# What is soft mouth?



## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

I've heard it here several times and then from someone who watched a show on GRs. I know that it allows them to retrieve birds. Is it that their mouths are actually physically softer than other dogs? Or is it that my Max can carry around a tomato instinctively without marking it hardly at all? He also said that the documentary said that goldens need to suck on things because of their soft mouths. My Max is a sucker, for sure, but I don't understand why they would need to suck on something and how that would help?


----------



## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Soft or hard mouth is how much pressure the dog uses when holding something. To some extent this is genetic (at least I've heard that hard mouth *can* be genetic, so I guess it's not a reach for soft mouth to be genetic). If not innate, soft mouth can also be taught/enforced with a good force fetch program. Force fetch can also tighten up a too soft mouth-where the dog uses so little pressure that they often drop what they are supposed to be holding. I believe I've read that it's not uncommon for goldens to be too soft. Hard mouth on the other hand is something that can be inborn, or it can be a learned behavior also. If you send a green dog to retrieve something that's not quite dead and it flops around in the dog's mouth, he can learn that a good chomp stops all that flopping. Sometimes they will then preemptively chomp everything the pick up. A good force fetch program can help with this problem too (sometimes-it's better to prevent it from ever starting). This is probably more than you wanted to know...sorry!


----------



## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I view a "soft mouth" as a sensitive mouth under control. Lucky knows how much pressure is "ok" with each member of our family. Kids-none. Me-- gentle to moderate. While my husband is occassionally left bleeding from some rough play. He's got powerful jaws able to shred and dent the hardest toys...but that powerful mouth only "gummed" my son when he tried to ride a sleeping Lucky.

I think (and I'm purely guessing) that the excessive playbiting goldens have when young help teach them a soft mouth. I have never had a puppy like Lucky...he was purely and unknowingly dangerous before he learned control.


----------



## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

Those are great answers!! Why do goldens need to suck on things then? Practice?


----------



## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Never heard the sucking thing... 

I do think it's part of the breed for sure. I ran both my border collie and Bender in scent hurdle for years (often in the same race with an extra handler), and Bender had the same two dumbells the whole time, not a mark on them. Turbo however had to have at least three dumbells at any given time, usually four, because he chomped on them the whole way back to the line and would break the dowel. I did not hold them by the dowel for sure! He did break one during a race, brought one half back, spit it at me and then spun back to get the other half without being told, so at least that worked for us. 

Lana


----------



## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

I've not heard of the sucking either. None of my three have ever done it. All three have to have something in their mouths most of the time though!


----------



## clairer (Dec 27, 2008)

Last year Lola and I were out in the back (woody area) and she found a baby bird and the next thing I knew it was in her mouth I got her to open her mouth and the baby bird jump out and ran away not a single mark on it. I was totally amazed... I was so happy for the baby bird...
Claire & Lola


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I believe soft mouth means:
a. when your dog is retrieving a bird you do NOT hear "crunch crunch" as they approach you and
b. said bird is fit for human consumption after your dog delivers it to your hand


----------



## texas golden's mom (Jan 8, 2008)

*Gifts from a dog with a soft mouth*

Through the years my wonderful Tif (waiting at the bridge) brought me numerous baby bunnies...all slightly wet but totally uninjured. Most survived being bottle fed. That's a good example of a soft mouth!


----------



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

My childhood golden would always pick up the birds that flew into our big backyard window and bring them to the back door. He'd be standing at the door, bird in mouth and festoons of drool hanging down, tail wagging SO proudly and letting out a garbled bark to let us know he had something special for us. It was the only time he'd "give" without an argument. 

Ranger, on the other hand, would probably eat the bird and I'd never know any different. He can carry things around gently, but retrieving isn't really something he lives for.


----------



## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

> He also said that the documentary said that goldens need to suck on things because of their soft mouths.


Thank God I'm not crazy! Ike used to suck my thumb when he was a pup. I even told my Vet this and she looked at me like I was crazy. He outgrew this need/habbit before he was a year old. I never mentioned it here until now. Yep, Ike was a thumb sucker....


----------



## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Something that Flora is lacking.


----------



## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

Max sleeps with his lovies in his mouth and I'm pretty sure he's sucking on them. They are much too wet for just sitting in his mouth!!


----------

