Pets Playground Australian Pet Owners Network

Puppy Play

Welcoming a new puppy into the household is always exciting! Everyone wants to have a cuddle and play with it.

However, sometimes the puppy's play behaviour is not what the owners expect. Many puppies play too roughly and often their tiny, razor sharp teeth unintentionally hurt. Owners are often distressed by this play behaviour and interpret it as a sign of poor temperament in their puppy.

However, just as parents must teach their children how to play with other children and that hitting and biting is not acceptable, puppies must also be taught how to play with people in an acceptable manner.

As soon as puppies' eyes open (they are born blind and eyes do not open until about 14 days old) they start to play with their littermates. They bite each other around the ears and neck, and wrestle. It is all part of growing up. They use their mouths to explore their environment, much like human babies use their hands. Play fighting teaches them who is the strongest pup and helps establish the hierarchy but it also teaches them how not to hurt each other in play.

When one puppy bites too hard the puppy being bitten yelps loudly, the biter lets go and the other pup gets up and walks away, ending the game. This teaches the puppy doing the biting that if he bites too hard the game ends. Since dogs are social animals and like to interact with other dogs they are anxious not to create a situation where other puppies won’t play with them.

When a new puppy is taken into a household it is normal for the puppy to 'mouth', that is to use its mouth on human hands and ankles when playing. Although mouthing is normal puppy behaviour, it is not acceptable behaviour for the puppy to use its mouth on humans, even in play.

New puppy owners must establish what is and what is not acceptable behaviour from the puppy as soon as they bring the puppy home. In many cases the breeder may have commenced this training but unless the new owner reinforces the message the puppy will soon slip into bad habits. The best way to stop mouthing is to give the puppy toys to chew. If the puppy chews on your hand, the moment the pressure increases you should "yelp" but leave your hand in place.

When the pressure is released, slowly remove your hand from the puppy's mouth. Then give him the toy to chew. Hitting a pup or raising a hand to it as a threat often has the opposite effect as the hand becomes a toy, encouraging the dog to grab hold. It is neither necessary nor acceptable to hit a dog to train it.

Shrieking and yelling, or running from the pup rewards it for its behaviour. Young children often react in this way so it is best to supervise their time with the pup so that this does not happen. Puppies can also get hurt when children jump away quickly and step on the pup.

Some owners expect the puppy to "grow out" of bad behaviour but it is unlikely to do this. Training is the best way to change a dog's behaviour. Many veterinary clinics conduct puppy kindergartens where new owners can obtain expert advice on training their puppy. These also allow the puppy to socialise with strangers and also other pups.