Appropriate Play Behavior

Gentle and calming human contact is important for dogs. Human handling is especially important for the healthy development of puppies. Be sure to give your foster dog several minutes of playtime periodically through the day.

Do not allow children to behave with the foster dog in a manner you would not want the child to behave with a younger sibling. Teach children to leave a dog alone when he is eating, chewing and sleeping. Never allow a child to remove a toy or any other prized possession from a dog.

Do not play tug of war or wrestle with your foster dog. If you have a shy or fearful dog, do not throw a toy toward the dog, because he may think you are throwing things at him and become more fearful. After you have finished playing with a toy, put it away so that you are controlling the toy and the playtime. When giving the dog a toy or treat, have him sit before giving it to him. That way he has to work to get the toy or treat – making it a reward.

Playing with your Foster Dog

How to Curb Mouthing/Play Biting – Adult Dogs

(This document is for older puppies and adult dogs. If you have a puppy younger than 6 months in age, please refer to our Puppy Basics document.)

Aside from chewing, a common way in which dogs utilize their mouths is in play. It’s very natural and (to a certain extent) acceptable for dogs to use their mouths when playing with one another. It’s up to us humans to teach them that doing so is not acceptable when engaging with people.

The following describes graduated steps to curb Mouthing/Play-Biting behavior. Please take each step one at a time and follow it for a couple of weeks before moving onto the next step. If you can curb your dog’s mouthing behavior using only Step One, then stop there. Only proceed to the next step in this training if you’ve put in some effort and time at one step but your dog is not responding to the training or showing only minimal improvement. For some dogs, mouthing/play-biting has become an unfortunate habit and breaking that habit will take a bit of time and effort, but all dogs can learn.

It’s important that you remain calm during all of these training steps but if your dog is getting more amped up (mouthing you even more) as you utilize these techniques, then it may be an indication that it’s time to move to the next step in the training process.

Note: If your dog is mouthing a young child in your home, see the section at the end of this document on how to address this behavior.

Step One: Redirect

Keep plenty of dog toys handy. You may need them in different areas of the house and your backyard. When you are playing/engaging with your dog and she takes hold or your hand/arm/leg during play try not to react at all – don’t say anything and try not to pull your hand/arm/leg away. Make the body part go still and therefore uninteresting to your dog. Then quickly grab a toy and stick it right next to your dog’s mouth. You may need to “activate”(wiggle/wave) the toy to make it interesting so your dog will want to take it. If she does take the toy, continue to play with her and the toy – it’s her reward for doing the right thing. You can also verbally praise her for taking the toy, “good dog!” Reward your dog every time she takes a toy instead of your body.

You may have to repeat this process many times in the same stretch of playtime and over the course or days/weeks before your dogs begins to understand that your body is not a toy.

Step Two: Remove all attention

If your pup isn’t responding after several attempts to redirect, and/or the mouthing/play bites become more intense, calmly say “no” or “eh eh” and then immediately walk away. Don’t talk further to them and don’t interact with them in any way. Simply remove yourself from them. To your pup, suddenly the game has stopped. With enough repetitions, they’ll come to understand that being mouthy is what causes the fun to go away. Following this, if you catch your pup go to a toy or politely (not jumping or mouthing) approach you, you will give them lots of praise and re-engage them in playtime.

Note: Yelling or yelping when your dog mouths/bites you may excite your dog even more, the opposite of what you want.

Step Three: Aversives

Aversive tools are not harmful in any way, they are simply meant to momentarily interrupt negative behavior so that you can redirect the dog to a more positive, reward-able behavior.

When using an aversive you will always give a verbal correction, “no” or “eh eh”, right before using the aversive. You want your dog to understand there is a consequence to not stopping when they hear “no”. This way they can either choose a better behavior and be rewarded, or choose to continue to mouth and experience something more unpleasant. When telling your dog “no” or “eh eh”, say it once and be firm but do not yell.

