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DOG INFO: How To Stop Your Puppy From Nipping
"PLEASE HELP! MY NEW PUPPY WON'T STOP NIPPING!"
PUPPY DOGS INFO provides Two New Articles on caring for your dog.
Article 1: "How To Stop Your Puppy From Nipping."
Article 2: "How To Choose The Right Veterinarian."
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HOW TO STOP YOUR PUPPY FROM NIPPING:
"Here’s a news flash – puppies nip!
"Okay, I guess you already knew that. But here’s the surprise – you may actually be encouraging your puppy to nip. Let’s talk about how to stop this behavior before it grows up to be an adult-sized dog problem." -Charlie Lafave, The DOG TRAINING ZONE
***If you've been having troubles training your puppy, here's help, compliments of The DOG TRAINING ZONE... ***
Puppies are a lot like babies. They use their mouths in part to explore their world. Little kids are forever sticking things in their mouth – from your favorite house plant to the bar of soap in the tub. That’s one of the ways they experience taste and texture, and figure out what’s good and what’s not.
It’s all about experimentation.
Puppies are the same. They want to see just how soft your finger is, or what that leash tastes like. In addition, biting or nipping is an important part of learning social skills in their "wolf" pack – the social structure that makes up your dog’s life.
And with some breeds, such as Border Collies, biting or nipping is even more instinctive because of the nature of the breed. They are born and bred to herd livestock. And that’s how a 50 or 60 pound dog will control a 1,000 pound cow – by biting at the heels or nose.
If your dog was allowed to remain with its mother and his littermates for an appropriate amount of time (until at least 8 weeks of age), then mom should have taught him the beginnings of bite inhibition.
As the pups began to grow and develop those needle-sharp little puppy teeth, mom would have disciplined him for being too rough, either with her or his littermates. Junior soon learns that all play will stop and he’ll get smacked down by mom if he gets carried away.
But when you get that puppy home, and he becomes part of the family, you may be encouraging him to nip by letting the kids run away from him, squealing and giggling in an effort to play "chase" games. While this is cute at the beginning, it can soon turn into a full-fledged problem when he’s no longer such a small, cute puppy, and views any child running away as fair game.
You can also encourage this kind of bad behavior by teasing him with toys – holding them just above his head and yanking them out of range when he jumps for the toy or nips at it. (This also encourages another bad habit: jumping.)
Here are 5 things you can do to stop your puppy from nipping.
1. When your puppy does nip – stop all play.
If your puppy nips too hard, say "Ouch!" in a loud-enough voice to surprise him (don’t start off by screaming!) and stop all play. Turn your back on him and refuse to continue the game. He should come around to face you and find out what’s wrong – tell him "bad dog – no bite" in a firm tone of voice.
Do this every time he nips until he gets the idea that nipping means no more fun.
2. Replace your flesh with a toy.
When you’ve resumed play, and if your puppy tries to nip again, try replacing your hand or arm (or whatever’s being nipped) with a toy. Teach your puppy that you’re not the toy. Put a toy in between you and those needle-sharp teeth!
3. The Nose Tap.
If your puppy nips turn to him immediately and give him the "sit" command. Take your forefinger and hold it up in front of his nose. Then tap him on the nose and say "no bite" in a stern tone of voice. It’s important to note two things here:
1) the nose tap isn’t designed as a dire punishment – you’re not trying to hurt him, but rather startle him into stopping the behavior.
2) your tone of voice is just as important as the nose tap.
Don’t scream at him. Your voice should be stern and give a clear warning. Think of it as a verbal growl – something that he can understand as a dog.
An interesting result of this manner of breaking this habit is that down the road, when your puppy has learned to recognize the raised finger – he’ll usually stop whatever behavior he’s engaging in just because he knows what’s coming.
You won’t even have to raise your voice – just lift that finger.
4. Don’t encourage biting or nipping in the first place.
Don’t let the kids start "chase" games. That encourages dogs to think that the kids are prey. Don’t play games that involve waving your hands in front of your dog and encouraging him to jump or nip.
