# Nipping



## Gabriel (Dec 9, 2004)

Our Gabriel is 8 months old. He is starting to nip not mouth. Could playing with him in an aggressive way teach him this?


----------



## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

WELCOME to SM!







That is such a CUTE picture you have!!!! I LOVE IT!








I played with Kodie kinda aggressive when he was young but I always corrected him with the biting and said "no". I dunno if playing aggressively is a bad thing but I always thought that its okay as long as you make it clear to the dog your the alpha.







I'm sure someone else has more experience with this topic.


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

Cute pic of him in the scale!!!!







I think someone here mentioned aggresive play leading their malt to believe that it was okay to nip and bite. I may have this wrong, but I think it's teaching him that biting is actually playing, so he doesn't really know that it's wrong.

Peanut would chew on our fingers while he was teething, but we got him to stop by ignoring him whenever he tried to chew our hands.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

When is he nipping? How do you respond to it? How have you responded to mouthing and biting in the past?


----------



## Gabriel (Dec 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by JMM_@May 23 2005, 06:03 PM
> *When is he nipping? How do you respond to it? How have you responded to mouthing and biting in the past?
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=64624*


[/QUOTE]


I think he thinks it's play. My boyfriend has never had a dog of his own. He loves the little dog and they play on the bed but he uses his hands. It might be an alpha thing but NO really doesn't hit home. He is admittandly spoiled. He has gone to puppy school and is enrolled in the next training class. He is a good dog and deserves good training. Also, he like to poop in the house.


----------



## BugHillHeather (May 13, 2005)

I learned somewhere to do this: No matter what you are doing when the nipping starts, say a firm "NO!", stand up immediately, stare straight up at the ceiling, cross your arms over your chest, and stay there for a few seconds. Its like you are giving the pup a major cold shoulder.

Suddenly, the pup will figure out, "hey, if I nip, she won't pay me any attention. That's terrible. She won't play with me. Ooooh, that's bad. Maybe I shouldn't nip anymore so she will still pay me attention and play with me!"

I taught my children to do this too and it really worked wonders with our Jack Russell. It only took a few times before she would whimper and whine as if to say she was sorry! Soon, the nipping stopped all together.

Also, it helps ensure your position as the Alpha in the home! This way, you are in control of playtime, attention, etc., not the pup. Your pup wants your love, affection, and attention and will act in order to receive it. When you withdraw, the pup will change strategy. "Hmmm if that doesn't work, I will try something else," thinks the very smart pup.

Another tip is to immediately distract him with a toy or a treat--get his mind on something else. Be careful with this because it can be a reinforcer for this bad behavior. 

Hope this helps!




> _Originally posted by Gabriel_@May 23 2005, 09:29 AM
> *Our Gabriel is 8 months old.  He is starting to nip not mouth.  Could playing with him in an aggressive way teach him this?
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=64407*


[/QUOTE]


----------



## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

when gruffi gets excited he tries to bite...but he's learned to control it so that he doesnt bite down. it happens when we're playing with our hands. you should make sure that a toy is always available and that he can get it when he's frustrated.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1. Don't play with your hands. Play with a toy. Teach him an out command (you can do this by trading toys for treats). 

2. You and your boyfriend need to be consistent with the pup. Decide on a course of action when biting (I prefer the yelp and ignore, the game ends) and stick with it consistently. The more consistent you are, the faster the behavior will extinguish itself. He may get worse before he gets better (an extinction burst), but stick with the rules you set. 

3. If he is pooping in the house, you are not watching him or confining him. If you cannot actively watch him, crate him or leash him to you so he can't wander off. Don't forget to reward the right behavior! Praise and treat him for going in the right spot. Go out with him every time. He is more likely to repeat a behavior if it is rewarding.


----------



## RexsMom (Jun 8, 2005)

When Rex starts nipping we always say "no chew or no bite" and refocus him to something that he is allowed to chew on and respond with "good chew". That seems to work for us. He is starting to go straight to his chew toys instead of us. He really started wanting to chew when he lost his last two baby teeth a couple weeks ago. I guess he may be teeth?


----------

