Perry Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 We're clicker training our 12 week old puppy, and for the most part it's going well. The major problem we're having is that when we play with her she jumps and nips. Those little teeth are sharp and she's ripped jeans and shirts. My son was playing with her tonight and she really got him on the bare leg. I know it's playful, not aggressive, but I really want to nip this <ha ha> in the bud. She's only started doing this in the last week or so. We are doing the standard-- turning our back (which is how she ruined my shirt) and ignoring her, leaning into her instead of stepping away, giving a sharp "eep" when she nips, having her sit, etc. Today I started using the clicker to mark four feet on the floor. It's not working. If anything, it's escalating. Any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I would change *how* you play with her. You can get a toy that makes tug of war easy with no biting. You can play catch. You just need to learn new ways to play. If she gets excited and starts jumping and nipping, then stop playing and turn your back on her. Think of it as time out to allow her to cool down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwesternMom Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I am not a dog trainer, but we have been a foster home for more than 50 dogs and puppies, as well as having raised my own dogs, some of whom were very "nippy" breeds. Let me reassure you that you are right now in the worst weeks for this behavior, and you WILL see improvement if you keep it up. The fact that the nipping hasn't stopped yet absolutely does not mean that it won't stop. In my experience, week 16 is often the absolute worst, and things rapidly improve from there when removal of attention is used consistently. You ARE on the right track. As additional tactic I use is time out in the crate, just as a neutral space to de-escalate the mood, not as punishment. So the pup can have a filled kong toy or chewie treat in the crate while he's on time out. Even three minutes can change "nipping frenzy" into another mental state. About your "eep" sound. Hard to know from typed text what that sounds like, but if it is at all high pitched or squeal-like, I would drop it. If your clicker training method uses a "wrong choice" sound (most use silence to indicate a wrong choice) I would make sure that sound is low and flat. I used a wrong choice sound with my clicker trained dogs *after* they were strongly encoded with what the clicker meant, because it gave me a shortcut-- even though my dog training coach said not to. Mine was like a wrong answer buzzer on Jeopardy. "Enh enh". Even that I would not use until the pup is more firmly "automatic" in working for the click. But believe me, it isn't YOU, it's the pup at this stage. You will make it through and even if you get there by limiting interaction between kids and pup, these weeks will pass quickly and you'll end up with a dream dog using clicker training. Hang in there and HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 The Bite Stops Here: http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/8377-bite-stops-here.html We did this with Aidan. I have no idea whether it worked, or whether he outgrew nipping us. At around a year old, if he puts his teeth on human skin, all we have to do is say "gentle" or "no bite" and he does not bear down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 My puppy was awful earlier on! At six months old now and with all adult teeth in front (qnd i do know he lost some molars) he rarely nips now. We hated that. It is painful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKidAcademy Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Let me reassure you that you are right now in the worst weeks for this behavior, and you WILL see improvement if you keep it up. The fact that the nipping hasn't stopped yet absolutely does not mean that it won't stop. We have a miniature schnauzer who is nearing the 16wk mark now. This may be the most encouraging thing I've read all month! Thanks for the hope! Thanks also for the "bite stops here" link. I welcome all advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwesternMom Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Depending on the breed of dog, you may want to have a higher safety level than the dog just not bearing down when his teeth make contact with skin. Because my first well-trained dog was a pitbull mix, I knew that people (e.g. other parents whose children frequented our home) would be extra sensitive to any mistakes my dog made with her teeth. Using the method that all fun, attention and contact stops immediately if teeth touch skin in ANY way, my dog quickly learned fantastic manners. She got to the point where if there was the slightest brush of a tooth, she would immediately drop the toy and walk away herself--she knew the game was over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.