Try to keep the aversive somewhat hidden (in your back pocket or on a high shelf near where the negative behavior typically occurs). We want your dog to eventually respond to your verbal command only, and not the sight of the aversive tool. The goal is to use an aversive for only a short training period. If you overuse an aversive many dogs will become immune to the tool rendering it ineffective. Always start with the lightest correction. Only increase intensity slightly as needed.

We recommend two types of aversive: spray bottle of water or a “shake” can. Most dogs find at least one of these tools unpleasant. It may take trial/error to find which one is best for your dog. Don’t use an aversive that frightens your dog. Choose the tool that momentarily startles your dog without making him/her afraid (cowering, shaking, trying to hide, are signs that the tool is too frightening for your dog.)

If you use a spray bottle, set the nozzle set to stream, not mist. When using, aim first for the dog’s feet. If spraying feet is ineffective, you can aim for the neck/head area but try to avoid eyes. For a “shake can”, empty a soda can and add a few pennies then tape it closed. You will start this tool by gently shaking it near your dog’s head. Only increase the intensity of the noise if your dog is not responding to a gentle rattle/shake noise.

With the spray bottle/shake can held behind your back, when your dog mouths you, try not to move your arm/leg, tell her “no” or “eh eh”, spray her with a quick stream of water (or shake of the can) then quickly move the aversive behind your back again. In that moment your dog pauses, ask them to “sit” (if they know “sit”) and/or hand your dog a chew toy (you can also drop the toy on the ground). Don’t forget to praise your dog for sitting or taking the toy (doing what you’ve asked)!

Step Four: Time Outs

If your dog continues to mouth you and is ignoring repeated use of an aversive, you will now raise the consequence by using a “time out”. It’s important to do this the right way so you dog will understand why she is getting a “time out”.

Have your dog wear a drag leash when you are home, or in the yard, with her. This is just a lightweight leash that your dog will drag around as she wanders around the house. You will use this leash as a “handle” which allows you to direct your dog to the time out place without touching your dog – thereby making sure your dog isn’t getting the attention she is trying to get via mouthing.

Pick out a word or phrase to indicate she has “lost” and going to Time Out (e.g., “Time Out”,”I’m sorry,” “Too Bad”, etc). Say your Time Out word, pick up the leash, turn and briskly walk to the time out area. Avoid talking or interacting with the dog any further as this could be mistaken as rewarding attention to your dog. Be neutral when you say your time out word. The "punishment" isn't coming from you or the place where you put her. The "punishment" is the social isolation and loss of freedom.

Inside Time Out Spot: This can be a laundry room, bathroom, or extra room. Do NOT use your dog’s crate, bed, or cozy space for time out. Time out is a punishment zone and you don’t want your dog to suddenly resent being in her crate or bed. Make sure there are no toys to treats in the time out space. You want it to be less pleasant than where she usually is (with you!) so she learns to avoid the unwanted behavior that got her here.

Outside Time Out Spot: Have a tie-down spot in your backyard where you can clip your dog and walk away.

Time Out starts when the dog is removed from you and should only be 3-5 minutes (for adult dogs). However, if your dog is whining, barking, or throwing a temper tantrum then you need to wait until they are quiet and calm before they can come out of Time Out. So the first few times she might be in Time Out for a longer time, but that's okay. When she comes out, ignore her for two minutes and then resume life as if nothing ever happened. This is their second chance to hopefully choose a better and rewardable behavior! If your dog repeats the unwanted behavior, she goes right back to Time Out for another 3-5 minute interval. If your dog continues to choose unwanted behavior after coming out from Time Out, you can increase their Time Out duration a few minutes each time.

Don’t forget to always reward your dog for making good choices, like grabbing a toy instead of your body so she understands what you DO want from her.

