It's been my experience that most dogs with a need to be placed in Rescue haven't been taught basic obedience and manners -- including bite inhibition.  Bite inhibition is the ability of the dog to control the pressure he exerts when his teeth come into contact with an object (a tug-rope, a ball, the kids...).  I have, on a couple of occasions, come into contact with dogs who have been taught bite inhibition in a way that must have been extremely traumatic for them -- they refuse to play with toys that are hand-held, such as tug ropes, and some even go so far as to refuse hand-delivered treats.

This is a VERY serious problem!!  Puppies NEED to develop bite inhibition -- it's not enough to teach the dog to just not put his mouth on you... in fact, mouthing is GOOD, because it allows to see when there is a potential problem!  If the puppy doesn't mouth you, you won't know that there is a problem until someone is bitten -- perhaps seriously!

Taught in the proper way, bite inhibition is instilled in the dog as a taboo -- a taboo is a psychological barrier.  This does not need to be taught with FORCE -- in my mind, a dog that is taught bite inhibition through force, or harsh punishment, is more likely to "snap" under stress.  Taught using toys, games, and rules, the dog quickly learns that the good things are taken away with even the slightest infraction -- they don't want the good things to end, so they work very hard at NOT breaking the rules.  These rules should be taught as a gesture of love for the animal -- not by teaching that hands, or any extension (such as a newspaper) are for hitting!! 

I first teach them to accept hand-delivered treats -- which ones depends on how the dog reacts to the initial offering: if he's snappy with treats, you want something a little less tempting to start with -- try dry kibble.  Also -- and this is important -- with a snappy puppy, work with him at first when he ISN'T hungry. Hold a single piece in the palm of your hand, make a fist around it, and hold your hand under the dog's nose with the back of your hand toward the ceiling.  Get the dog's attention by saying his name, say the word "easy!", and slowly turn your hand over, with the treat slowly becoming exposed.  I've found that the best method is to kind of "grip" the kibble in the folds of the palm of your hand -- it forces the pup to use its lips more, rather than teeth.  If he lunges for it, quickly make a fist, say "uh-uh -- easy!", and try again after regaining his attention.  He will very quickly come to understand that he only gets the treat when he takes it politely.

Some dogs are "mouthy" dogs -- with Saints, it comes with the breed -- bear in mind that this breed was originally bred to rescue humans -- they have that inherent mouthiness.  My Cis will take my hand in her mouth if she feels she's not getting something she should be getting -- such as attention.   There is no pressure, or even the threat of pressure behind it -- it's not in any way the preface to a bite -- if I tell her "Not right now", she'll wait.   This doesn't mean that bite inhibition doesn't need to be taught to these dogs -- on the contrary -- it's even more needed than with those breeds that don't have a predisposition to this!  I DO think, though, that it makes it even more necessary that this be taught in a way that doesn't subjugate this method of communication -- and, to me, that's what it is.  She doesn't bark at these times -- if I've been working on the computer for too long, she'll come into my office, nuzzle her nose up under my arm, and take my hand.  She's just reminding me that there are more important things to be tended to.

These are the rules for tug-of-war -- an excellent tool for teaching bite inhibition and control:

1) Choose 1 toy for this game, and it's not to be left lying around, where the kids can pick it up -- tug-of-war is not for small kids! If older kids play, it should be supervised.

2) If the dog breaks a rule, the game ends. Period.

3) If the dog allows his teeth to touch you, the game ends (there is no such thing as an accident -- he knows where his teeth are -- this will teach him to be careful about what he does with them!)   The dog will learn to avoid your hand, even if you "feed" it to him.

First, using some really good treats , teach your dog either "let go", "out", or "drop it" (the release command). Put the toy in his mouth, give the command, and when he lets go, give him a treat. He'll catch on, pretty quickly.

Second, teach "take it", the same way.   Tell him to "take it", put it in his mouth, allow him to hold it in his mouth for a second or 2, then give the release command, and treat. Once he learns this command, he is not allowed to "take it" without your giving the command -- if he tries to, end the game for 10 minutes.

Last, teach "tug". Get him a little fired-up, and give the release command (at this point, you can do away with the food reward -- the "tug" is more reinforcement than the food is). At first, you may need to give the command twice to break through the excitement haze.  If you have to say it more than twice, end the game. Wait 10 minutes, and try again. Don't get mad, if you have to end the game for a rule violation. Just end the game in a "I'll just take my toys and go home!" fashion. He'll learn pretty quickly what his limits are -- he wants to play!!

This last lesson, where you leave the area, is called a "time-out".  This is a VERY effective technique to use for this particular problem!  In fact, I teach clients to set up play times between their kids and the puppy, in a "puppy-proofed" room... then, when the puppy nips the kids, the kids are to *immediately* get up and leave the area.  This removes the Good Stuff from the puppy's reach (the kids).  The time-out should only last for 3-5 minutes, then play resumes with no hard feelings.

Once he's learned all 3 parts to the game, start incorporating obedience commands into it. When you give the release command, have him "sit" or "down". This very quickly becomes an excellent reward for obedience, and it teaches your dog control! Have him go through a few paces, then play the game again.

The rules for this game, and other truly great ways to teach your dog, are included in the book "The Culture Clash", by Jean Donaldson.  Of all the books I've read, it's the one I use regularly as a reference.

Brenda Rushman, Web Author