Over the years, I’ve heard people say things like a dog should never growl or never bite. I blame these misguided statements on the Disney-fication of dogs.  I have even heard the extreme version which says a dog’s teeth should never make contact with you. People expect dogs to be Lassie – or at least Marley – the lovable, loyal companion who would never dream of acting aggressive towards their beloved master.  In reality, growling and biting are part of the dog’s vocabulary and allow them to tell us valuable information. Granted, the information is more akin to four-letter words than a love poem, but information nonetheless.

He also didn’t do any damage. I had a small angry red line from where his canine made contact and my hand was sore for a couple of minutes. If you are going to allow your dogs their full vocabulary, you also need to teach them not to let a string of expletives fly when a simple “up yours” will get the message across. Dash and Delta have both been taught the power of their mouths and how much pressure they can apply before the humans do some cursing of their own. I actually encourage them to mouth my hands by playing a “smacking” game (something the Boxers I’ve known all seem to enjoy) and even sticking my hand straight back in their mouths while they are excited and playing hard.  They’ve learned to use their mouths appropriately, training I especially appreciate when Delta’s puppy exuberance gets the better of her and she launches at me…

Air Delta @4mos