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Expert: - 3/14/2010


Question
How do  we stop the mouthy biting of our six month old springer spaniel.  He has plenty of chew toys and gets lots of exericse running and playing with our other older dog who is a terrier mix.  We will be getting him neutered very soon. We need to control this behavior before he grows any larger.  Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

Answer
This is a behavior problem that started when this puppy was young- like 8-9 weeks, and was played with using his mouth. By that I mean toys that encouraged him to use his mouth as a toy- tug of war, playing with him by grabbing his muzzle, his legs or his head so that he responded by using his mouth as at means to play. This problem is already 'larger.'

Six months old is pretty old to be retraining him but it is doable.
Neutering will help, but that is not the cause of this issue.

He needs to go through basic obedience school and to be taught some manners. Telling him sharply, NO BITES will help, but again, that should have been done months ago.

If he starts to mouth you when playing, you need to stop the play calmly, tell him NO BITES and walk away. He will eventually get the idea.

When he does this, distract him with a different toy that he can play with by himself.
He needs to associate the fact that his mouthing is what ended the play and the words are sharp so that he understands it is not acceptable at all. Your leaving the area reinforces that idea as well.

A trained dog is a happy dog, so get him enrolled in puppy training soon. That will be your best ally.

Find him some training and do some of the above consistently. Please let me know how it goes.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

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I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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