Puppy biting - Page 2

My method would be to be prepared - and to redirect attention from skin to toy.

Always have a tug toy available at hand. (Keep one in every room).

Any time the dog bites skin, grab the tug and start playing with the dog with that.

Keep the pup off  your skin by manipulating the toy.

As an alternative you can have a ball at hand, or different tugs....to keep it interested.

For those very few times when you want to make him let go - do just that. Tell the pup "Aus" and put your hand on his underloin and use JUST ENOUGH encouragement to make him let go of the skin,,,,, then immediately get him to go for the tug instead.

You want the dog to learn..."no mouthing skin"  you do not want him to learn "no mouthing".

Check out youtube videos of puppy training to see what I mean by the underloin.

Good Luck

Jeez, you guys bite your horses and stick your fingers down your pups throats?  Have you never heard of positive reinforcement? Happy training.

I agree Zacsmum, positive reinforcement is a huge part of training, but there also has to be consequences once the concept is understood and I always made sure they undoerstood the concept of "no bite pack members". There is not enough time or room to go into the body language, etc of my knowing the concept was understood.  Just understand that I agree, positive reinforcement is such an important part of training.  I never want to have to correct my dog, never want to have my dog get the concequences part of training, that is why I work so hard on concepts and positive reinforcement.  First lessons are everything !!!!! If you have any lessons to teach on this, I am all ears (or eyes as the case may be).  I always want to learn new and better ways of training

Well said mindhunt, i agree with all you said.  As a parrelli user tho, i know that the consequences dont have to be quite so drastic as those mentioned to get good results. I wonder why the horses are biting their owners in the first place?

Taste good??????

Mine would do it playfully, sort of a dominence thing, I think, usually as I was swinging up, one foot in the stirrup, one foot swinging over; a vunerable position, & the smart bugger would try to take advantage of it. I also believe in positive reinforcement, absolutely! It is key to successful training....however, some things should be taboo, with a swift consequence for breaking the rules. What I'm talking about is not real drastic, just a little surprise! when they slip up. Just as kids do not really reason until they reach a certain age; horses, puppies, kids, whatever, need a basic understanding that certain behaviours are off limits, period, for their own safety, and for our safety. And I do offer immediate diversion with chew or tug toys.Saying 'aus' is okay; but I, myself like to keep house rules & training rules separate, & different, and it doesn't seem to confuse them at all. I'm no expert, not by a long shot. I make no claims to be a 'dog trainer', and I respectfully defer to the more experienced folks here, who have done wonderful things with their dogs; mine retain 'pet' status. I just had to laugh when I read TM's post, though, it reminded me of the good ol' days, when my horse & I were inseparable, he even came into the kitchen & drank out of the sink, nearly causing my mom to faint. And my dogs now are happy, confident dogs. They just don't bite me! jackie harris

I too understand positive reinforcement.   You guys..lol   Biting a horse's ear is the same as using a twitch, they respond to a pain, sorta like your prong's.    Would you bite someone while gaging?  It isnt painful, only a suprise. 

You dont know a horse can bite a finger off or a plug out of your face?  Or that a horse can break bones and cut you open with a hoove?  Hell a horse can kill you.   Or maybe just rub you off on a tree, or roll over on you, or throw your arse 10 feet up in the air.  Why do they do this?   Get a few horse's and spend a few years raising them, then you'll know it all....:)

I've had horse's as long as I've had dogs, and everyone has been different with its own personality and habits.  Same way with kids, no two are alike.

I dont suppose you ever had to wrestle a wolf for dominance either, or hold onto a big cat.

Happy Training.   Open eyes and minds, closed minds learn nothing.

I continue positive reinforcement and at the same time make certain demands.

Brent.

Great discussion, we can all learn more from each others experiences. Surely better to earn respect from yr animals, draw lines that arent to be crossed, rather than instill fear and loathing?

I agree, horses are great, I had a huge horse growing up, the kind I had to climb on a fence or big rock to reach the stirrup.  We were inseperable, he was my best friend.  That goof ball would open the back patio door and walk in when he got loose, mom was rather upset the day he decided to check out the new carpet! I could never use hard handed methods with him, heck his head was bigger than my torso, respect, not fear, is everything and this was back in the 70's when animal behavior wasn't really understood well. I still have scars from kicks, stomps, bites and squishes into trees and walls, but I learned a lot, having started out only knowing horse training from the few books available and the "old timers".

My dogs each have a different personality with different training requirements.  I started out with my big male knowing only what I researched and read.  Dogs don't read books anymore than patients presenting in emergencies do.  I have learned so much from him and from a trainer that graciously took me under his wing.  Best thing he did was give me a second dog with a different personality to bring home the lesson of each dog has different needs.  Now 3 dogs later....well I am still learning and will continue to do so as long as I live. That's why I like these forums, I always learn something new.

Hands are for loving, not hurting is what my oma used to say, and she added that manners are necessary.  My dogs are happy and have manners (ok 99% of the time) and my son is well adjusted, which is funny when I think how I became a better more patient parent when I started to understand dog training....... hmmmm LOL

Mindhunt, you are so spot on. If only it were as easy to train our kids as it our animals!

We all begin with preconcieved ideas and helpful hints and tips from freinds re training. I freely admit to totaly ruining my first dog, watching others methods of training and thinking it must be the right way. Then the  went on, and i changed my way of thinking. To late for my first dog, but all was not lost, she became the happiest heel working 11 year old gsd you ever saw!

As for horse training,  there are still many many people in the U>K who view the more natural approach to training with scorn. End of the day, if you have a ton of horse on the end of your lead rope, you aint gonna win, and winning isnt what its about.  Inside a horses mind there is so much going on that doesnt require a twitch, a whip or a kick, and its not rocket science, a horse will feed off your state of mind and react in exactly the same way you do, its the nature of the beast. Mr Parrelli is my hero, and horses have a lot to thank him for! It works, and its soooooooooooo easy to put into practice. Patience, and an open mind and heart are all that is required.