Things You'll Need
- Peanut butter
- Spreadable cheese
- Treats
- Soft toy
- Training dummy
Instructions
Teach basic obedience. Acting as pack leader and training your hunting dog to respond to commands like "sit," "stay," and "down" will reinforce the idea that you are to be obeyed and respected. Mouthing your body or clothing is not a sign of respect.
Train for bite inhibition. Hunting dog puppies, like all puppies, experience the world with their mouths. This tendency, along with their natural play instinct, can cause them to nip and bite, sometimes hard enough to break skin. If your puppy nips you, yelp loudly and turn away. This will teach your dog that using its mouth is not acceptable.
Teach your dog to lick, not bite. Put peanut butter or spreadable cheese on your hand and invite your puppy to eat it. Say "easy" or "careful" as your puppy licks your hand. After doing this several times, hold a piece of food in your fist so the dog can smell it but not touch it. Give your hunting dog the "careful" command and slowly release the food if your pup noses or licks your hand. When your dog is using a soft mouth consistently, offer the food on a flat hand and then between your fingers. If the pup tries to bite, start from the beginning again.
Practice with soft retrieving materials. Use your "careful" command when offering your hunting dog a soft toy or retrieving dummy. Only let your dog have the object if it is taken with a soft mouth. Specialized commercial products like the DT Systems 81100 Soft-Mouth Training Dummy simulates the feel of a bird's body and encourages a hunting dog to use a soft mouth. Devices like these can be made harder or softer for gradual soft mouth training.