wag the dog article: problem: dealing with a singleton pup
Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:44 PM                
 

Problem: Dealing with a singelton pup

Dear Shannon,

Having bred Labradors for 35 years, I thought I could handle most small problems. I have a puppy now of 11 months. She was a singleton puppy, so I am fairly certain herein lies the problem - no siblings to bite the neck, arms and legs. She is very exhuberant, which is fine, she's great with all the other dogs, but inside with us, she partakes in non-stop attention seeking. It is impossible to stroke her as she has my arm in her mouth. My method is to put my hands above my head and to turn my back on her, ignoring her till she goes away and lies down quietly. I would really love to pet her as I do for the others, but it is all just too much. Any suggestions would be helpful as she is a great show girl and never stops wagging her tail. In general, she seems a very happy soul.

O Solo Mio

Dear O Solo Mio

Singleton pups present many behavioural challenges including inappropriate inter-dog responses, low tolerance for stress, high touch sensitivity and over bonding with people. All of these problems are related to the lack of siblings, which bite, subdue, frustrate and squabble between themselves.

In this case I would think that you have a combination of these problems, which is manifesting in the excessive mouthing. You are certainly doing the right thing, but it doesn't look like the behaviour is going to diminish. This is probably due to the fact that even for the short time that the dog gets to mouth you it is long enough for the behaviour to be reinforced.

I would suggest the following:

  • Enforced separation – Put the youngster into a situation where they are excluded from you. Start with short sessions and give a special treat during her alone time – a durable toy stuffed with food works well. Gradually build the time. When you release her to be with you or the other dogs ensure that she is calm and relaxed (read the Separation Anxiety article for pointers in this regard).
  • Touch desensitisation – During a quiet time of the day you can use a short stick and gently stroke her on her flanks. Before you start, show her a treat and while she is concentrating on this gently stroke her with the stick on her flanks. If she mouths the stick, break off the session. Try again in a couple of minutes. Over time she should be able to tolerate gentle stroking anywhere on her body without mouthing. You can shorten the length of the stick until you are using your hand. Using the stick simply puts a little distance between the two of you and makes it a little easier for her to succeed.
  • Promote an alternate – If you need more of a quick-fix, you could simply ask her to hold something in her mouth while you pet her. This doesn't really address the problem, but it does give you a bit of a break.
  • Attention seeking – If she demands your attention she can have it, but it is always contingent on behaviour. Ask her to do something (stand, sit, back, sit pretty…) the list is endless. Of course she needs to be taught these behaviours and spending some time teaching them will also provide her with attention, but in a far more productive manner.

You could also adopt the “You Nearly Killed Me” act. This requires some dramatic skills and is only suitable for very stable and confident dogs. If her teeth touch your skin you act as if she nearly killed you. Make a big deal of it and don't hold back on the theatrics! Don't direct anything toward her as such, but just pretend that you have suffered a terrible injury. If you do a convincing job of it you will find that she never touches humans with her teeth again. However, Labradors can be very insensitive so it may not work and may only serve to aggravate her low excitement threshold, which is a part of the problem.

I have Great Danes, which all outweigh me. It's a personal choice, but I believe that a dog's teeth should not touch a human's skin – ever. If my puppies mouth me, I pretend that I have suffered a monumental injury and that I may not actually survive the encounter. Danes are very sensitive to this and they learn very quickly that I need to be handled with kid gloves.

This technique works with adults as well, but it should not be used on a dog that the owner does not yet know and it shouldn't be used on fearful dogs either. In these cases the dog can sometimes develop a fearful association with the person and not the specific behaviour. In a worst case scenario it could even elicit a real bite if the dog and owner are relative strangers, so use with caution.

Best of luck

Shannon

 
                       
         
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