Bite Inhibition & Socialization

Socialization is an ongoing process of ever-widening experience and confidence building that helps your puppy to comfortably handle the challenges and changes of everyday adult life. However, it is impossible to prepare your puppy for every possible eventuality, and on those rare occasions when adult dogs are badly hurt, frightened, scared, or upset, they customarily growl and bite; the level of bite-inhibition-training from puppyhood predetermines the seriousness of the damage. Adult dogs with poor bite inhibition rarely mouth and seldom bite, but when they do, the bites almost always break the skin. Adult dogs with well-established bite inhibition often mouth during play, and should they bite, the bites almost never break the skin because during puppyhood the dog learned how to register a complaint without inflicting any damage.

Bite inhibition is one of the most misunderstood aspects of behavioral development in dogs...

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Bite Inhibition & Socialization >>>

                                                       Judy Granberg, CPDT

Dogs raised in a rural environment such as the Divide do not have many opportunities to socialize with strangers and/or meet other dogs. Often, the only time the dog leaves the property is for a visit to the veterinarian, in itself very frightening to many dogs.

Duke was raised up country and most likely never saw a human outside of his family. At six months of age, an ad in a newspaper offered him for adoption. The initial meeting at his prospective new home proved disastrous and affected his behavior until his death from cancer at age 10. Duke was introduced to his potential new owner on leash. He was, in all likelihood, overwhelmed and very scared. When a hand came out to pet him, he took a full-mouth bite; the scary person went away. A light bulb went on and Duke learned scary people leave if you bite them. He had two more bites within three weeks...

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