The other day, a puppy who didn't know better tried to use me as a chew toy. I didn't particularly mind because he was adorable and fixed all my blood pressure problems, but nevertheless I withdrew whenever his teeth got me because it wouldn't do to give him the idea that biting people is acceptable.
Later it occurred to me that it might be helpful for training if humans acted like they're in pain every time the puppy gets them with his teeth. (It wasn't actually painful IRL, it was just...teeth.) That might help teach him that biting isn't good.
But could a puppy read humans enough to tell that they're in pain and this is bad? And would he care that they're in pain and interpret it as bad that they're in pain?
Or, conversely, could a puppy read humans so well that he could tell that we're exaggerating the pain and think "What a bunch of drama queens!"
3 comments:
This is actually a training technique--when the puppy bites, act hurt and stop playing with it. You're tapping into the puppy's way of learning to play with the rest of the litter. We trained both of ours this way.
Dogs do read you very well but puppies, like kids, are relatively unsophisticated in their readings. Big dramatic gestures seem to work well.
I agree with M@, but even if you don't do this, puppies raised in normal human environments will automatically learn not to use their teeth on humans. I can't say how they learn this, but they do. Unless the dog has an aggression problem, it will just naturally stop doing this to people.
In general, dogs read humans unbelievably well. With smart dogs, it often feels like they are reading your mind, because they read cues you are not at all aware you are sending.
I hope they don't read humans TOO well, or they'll know that my lips say no but my brain says "Awww, isn't that cute!!!!"
Post a Comment