Little Nipper not getting the message
One of our members finds too many people are undermining her training plans.
Shannon wrote: I purchased a Pomeranian puppy about 1 1/2 months ago (she is now 4 months old) and I am having major problems with her training. At first I made progress but now she bites me all the time - my ankles, my socks, my shoes and my hands. She's developing major separation anxiety. She runs every time I try to pick her up. And she chews everything. I am at my wits end.
During the day I bring my puppy with me to my fiancé’s shop. I keep her in the back room but other people are constantly picking her up, letting her bite, correcting her etc. It's like a petting zoo. No one respects the fact that she is in training. They all think it's cute to let her bite their shoes or get her all hyper and running around - and then I am left to deal with her.
She acts normal and calm when it's just the two of us together but when other people are around she doesn't listen. I have just bought the Secrets to Dog Training course and am hoping that it will help me with training her.
How much is this situation and the people handling her affecting my training her and what solutions would be best to deal with this?
Kingdom Of Pets replies:
It sounds like you are feeling very frustrated and I can see why. There are several things we can do to help your situation:
Sorting out a ‘petting zoo’:
Having lots of people interacting with your puppy or dog all day can definitely undermine your training and lead to hyperactivity and bad behavior. Decide on some clear simple rules for interacting with your pet and then talk to the people your dog interacts with. This will help ensure that everyone is consistent with their interactions with your dog, and your dog will be much less confused. Try these simple rules:
When the dog is in its safe place (i.e. bed or crate) leave it in peace.
Puppies in particular can become easily over stimulated and distressed. If the dog knows it has a peaceful place to retreat to it will be less stressed and calmer.
12pm-2pm (or whichever time suits you best) is quiet time and the dog must be left in peace.
Some dogs and especially puppies will get up every single time someone comes into the room and therefore will get no rest at all even if they have been given a safe place. Having a quiet time where they are closed in a room or crate with their favorite things gives them an enforced ‘chill out’ time. This method is used in almost all boarding kennels, where the highly stimulated and excited dogs need a nap to reenergize, distress and get their voices back after lots of excited barking!
If the dog nips or jumps, immediately ignore her and move away.
If everyone follows this simple method they will be consistent and your dog will not be confused. Also people should be willing to follow this training because it doesn’t require much work on their part. As the primary trainer you can do the full training method with your dog yourself.
Also before taking your dog into a busy environment make sure its had plenty of exercise to burn off some energy. Also arm it with heaps of toys and chews to keep them busy and reduce anxiety and hyperactivity.
Dealing with nipping
All puppies are nippy when they’re growing up. This is because they’re fresh from the litter where they play with their siblings by biting and mouthing each other. Once you bring your pup home, it’s up to you to teach her not to do this anymore. Don’t worry - nipping isn’t real aggression - it’s based on instinct and communication, not a desire to inflict harm or scare people away.
Puppies learn the basics of bite inhibition from their mothers and siblings around the age of 7 to 8 weeks - but they needs to adjust the threshold of bite pressure to suit humans, since we get hurt a lot easier than dogs do!
Train your dog not to nip:
- Squeal shrilly and LOUDLY when your puppy nips you then isolate her immediately by ceasing all contact. Stand up, turn your body completely away, and don't make eye contact - and make sure everyone else in the room does the same. Make it perfectly clear that you're not going to play if she nips. When she has calmed down – after about two or three minutes - resume contact. This is how puppies react when their siblings bite too hard, so your dog will understand the message perfectly.
- Stop encouraging your puppy to focus on your hands. Have a chew handy (rawhide bones and pigs' ears are great) when you're petting her or playing with her. This gives her an outlet while keeping your hands safe.
- If, while playing, she starts snapping at your hands, correct her quickly by saying, "Ah-ah-ah!" or "NO!" Give her a chew and praise her warmly as soon as her jaws close around it. The close proximity between the correction for nipping and the praise for using her mouth appropriately speaks volumes to a dog: it teaches her in a clear and understandable way that chews are OK, while hands are most definitely not.
- Be consistent. If everyone treats her the same way when she nips them the message will come across loud and clear and she'll learn her lesson that much more quickly.
All the best,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/
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