Bit of help please

[Quillan]

We have a new addition to what feels like our zoo and his name is Paddy and he is a dog, well puppy really. He is great fun and has formed a good bond with Max our other rescue dog.

Anyway my question is that they both play bite each other as dogs do. Max however is getting bitten round the front of his neck (windpipe area) because Paddy has sharp, young, teeth and its piercing the skin. This will probably be OK when Paddies adult teeth come through but I was wondering if there is something I can put on and around the area of Max's throat that will deter Paddy from biting him there, some form of bad tasting ointment for example? I don't have a problem with them play biting each other as Paddy does not pierce the skin anywhere else.

[Merlin]

All my dogs hate the smell of Palmarosa oil which I put on their collars to repel ticks - it's harmless but they all roll around like idiots when I first put it on and I would be very surprised if your puppy would like the smell or taste of that - only trouble is Max might not like it either.......!!!  Tea Tree oil is another one I use which is quite pungent, an antiseptic and skin soother.  All can be got on-line from Aroma-Zone here in France.

[Jouals]

I have read somewhere something along the lines that the puppy is learning how far it can go with play biting - not knowing its own strength as it were.  Your other dog is perhaps not giving out the right response that some of the biting is too hard (i.e. yelping when it really hurts).  You need to make sure that the puppy learns that biting too hard, even in play, is not acceptable on dogs (or humans) - or it could become a problem later.  Try to stop the puppy biting your other dog too hard if you can by even yelping yourself - you should see a reaction, the puppy should stop biting if you give a sudden high pitched yelp.  The puppy really should not be allowed to get away with actually breaking skin on your other dog's neck!  If the play gets too rough and hurts your other dog, put a stop to it immediately, the puppy should soon learn not to bite too hard because doing so brings play to a halt. 

I speak from experience here as we recently rescued a cocker spaniel puppy with very sharp teeth who likes to play bite, and this technique seems to work.  He is quite startled if you yelp and eases off, seeming to realise that he is hurting.  Plus our other two dogs certainly let him know when enough is enough!  He is fond of hanging on their ears - but they let him know that they are not keen on this.

Hope this helps - good luck...

Jouals