Problem behavior in companion animals can result in reduced quality or length of life for the animal, as well as stress for the human owners. In particular, mouthing is commonly described by dog owners as problematic (Shabelansky & Dowling-Guyer, 2016). However, there is a paucity of both descriptive and inferential data on the frequency or predictors of the behavior. The purpose of this study was to provide population-level data on mouthing behavior in companion dogs in the United States. Although there is known disagreement about the definitions of biting and mouthing behavior, mouthing was defined for this study as behavior where the dog’s teeth or inner lips touch human skin or clothing. Data collected via surveys from dog owners indicated that a high percentage of the dog population engages in mouthing and that many owners find the behavior to be undesirable. Analyses indicated that the prevalence of this behavior is significantly correlated with age, although many dogs continue mouthing into adulthood. Additionally, the frequency and severity were also negatively correlated with age and owner desire to reduce the behavior. Future research should address disagreement on the labels and definitions of mouthing versus biting and experimentally assess efficacious interventions to reduce mouthing in young dogs and avoid mouthing in adult dogs.

伴侣动物的行为问题可能会导致动物的质量下降或寿命缩短，并给人类主人带来压力。尤其是，狗主人通常将嘴巴描述为有问题的（Shabelansky＆Dowling-Guyer，2016）。但是，关于行为发生频率或预测因素的描述性数据和推论性数据均很少。这项研究的目的是在美国提供有关伴侣犬漱口行为的人口水平数据。尽管人们对咬人和咬人行为的定义存在分歧，但在这项研究中，咬人被定义为狗的牙齿或内嘴唇接触人的皮肤或衣服的行为。通过调查从狗主人那里收集到的数据表明，有很大比例的狗狗在做嘴巴，而且许多主人发现这种行为是不受欢迎的。分析表明，尽管许多狗继续成年，但这种行为的发生率与年龄显着相关。此外，频率和严重程度也与年龄和所有者减少行为的愿望成负相关。未来的研究应解决口号与咬伤的标签和定义上的分歧，并通过实验评估有效的干预措施，以减少幼犬的口感并避免成年犬的口感。频率和严重程度也与年龄和所有者减少行为的意愿成负相关。未来的研究应解决口号与咬伤的标签和定义上的分歧，并通过实验评估有效的干预措施，以减少幼犬的口感并避免成年犬的口感。频率和严重程度也与年龄和所有者减少行为的意愿呈负相关。未来的研究应解决口号与咬伤的标签和定义上的分歧，并通过实验评估有效的干预措施，以减少幼犬的口感并避免成年犬的口感。