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When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths a lot. When they play with you or when they are petted, they usually want to bite or "mouth," too. This behavior is not frankly aggressive at this stage – though it may be pre-aggressive. There are two different life stages in which mouthiness can be an issue – before maturity and after maturity. The pre-maturity variety, all too often not taken seriously, and misguidedly interpreted as puppy play, leads to the adult version. Bear in mind that it is easier to "nip" the problem in the bud at this stage by training youngsters what is and is not acceptable behavior. Even if the behavior has been permitted to flourish into adult maturity, it is still possible to take corrective measures. Puppy Manners When pups are raised by their mothers, there comes a time when mom starts to set limits. Demanding youngsters often want to nurse whenever they feel like it,
but a good mom starts to rebuff some of their efforts from the tender
age of about 3 weeks. Nipping is also addressed, not just by mom but by
the pup's littermates as well. Too hard a nip might result in a
physical admonishment from mother, or the nipped littermate may cry out
and stop playing. These natural checks and balances help to develop a
puppy's good manners and eventual understanding of their impact of
certain behaviors on others.
When a puppy is raised by a
well-meaning human caregiver, however, proper limit setting is
sometimes neglected. Some new puppy owners do not realize that nipping
is not acceptable behavior and that they should discourage it.
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