Gun Dog Forum

Hello,

So our 8 week old Vizsla has been here a couple of days now. The crate training is going just fine. Only some occasional whining and potty training is going OK. But, sometimes when playing with her, she will get to biting hands/feet/whatever. No big deal for me, but my 10 year old daughter is helping with the training and to a 10 year old, some of those nips HURT! Anyway, what is a good way to deal with the nipping? I have been trying to use chew toys to change her focus, but that doesn't always do the trick. Thanks.

You have quite a few more weeks before thst stops. Puppies explore the world with their mouths

Good article on puppy training by Gary Wilkes. Page down to "Sidebar" for biting tips.

www.clickandtreat.com/pagedf1b.htm - Similar

Nate

Thanks for the info and link

When I brought home my lab pup I thought I had brought home a baby alligator. It took weeks of constant reinforcement before that changed, but now I have a 10 month old pup with a soft mouth and no nipping. There are tons of resources and suggestions to help you through this period, but it is also important to know that this is normal and just something you will have overcome with time.

Just remember Pups grow into behaviors not out of them. So pup should be learning that mouthing you is completely unacceptable ... Even a Momma dog will scold a up that is mouthing her

That's a pretty good link. I think the "ouch " works BECAUSE puppies who have spent appropriate time with littermates know that yipe may mean I bite back. It works sometimes and helps give a warning to stop.

kninebirddog wrote:Just remember Pups grow into behaviors not out of them. So pup should be learning that mouthing you is completely unacceptable ... Even a Momma dog will scold a up that is mouthing her

+1 allowing it even as a pup will grow into something worse as they grow. Crack down on it asap. But still remember its a puppy.

Just a "NO" or a "STOP" with a little slap or the fingers across the nose seems to work as well as every other method I have tried. I have never seen it as a big problem or rearing it's head later in life but rather normal puppy behavior. I am sure if puppies had arms they would never reach and take things off of the coffee table and break them like our kids do till they get older. But of course we all tell the kids no and slap their hands and they finally quit. But like puppies I think it is as much out growing the behavior in both cases. And I have never seen a child keep doing it the rest of their lives if we don't correct them properly any more than I see an eight year old dog still nipping you when it wants to play.

Ezzy

campgsp wrote:

kninebirddog wrote:Just remember Pups grow into behaviors not out of them. So pup should be learning that mouthing you is completely unacceptable ... Even a Momma dog will scold a up that is mouthing her

+1 allowing it even as a pup will grow into something worse as they grow. Crack down on it asap. But still remember its a puppy.

+1 they will do whatever you allow them, like kids if you accept the behaviour they take it as ok with you. Body language voice commands or whatever means it takes to enforce your desired behaviour will mold them into how YOU want them to be.

Remember to have fun

Good suggestions, thanks. Was not sure how much to "discipline" a pup at that age.

http://www.kninebirddog.com/puppy-foundations.html this is a little article I put together to help new owners .

I've got an 9 week old DD and I would swear he is a cross between a wolverine and a Tasmanian Devil! With past pups I always say "NO" very sternly and typically clap my hands. At times I will tap them across the top of the nose with my index finger; other times, when it is a really egregious transgression, I will pick them up slightly by the scruff of the neck while telling them "NO". I also try to use as much positive reinforcement as I can by petting them and saying "good boy" in a lower tone as long as they don't try to gnaw on me. Has worked well in the past for me...and my DD is starting to show some improvement.

Randy

Thanks for all the responses so far. Trying to implement them. Sometimes the tap on the nose seems to be a invitation to really get to wrestling but sometimes it works.

kninebirddog wrote:http://www.kninebirddog.com/puppy-foundations.html this is a little article I put together to help new owners .

Good article k9,

I also like to put my fingers in a pups mouth to establish compliance and acceptance of dominance. I do this with every dog regardless of age that comes to me for training. It tells me a lot about the dog and what sort of student it will be. It can also speak volumes about the owner. I suggest wearing a leather glove for this experiment.

Nate