Don’t play tug-of-war with your dog. It will not only encourage him to think he’s your equal. It can promote nipping if you use a rope toy, for example, because he’ll try to bite at your hands to make you lose your grip on the toy.
Play games of fetch and retrieval, but be sure that your dog knows the "drop" or "release" command so you’re not fighting over the toy.
5. Be consistent.
Stop the nipping behavior as soon as it starts, and be consistent about disciplining your puppy for it. Don’t let him get away with nipping on one day, and then discipline for the same behavior the next.
Dogs don’t understand "sometimes it’s okay," or "maybe it’s okay it you don’t nip too hard and I’m in a good mood." They understand "Don’t ever do that," and "No more treats if you do that."
To transform your stubborn, misbehaving dog into a loyal, well-behaving "best friend" who obeys your every command and is the envy of the neighborhood, visit:
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HOW TO CHOSE THE RIGHT VETERINARIAN:
If you haven’t already found one, or worked with one in the past, you need to find a vet.
Pick one you feel comfortable with. One who answers your questions in full and gives you answers you can understand. You don’t need a vet who talks down to you, or acts like you’re too dumb to understand what they’re saying!
Find a vet, if possible, who specializes in small animals (as opposed to one who treats large and small – like horses, cows, cats and dogs.) Your community may only have vets that do a little bit of everything – and there’s nothing wrong with that, if that’s all that’s available. But I’ll remind you – you usually go to a specialist for your health issues, don’t you?
If you’re new in the community, or haven’t needed a vet before – word of mouth is a great way to start looking for a new vet. Ask everybody you can get your hands on – co-workers, friends with pets, local humane societies or shelters. Ask questions: are they happy with their vet? Do they like the way they’re treated when they take their dogs in?
If your dog is a particular breed, check with the state or provincial breed associations to find out who they use, or local breeders. This can be especially useful if you buy a puppy from a local breeder, because the vet will have seen your puppy and know at least some of his or her history...
Here are some questions to ask:
1. What services does the vet offer?
Is it a one-doctor office, or a multi-doctor practice? As vets try to streamline services many are consolidating practices and forming partnerships and group practices. There’s nothing wrong with this – just be aware that you may not always see the same vet.
And find out if they offer 24 hour emergency services, or if he or she is affiliated with someone in the area who does. Like everything else in life, illness or accidents don’t always happen between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
2. Does the vet offer a full surgery suite with on-site lab work? X-rays? Ultrasound?
If the vet has to send all lab tests to an outside agency to be processed, you may be getting popped with additional charges because those tests aren’t being performed or processed in-house.
3. Get a fee schedule.
Cost is usually one of the biggest considerations for dog owners, and it should be lowest on the list of importance, at least in my mind. Not because cost isn’t important. Of course it is. But - if you have a vet that you’re happy with – who gives your dog the best care you can possibly find in your area – does paying a little extra for that care really matter in the long run?
4. Check out the physical characteristics of the facility.
Is it clean, or does it smell? Are the ads or magazines in the waiting room current? (That may not sound important, but if the staff and doctors aren’t keeping up-to-date on the latest and greatest information, this may not be the place you want to bring your dog.)
5. Communication – by that I mean how well does your vet communicate with you?
Will he or she explain the condition or illness in terms that you can easily understand, or do they try to confuse you with high-tech or medical jargon? A good vet will go over treatment options with you, explain necessary tests, review x-rays or test results, give complete and clear instructions for home care or further testing requirements, etc.
"Take your time to do a complete and thorough evaluation before choosing a new vet. Your dog’s life literally depends on what choice you make. Make it a careful one!" -The DOG TRAINING ZONE
And see our popular Article: "5 MOST COMMON PUPPY AILMENTS & How To Treat Them."
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Go To The DOG TRAINING ZONE! "Frustrated pet owners! If you want to have a healthier, happier dog, and stop him from relieving himself on your carpet, chewing up your designer shoes, nipping at your guests and a whole lot more, then go to The DOG TRAINING ZONE!" Learn the exact, step-by-step secrets from Charlie Lafave, a dog trainer who's written, produced or directed Wildlife shows for the Outdoor Life Network and USA Network, and worked for the ANIMAL PLANET (The Discovery Channel)...
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