Nipping - Page 1

I have a 7 month old male pup. He nips. Actually he grabs in more of a pinch but it smarts when he does so. I'm not sure how to correct it as he's fast and his mind is on to other things. Any suggestions for corrections would be apprecitated. Thanks, Arrakis

Hi! I have a couple of suggestions for you. They worked on my girl Cana. I made a "shaker can" out of an empty soda can, pennies and tape. I keep it close, to help her understand what is allowed. When she begins chewing on/nipping at me, or a shoe, whatever, I shake the can, and immediately give her her own chew toy. That works as a good re-direction for her. Also, if the can is not within reach, a sharp "Eeeggh!" noise always stops her in the midst of her "naughtiness". That sound works much better than "no". She doesn't chew/nip much anymore, but is still very playful. I hope these suggestions work for you and if not, that someone else can help you better.:) Whatever you try, I would always give your boy one of his toys that he can chew on when you "catch" him chewing or nipping inappropriately. Good Luck!

I've been thru this also with Gunner. He has nerves of steel and no kind of shaker can would have any affect on him. Nor would any yelling. We ended up with his breeder/trainer who is excellent taking him back for two weeks to remind him that he's a dog. I needed the two weeks for all my bruises to heal. He was so much better when we got him back, but still not perfect. We ended up getting a 4 year old bitch who taught him in no uncertain terms that when we say no it means NO. (She's kind of a control freak) It was a very trying time for us and there were times when I wanted to just give up and give him back. If you get to your wits end I can sympathize with you. These were fortunate options for us and may not be for you but they worked for us. If you're lucky enough to have as good a trainer as we have see if he/she will take him for a couple weeks and if that makes a difference. Good luck, I know how hard it is.

Arrakis, I love the advice already given to you by both above posters. One more thing I would add, and somewhat dependant on the age of your pup, and the age you got the pup. Puppies learn "bite inhibition" from siblings and mom or another adult figure. If you have the opportunity (again dependant upon the age of the pup) to get your pup in a puppy play day situation where he/she can learn from other pups "appropriate" nip play that might also be helpful. If you can't find pups of the right size and age, You might try using an adult (always with supervision) who is proven good with pups who might make some "appropriate" corrections of the pup. Please don't try the adult thing without the experience of an excellent trainer/breeder. If your breeder is close see if they would be willing to help, You would be surprised how many of us are willing to help buyers with "puppy issues" Wish you the best of luck, and let us know how it all goes. :-)

I am sure I will get a lot of flack for this one, but dogs are very smart and know when to bite and when not to. It is very possible that this is his way of disrespect toward you - letting you know that he is "over" you from a pack standpoint and intimidating you. ***YOU HAVE TO THINK WITH A PACK MENTALITY AND RESPOND WITH A PACK MENTALITY. If you don't like it, DO DOMETHING about it - IMMEDIATELY. Pack leaders have an absolute ZERO TOLERANCE policy for rebels and other dogs that thwart their authority. With that said, here is what I would do - when he nips you, react IMMEDIATELY and grab his muzzle, say an extrtemely stern "No!" and roll him over onto his back and lay on him until he obviously surrenders. You will reinstill his faith in you as the pack leader and also let him know that you ABSOLUTELY WILL IN NO WAY TOLERATE THAT BEHAVIOR. ***Fyi - he may avoid you a little after you have done this, because you are now feared, unpredictable and respected by him, but he will soon come back and try to win your favor, as he won't want to be alienated and dogs always jockey for position closest to the pack leader - it's pure survival instinct. One other thing: If you are in ANY way afraid of this animal, do NOT do this. He will sense it, know it and call your bluff and you could get hurt....Leave it to the trainer/s.

PS - Because he is still a pup, you don't need to go over the top with him and lay all your weight on him - use wisdom. Just let him know you ARE in charge and he is not. You decide what is play and what is not. If you don't get this under control now, you could have a nasty little cuss someday when he is grown. He definitely needs to learn respect NOW.

My girl used to do this, her little 'love' nips really hurt, & all my co-workers were questioning why I was always bruised...I also did the 'alpha roll' with her. When she would nip me I would grab her by that loose skin over the withers & press her down & kind of lean on her, just a little; at first she would struggle, & I would roll her over onto her back, & just hold her there for a minute, making good eye contact, (means almost standing on your head),then let her up, & as soon as she approaches me again, I praised her good behavior. I only had to do this a couple of times, she got the message! And in no way did this effect her confidence, she knows where she stands, & she's a happy girl there. When she wants to tell me she loves me now, she leans in for a hug. jo

Simple really, at her age. Your hand is like her mothers mouth. When she mis-behaves, take your strong hand, put it quickly on her neck/shoulder area and push her to the ground, she should go onto her side, at the same time, sternly say "no". Hold her there until she is submissive. Be the boss/master/pack leader/mother. Don't take her crap and let her know that you are the boss. It won't hurt her. You are putting her in a submissive position. This is for a young pup, who is not going to be later trained for bite work or such. There are other methods for those kind of dogs. This works for most problems with pups. Your open hand is similiar to the mother dogs mouth, if your fingers are open (fingers "appear" to be fangs or teeth), and coming at the pup, remind her of mothers correction/mouth. This is similiar to what the mother dog would do to the pup if it was nipping on her. P.S., if your pup is going to be for a family pet, never let her bite on you, even in play. But understand, dogs do not have hands (duh, Do Right :), and they use their mouth as their hand, so they are not always biting you when they use their "hand" on you. You have to make a judgement if they are touching you, trying to get your attention because they want something, or they are biting you. You will know the difference. Give them the above correction when they are nipping or biting, not when they are wanting to hold hands or get your attention. :) This is one method that works well. Others will have other methods that could work equally as well.

I meant him, not her. Sorry.

Arrakis, a sharp tug on the lead or a single finger (not the whole hand) across the muzzle or a moderate tug on the nape, any of these with a moderate to strong "no" should be sufficient. Rolling a dog and making it 'submit' for such minor infractures will give you a dog that will rollover and pee on itself every time it thinks your upset. This was a 'puppy kiss' a 'nip' not an aggressive bite. Just my opinion, most people on this site know much more than I do.