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Old 07-14-2009, 08:34 AM
 
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
9,352 posts, read 19,986,182 times
Reputation: 11621

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Charlie is in his 3rd day with us now and his personality is really starting to emerge..... he is overall a good boy.... albeit quite obviously still a teenager....

he has done one thing a couple of times that i want to stop IMMEDIATELY.....

when he is a wound up and wanting to play, he will run in circles around me and has nipped me at the back of my knees, thighs and on my butt..... hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to break skin......

my response is a loud sharp NO!! ... then i make him sit or lie down and ignore him for a minute or 2......

am i reacting appropriately?? is this the best way to "nip" this behavior?

bailey was mouthy when she was a youngster..... but she never did this to humans...... she will "heel" other dogs while playing, but never me or anyone else, so i really have no experience with it at the moment.....

all suggestions greatly appreciated.....

oh .... and they got 2 miles walk around my hilly neighborhood sunday night and 3+ miles in the park last night..... he was so tired when we got back to the car that he just went sound asleep for most of the ride back home..... we go to the park probably 6 nights out of 7 and if we don't go there, they get at least a mile in the neighborhood.....

he has the run of the house and back yard..... and so far, his REALLY favorite game seems to be standing at the top of the stairs to the basement, dropping his ball or other toy and then sliding down on his belly to retrieve it..... he also likes dropping toys off of the deck and running down to get them......
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Old 07-14-2009, 08:40 AM
 
7,079 posts, read 37,896,558 times
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I really hate using 'NO' because it can become a loud, horrible word quickly. If you MUST use a negative marker (which is what that is) try 'oops!' It's hard to get that sounding nasty, while 'no' can really instill fear.

I would suggest you pay NO attention to him at ALL when he engages in the 'let's play' behavior until he calms down. TURN YOUR BACK and be PATIENT. Eventually he'll stop. At that juncture, turn back around with praise and some really yummy treats (chicken, cheese or steak - NOT crap from the store, because you want these to be SO good he'll change his ingrained behavior to get some more). If he does it again, simply repeat. You don't have to say A WORD. He'll get the message from your body language.
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Old 07-14-2009, 08:57 AM
 
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
9,352 posts, read 19,986,182 times
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thanks!

will switch to "oops"

i do fold my arms and turn my back on him, and he jumps and nips AGAIN..... it is hard enough to hurt... i have a couple of tiny bruise-marks although no skin breaks..... so i reflexively jump, which i am guessing is a reaction .... which i'm also guessing is what he is looking for.....

i don't mind him running around me when we are in the backyard..... i just want to stop this nipping thing.......
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Old 07-14-2009, 09:02 AM
 
Location: Jax, FL
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I would try "OW!"... any time Mic is playing too rough my husband and I say Ow and turn. We choose to say Ow because that's the first thing a child would say if he/she is hurt. As soon as he here's Ow he backs up, sits and waits for us to say it's ok.
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Old 07-14-2009, 09:37 AM
 
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
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great suggestion! thanks!!
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Old 07-14-2009, 10:35 AM
 
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I would also add to teach the new pup what he *is* allowed to chew/nip! When you instigate play with the dog, you should always introduce it with a toy that he is allowed to mouth. When he nips you or mouths something he shouldn't, do not yell or do anything. Just stop playing and calming show him the toy. When he mouths the toy, praise him a lot!
Shouting no - shrieking - etc, only serve as additional stimulants to an already stimulated dog. If a person is getting a little crazy, you wouldn't shout at them, you would speak slowly and calmly. The same is true for the dog - and whatever you do, don't physically reprimand him (not that you said you did that, but some people do want to clamp the dog's mouth shut and that's not what you should do).
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Old 07-14-2009, 11:05 AM
 
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It's hard to say anything other than "ow" when you're in pain LOL.

I would just let out an OW! and turn your back to the dog and ignore for a minute. Then go back to the dog.

I don't think you should put the dog into a sit. Sitting down shouldn't be a punishment.
When dogs hurt other dogs, the dogs yelp and then ignore them. They learn pretty quick this way that nipping means you get ignored not play time.
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Old 07-14-2009, 11:47 AM
 
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
9,352 posts, read 19,986,182 times
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we go out to the yard with a couple of balls... he loves to chase and pounce the ball... and will get it back pretty close....and then wants me to chase him...... have found that throwing the next ball will get him to release the first one.....

yeah ... i'm thinking OW is gonna work .....

my thought with putting him into a sit or lie down is to stop the nipping IMMEDIATELY so i don't wind up black and blue all over my backside....... but your point is a good one, so will rethink that strategy.....

hoping that a good yelping OW will surprise him enough to prevent the next nip.....
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Old 07-14-2009, 02:07 PM
 
Location: Mostly in my head
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My trainer told me to act like a mother dog, say "bah" in a deep commaning voice as a warning and then throw something jangly sounding behind him (to move to me) or in front of him (to move away) if he didn't stop it immediately. I changed that somewhat naturally into a low growl, and the growling is quite successful
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Old 07-14-2009, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Jax, FL
90 posts, read 329,497 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shagbark Hickory View Post
It's hard to say anything other than "ow" when you're in pain LOL.

I would just let out an OW! and turn your back to the dog and ignore for a minute. Then go back to the dog.

I don't think you should put the dog into a sit. Sitting down shouldn't be a punishment.
When dogs hurt other dogs, the dogs yelp and then ignore them. They learn pretty quick this way that nipping means you get ignored not play time.
I wouldn't put him in a sit either. Mic sits, but that's not something we taught him. He picked it up on his own. It's the same thing he does when someone raises their voice (not at him). I think it's his way of saying I'm sorry and being submissive.
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