MOUTHING ON YOUNG CHILDREN

It’s hard for young kids to remain calm when a dog mouths them so it’s important that you supervise all interactions between your dog and your children until you can fully trust your dog to no longer mouth people. When kids yell or pull their arm/leg away from a dog, it can be exciting for a dog. Your dog may think it’s play time and become even more mouthy and possibly hurt (unintentionally) your child. For this reason, when it comes to young children it is OK to start the training using an aversive tool (make sure you are the one utilizing the aversive).

While supervising your child’s interactions with your dog, and if age-appropriate, you might teach your child to “freeze” rather than yell or run away when your dog mouths. This could make it seem like a game and therefore less scary to your child while you quickly jump into action to correct your dog (by trading for a toy and/or using an aversive).

If you know your dog gets really rowdy at certain times of the day, be intentional about burning the dog's energy appropriately through physical and/or mental exercise prior to this time in hopes of minimizing the unwanted mouthing. Likewise, if you see that your child’s style of play is getting your dog overly excited, you will want to separate the dog during this play time until you’ve trained your dog not to mouth.

Teach Your Adult Dog Not to Jump on People

(This document is for older puppies and adult dogs. If you have a puppy younger than 6 months in age, please refer to our Puppy Basics document.)

The following describes graduated steps to curb Jumping behavior. Please take each step one at a time and follow it for a couple of weeks before moving onto the next step. If you can curb your dog’s jumping behavior using only Step One, then stop there. Only proceed to the next step in this training if you’ve put in some effort and time at one step but your dog is not responding to the training or showing only minimal improvement. For some dogs, jumping up has become a habit and breaking that habit will take a bit of time and effort, but all dogs can learn. At the end of this document I describe a fun teaching game, called “Bounce”, which can be used along with any step of this process.

Never reward your dog for jumping. Sometimes it may seem cute/sweet when your dog jumps on you but your dog cannot discriminate when they are/aren’t allowed to jump up so don’t confuse your dog. From here on out, make an effort to be consistent and make it very black-and-white that jumping is never ok. Everyone who interacts with your dog needs to follow this rule so get your friends/family on board and at a minimum ask your friends not to engage with your dog when they jump up.

During this training, always reward your dog for making the good choice to NOT jump up. It’s not enough to teach our dogs what we don’t want, we must also teach them what behavior we DO want by lavishing praise and other rewards when they make good choices.

Step One: Remove all attention.

Your dog jumps on you to get your attention so make sure you engage them as little as possible. Even negative attention is still attention to your dog. A stern “no” or “eh eh” is still attention, and many dogs consider pushing them away to be play. While these are somewhat reflexive responses for us, try not engage with your dog by talking to them (even to scold), touching them (even to push them away) or looking at them.

It’s best if you can avoid your dog making contact with you when they jump because as soon as their paws touch your body it’s self-rewarding to your dog. When your dog starts to jump up, side step if possible, then walk away. Do not scold, just walk away. If your dog makes contact just continue to walk past/through your dog. Do not look at your dog or otherwise engage. If it helps, you can cross your arms in front of you as you turn your body and walk away. If you are sitting down when your dog jumps on you, stand up and walk away.

You dog will likely follow you. If you can catch a moment before they jump up and your dog has all four paws on the ground (we call this “four on the floor”) turn and greet them in a calm manner so you can pet/reward without exciting them. You want your dog to learn the proper way to approach you and so you will always give the desired attention when they’re behaving appropriately (not jumping up). If you start to pet and your dog jumps up on you, stop petting and walk away.

Step Two: Teach incompatible behavior.

A dog can’t jump if they’re expected to do something that requires “four on the floor”. Give your dog a solid foundation of Sit. If your dog wants your attention, they must sit for it. They only get attention as long as they have all four on the floor. When your dog starts to approach you try to catch the moment before they start to jump and ask for a “sit”, reward the sit with your attention/affection. If your dog jumps but you effectively side step, wait a moment then ask for a “sit”. If this technique is effective, it may be all you need to teach your dog that jumping on people is never ok.

