It’s never just a nip

I get so frustrated with clients’ telling me that their dog doesn’t bite when I can see them doing exactly that. They then tell me that it is just a nip or that’s it’s only puppy biting. I always respond in the same way. Would they leave their dogs in a room with a baby? When the dog bites the baby, would they tell the parent not to worry, it was just a nip?

Any teeth to skin contact is unacceptable. I had a client recently whose dog was literally hanging off her arm. She didn’t consider the dog’s jaws locked around her a bite. Think of the bigger picture – what if they do that to someone else?

Train your dog to be well behaved. Good manners matter. Don’t tolerate or encourage mouthing. Put a stop to it when your dog is a puppy and it won’t become an issue when they are fully grown dog.

Posted: April 14, 2021