Puppies spend a lot of their first weeks and months playing, chewing and exploring. All of these activities help puppies to learn about how to use their mouths and their sharp teeth. Biting may seem cute when a puppy is young, but when the puppy becomes a full grown dog it can become a real concern for the family and other members of your Utah neighborhood.
Bite inhibition is a term used to describe dogs that know that human skin is sensitive and thus don’t chomp down with as much force as they could. This inhibition is said to also carry over to when a dog does actually bite someone, as they will feel a natural resistance to hurt the human’s skin.
Usually puppies will learn this inhibition through playing with other puppies. They will play and bite and then learn that they have bitten too hard by the other puppy’s reaction to the wound. This same kind of learning needs to occur with humans.
For dogs in Utah and around the world, mouthing and small bites can be completely normal. However, if a puppy bites out of frustration or fear this can signal problems with anger in the future. Keeping a puppy well trained is the best way to avoid problems with bites as it grows older.
*Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons