmly interrupt when you see any of the warning signs listed above. You may choose to interrupt with a short “uh oh!” or by tossing a handful of treats on the ground, which focuses the dog’s attention on the ground instead of on you. Sniffing for treats has the added bonus of helping your dog calm down. When interrupting your dog, stay as calm as possible. Raising your voice or making big motions with your arms can often excite a dog more.

Relying solely on interrupting behaviors and telling our dogs “no,” doesn’t tell the dog what we want them to do. Dogs will often replace mouthing with another behavior that may be appropriate for dogs but not for people. Instead, teach your dog to respond to their name and to cues like sit, lay down and grab a toy. 

When your dog is behaving in an unwanted way, first get their attention by saying their name and then redirect them to do a behavior that will make mouthing difficult. For example, if your dog is sitting they are not able to jump up and mouth you! Sitting or lying down has the added benefit of helping your dog calm down. It is likely you will need to reward the behavior with a tasty treat. Repeated enough times, the dog will begin to understand that the undesirable behavior does not get them what they want, but the new behavior does.

It’s easy to focus on undesirable behaviors when they occur and forget to reward the behaviors that we do want our dogs to do. Every moment with your dog is a moment you can use to help teach them desired behaviors. You can reward your dog with attention, play, or food. Choose whatever your dog enjoys the most, though food is usually the preferred reward. The more often you reward your dog for behaving politely or calmly, the more often they’ll engage in this behavior! 

Avoid punishing your dog for unwanted behaviors. For many dogs, any attention is good attention. If your dog is jumping up on you and/or mouthing you to try to get you to interact with them, even scolding or otherwise reprimanding your dog can make the behavior more likely because it’s still attention.

If your dog repeatedly mouths you despite your redirection attempts, direct your dog to their crate or no-go zone. It’s important that your response is immediate and consistent: inappropriate behavior should always and immediately result in losing access to you. Once they’re calm, they can come back out, but if they start the behavior again, they should lose access to you again.