Mouthy/Nippy Issue and whining

[Elmo]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm hoping that maybe you can help me on these issues. Issue I: I adopted Elmo well aware that a herding instinct may develop further. Which at a month over a year it has even more so. From the beginning he did all the behaviors of walking in front of me constantly (which I've now taught him NOT to do that). If I ask him to come (while I'm sitting or lying down) often he'll do this weird thing where he comes from behind me. As in coming around from my front to my back

I suppose this has to do with herding?

 

The issue is that he is very nippy especially when he gets excited or during play. He'll nip at my hands when excited or if I'm running or a friend, he'll promptly run in front or at side and nip, thus leaving marks on legs. It could also be something as simple as me teaching him a trick and him getting excited (he's then all mouthy). Fortunately when he's just greeting strange people, he refrains from nipping. He has nipped at a child at the dog park....not breaking the skin but scaring the child. On a leash he won't do this. Any way to curve this? Control it better?

Issue II:

He whines a good deal if he see's another dog while on the walk. He'll keep whining. Even if he so much as smells one in the area. How do you get your dog to stop whining while walking him? I always firmly tell him "NO." Then he stops and continues a few steps later.

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Well, all puppies bite and mouth, so getting control of it ASAP is a good idea, especially if he's nipped a kid in a park, that could cause some problems. Here are some pointers that may help:

 

Never reinforce mouthing: Remove your attention anytime the puppy puts their teeth on you. Even eye contact is attention. Stand up, with your arms crossed and look away from the puppy. If they persist, walk out of the room. Close the door (ensure your belongings are safe/out of reach) for a brief timeout (up to 30 s). Continue this until the puppy calms down. Reward for appropriate behaviour.

 

Yelp: Begin playing with your puppy and when your puppy nips let out a sharp yelp, turn around and ignore your puppy for a few seconds. The puppy needs to learn that mouthing stops play.

 

Allow playtime with other dogs: Allow your puppy to play with other puppies and friendly older dogs as often as possible. Other dogs can better teach a puppy that their biting/playing is too rough.

 

Redirect: Offer your puppy a toy to play with while you are interacting with them. This will teach them what’s appropriate to chew on, while still allowing them to use their mouth.

Teach mouth manners: Hold a piece of food in your fingers. Offer it to your puppy and only allow them to have it when they are gentle (i.e.: licking) rather than biting at your hand.

 

Accustom them to handling: Puppies tend to mouth hands whenever stroked and patted. When you pet the puppy, distract him by feeding tiny pieces of treat from your other hand.

 

Provide appropriate outlets: Ensure you are giving a variety of toys to help address their chewing needs appropriately.

 

Play appropriate games: Encourage non-contact forms of play, such as fetch and tug-of-war, rather than wrestling and rough play. Don’t entice the puppy by using your hands as play objects or waving them around your puppy.

 

Do not use physical punishment: Even negative attention can be rewarding for some puppies. You may see an increase in the behaviour by reacting to it and by getting physical. You also risk making the puppy afraid of you.

 

As for the whining, I don't really know, if he's just over excited and wants to see the other dogs, let him go and meet them, I personally don't see the harm in it.

Good Luck!

[stockdogranch]

The behavior you describe is not "herding." Walking in front of you and/or circling around to come up suddenly behind you have nothing to do with working stock. "Herding" is ONLY in relation to livestock. All the various behaviors that get called "herding," such as chasing the vacuum or kids on bikes or whatever, may be attributed to prey drive, but they are not "herding." Nipping you or children is not herding--it is merely nipping you or children. Period. What your pup is doing is just displaying annoying, bratty behaviors. These are behaviors that he has apparently been allowed to get away with (for some time?), and therefore, he thinks they are OK. He needs to be taught which are appropriate behaviors and which are not.

