Biting and nipping doggies

[Sarah]

Hi Heidi... don't get nervous, be more assertive with the dog. Pretend you are a drill seargant and you are training "stubborness". Your dog cannot get away with anything. When he jumps on you biting, turn around with your 2 fingers and bite him back, not saying a word. This would show him that you do not approve of his behavior.

Be patient, calm, assertive and diligent with him all the time.

[JaniceG]

Hi,

When I took my little Winston to puppy class, among the first lessons was 'touch'. When they bring their nose to your hand. It's a targeting technique that is the foundation for a lot of different tricks. Winston still bites too, but what I've been doing is a lot of 'touch' training. When he bites, I ignore him for about a minute. Then I get the clicker and treats and we work on 'touch'. When he tries to touch with an open mouth, instead of with his nose - no click - no treat (this can be tricky). So now, especially when children are around and want to pet him, I give him the touch command when they put their hands down. It's reminding him to keep his mouth closed. It doesn't always work if there are a lot of kids, or if they are rowdy - or waving their hands around... but we are getting there. Like was mentioned... patience!

[MaryAnn]

For starters...Puppies should have learned this lesson from its mother while still with the litter.

All children need to first be taught how to properly approach any dog. Those folks thinking of getting a puppy /dog and already have children...should of first taught the child (ren) how to properly act around a canine.

JaniceG....You are so "right-on" with the Touch Command. It's amazing how an animal will respond correctly utilizing the "Clicker Method"... However...TIMING IS CRUCIAL WHEN USING A CLICKER.

Now...regarding modifying the dog's behavior who bites/nips.......The first thing is to establish whether it was a bite at all. What is a dog bite? You might think that is a strange question. But a puppy or dog that understands his bite strength - that is who has an "inhibited" bite - will very rarely bite another member of his human pack unless severly provoked or in pain. He may snap or attempt to nip, but he will not sink his teeth in and cause a wound that punctures the skin. If your dog snaps and doesn't bite you, it's not because he missed. It's because he didn't intend to bite you, he intended to warn you. A dog bite is a puncture would that actually breaks the skin.

When humans lash out physically, we hit. Dogs, use their mouths and bite, Biting in an adult dog is serious behavior and one that tends to get a dog labelled aggressive, dominant, or territorial, and many worse things besides. When a dog bites, people tend to immediately think either the animal is just plain bad by nature, or that he is trying to exert his authority through aggression. I, as well as many trained professionals, see something rather different. We see a supremely insecure dog that is trying to get some control of the situation he is in. Aggression is important for a dog's survival in the wild. Without that instinct, he would be killed and eaten. Some degree of aggression is normal in dogs. It is a product of fear - the dog feels that he must protect himself from threat.

To sort out this problem, you need to find out why the dog is behaving this way. What is he frightened of? Is he trying to protect you? Your home? Your car? Is he nervous because he suffered a trauma in the past that caused him pain? (Puppies that has been teased by children will react to all children in a negative way if the problem is not rectified quickly.) Was he "poorly" socialized when he was younger, and doesn't understand that humans and other dogs pose little threat to him? If your dog has bitten (or nipped hard) a person or another dog seemingly without warning, he has probably learned in the past that growling was not enough to see off whatever or whomever was frightening him and he has gone "straight to bite" because it works.

The solution is S L O W exposure to the child or person, dog, whatever it is that is causing the fear. NEVER ANSWER AGGRESSION WITH AGGRESSION. You will make it worse. Desensitizing a dog to a fearful stimulus is a long, slow process. You have to gradually condition the dog that the presence of the stimulus he was wary of now makes good things happen to him. He gets delicious food, he plays his favorite game, or he chews his favorite bone whenever that scary thing is present. Gradually, he will begin to relax and his stress levels will fall. It may take weeks, even months. You will need the help of a qualified trainer who only uses positive methods.

Remember it is up to you to manage your dog's environment so that he doesn't experience the stimulus again in the same way. Make sure there is no physical underlying cause that is predisposing your dog to "aggressive" behavior. If you give your dog any meds - be sure to check what the side effects may be. I have seen dogs who have been given meds for a particular problem, such as itching skin, that started to become aggressive-like, all due to the antihistimine he was given (one of the side-effects was irritability).

[newbear]

I just found a wonderful video on how to deal with this problem. Check out the video here at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzLT5...os=qWZ3BP3Hkmg