Step Three: Use a leash.

Attach a lightweight leash to your dog’s collar and have them wear it around the house, dragging it behind them, when you’re home. When your dog approaches you, step on the leash at a length that is not tight when your dog is standing but will provide resistance when your dog starts to jump. Keep your foot on the leash to “tack” it there. Your dog won’t feel any collar pressure from the leash as long as they are not jumping but as soon as your dog starts to jump up, they will get a little tug/correction from the leash. This correction comes without you needing to engage with your dog so you can simply ignore the jump. When your dog is back to “four on the floor” ask for a “sit” and reward your dog for sitting. Keep your foot on the leash the entire time you are engaging with your dog so that if they start to jump, they are again corrected by the leash/collar tug. This gives the dog instant feedback that jumping up is a) unsuccessful and b) uncomfortable. Note: tacking the leash with your foot as your dog approaches takes a bit of coordination so continue to ignore your dog as you’re attempting to tack the leash.

Step Four: Use an aversive.

If you’ve been using Steps One – Three, along with playing the “Bounce” game (described below) for some time and your dog is still not showing significant improvement in this behavior, it’s time to try a mild aversive tool.

Aversive tools are not harmful in any way, they are simply meant to momentarily interrupt negative behavior so that you can redirect the dog to a more positive, reward-able behavior.

When using an aversive you will always give a verbal correction first. Although up until now you have not been talking to your dog when they jump up, when using an aversive it’s important to pair it with a verbal correction, “no” or “eh eh”, right before using the aversive. You want your dog to understand there is a consequence to not stopping when they hear “no”. This way they can either choose a better behavior and be rewarded, or choose to continue to jump and experience something more unpleasant. When telling your dog “no” or “eh eh”, say it once and be firm but do not yell.

With the spray bottle/shake can held behind your back, when your dog starts to jump up on you, step aside if you can, tell him “no” or “eh eh”, spray him with a quick stream of water (or shake of the can) then quickly move the aversive behind your back again. In that moment your dog pauses, ask them to “sit” or redirect behavior another way. Don’t forget to praise your dog for sitting (or doing what you’ve asked)!

Play a game called “Bounce”. This game can be played in conjunction with any of the above Steps and can be very effective in teaching your dog not to jump. This game is best played with more than one person and the more the merrier (just make sure to explain the rules of the game to everyone before you start to play). Tether your dog to a piece of heavy furniture or another stable object/fixture and have the people gather (or line up) on the opposite side of the room out of reach from your dog. One at a time, have someone casually walk toward your dog. As long as the dog keeps all four on the floor, that person will continue to approach. If they get all the way to your dog without any jumping, your dog will get attention/affection from that person for a short time. Then that person will walk away and it’s the next person’s turn to approach. The moment your dog starts to jump up, the approaching person will say nothing but will turn and walk away out of the reach of the tether and then it’s time for the next person’s turn. When you start to play this game you may notice that your dog will immediately get excited and start to jump so each person may only get a step or two toward your dog before they have to turn and walk away. Keep everything else the same so that your dog begins to connect the human’s action to the dog’s behavior. You want your dog to think, “Huh, every time I get excited and jump up that person walks away, but if I stand here calmly they keep coming over to pet me.” Check out this link to watch a video demo of this game.

Note: If your dog is jumping up on your young children it’s important that you supervise all interactions. Some dogs (typically younger dogs) see young children as puppy-playmates so it’s important to make it very clear to your dog they cannot play with your child as they would another rambunctious dog. To do this you may decide to use the aversive tools exclusively when your dog jumps on your children (make sure you are the one utilizing the aversive). You may need to instruct your children not to play with the dog for a short period of time while the dog is in training. The kids can, and should, calmly pet your dog when you are there and make sure the dog remains calm. Your kids can also play the “Bounce” game as long as you are supervising but you may need to approach your dog alongside your kids.

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