 

Now, there are lots of different ways to let him know what's OK and what's not, and if many folks respond to this thread, you'll hear them all. Some will tell you to wait till he stops the bad behavior, then give him a click and treat; over time, he may begin to understand what it is you're asking him to do (or not do, as the case may be). Others will just tell you to let him know (with a stern verbal correction) that you don't like the behavior, and hopefully, he will soon get the idea. Either way, there are lots of ways to let him know what is acceptable and what is not. It's up to you to decide which method appeals to you. Then you have to be totally consistent in making sure that you teach this dog to behave properly.

 

A

 

ETA: See? As I was writing this response, you already got one variation of how to stop this. The "ignore it and it will go away" method.

[Elmo]

Well, all puppies bite and mouth, so getting control of it ASAP is a good idea, especially if he's nipped a kid in a park, that could cause some problems. Here are some pointers that may help:

 

Never reinforce mouthing: Remove your attention anytime the puppy puts their teeth on you. Even eye contact is attention. Stand up, with your arms crossed and look away from the puppy. If they persist, walk out of the room. Close the door (ensure your belongings are safe/out of reach) for a brief timeout (up to 30 s). Continue this until the puppy calms down. Reward for appropriate behaviour.

 

Yelp: Begin playing with your puppy and when your puppy nips let out a sharp yelp, turn around and ignore your puppy for a few seconds. The puppy needs to learn that mouthing stops play.

 

Allow playtime with other dogs: Allow your puppy to play with other puppies and friendly older dogs as often as possible. Other dogs can better teach a puppy that their biting/playing is too rough.

 

Redirect: Offer your puppy a toy to play with while you are interacting with them. This will teach them what’s appropriate to chew on, while still allowing them to use their mouth.

Teach mouth manners: Hold a piece of food in your fingers. Offer it to your puppy and only allow them to have it when they are gentle (i.e.: licking) rather than biting at your hand.

 

Accustom them to handling: Puppies tend to mouth hands whenever stroked and patted. When you pet the puppy, distract him by feeding tiny pieces of treat from your other hand.

 

Provide appropriate outlets: Ensure you are giving a variety of toys to help address their chewing needs appropriately.

 

Play appropriate games: Encourage non-contact forms of play, such as fetch and tug-of-war, rather than wrestling and rough play. Don’t entice the puppy by using your hands as play objects or waving them around your puppy.

 

Do not use physical punishment: Even negative attention can be rewarding for some puppies. You may see an increase in the behaviour by reacting to it and by getting physical. You also risk making the puppy afraid of you.

 

As for the whining, I don't really know, if he's just over excited and wants to see the other dogs, let him go and meet them, I personally don't see the harm in it.

Good Luck!

 

Yes, he gets excited when he see's other dogs. The whining is an annoying behavior and if I'm busy going one way on the walk, I shouldn't have to appease him and let him meet another dog (going the other way). Not all owners wish to have meet and greats while in the neighborhood or park.

 

As for the nipping, thanks I'll try that. I know he gets plenty of playtime with other dogs (I think he's rougher with me than the dogs at the dogpark = not good). He's getting better at playing with the dogs at the dogpark instead of going towards me for "roughplay." This may have something to do with how he was raised before I adopted him. Hopefully that will help.

 

I really like the ignoring/time out idea. When at the dogpark and he nipped the kid on the arm, I immediately pulled him over and made him laydown for one minute. I was trying the whole saying no and holding the mouth (but it doesn't seem to be working). At least he calmed down after his time out.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[Elmo]

ETA: See? As I was writing this response, you already got one variation of how to stop this. The "ignore it and it will go away" method.

 

I believe the behavior he exhibits is related to his "modified prey drive" - herding instinct. I have never seen a Ridgeback or an Akita display behaviors such as running back and forth infront of someone or running around two people/circling and cutting off until they are closer together. Or even nipping while doing it. I agree though, it's not herding. For it to be herding it needs to be livestock. It is unacceptable behavior.

 

What is ETA?

[Tranquilis]

What is ETA?

ETA=='Edited to add'