Nipping and biting

[Guest]

How do I keep my 3 month old from nipping and biting at my shoes and ankles? I hate to admit it, but this behavior frightens me.

He likes the tastes of doggy yuk and bitter apple, so I can't use those.

Thanks.

[Posey]

Been there and know what you are talking about. I didn't have a pair of shoe laces left. but did have a lot of bites on feet and hands. My solution was to get a fly swatter and sound "rough" never hit puppy but a resounding "no" with a swat on a chair or floor stopped him. And

Nicky was a true little Cairn "Terror" Try not to be afraid they are

just playing and are agressive little critters. Let him know YOU are alpha

dog.

Good luck, Posey

PS Also a pair of leather gloves let me protect myself-they do out grow this

[bradl]

Distraction is a good approach. Does he like to chase balls and such? When you see him headed for your shoes distract him by rolling a ball away. Give him something legal to chase.

Another possibility: try to ignore him (literally, look away and pretend he doesn't exist -- puppies hate that). When he finally stops mouthing your foot, then 'notice' him and praise him. Sometimes trying to protect your feet looks like a great game of 'chase and kill' to a puppy.

(I'll admit, ignoring a puppy chewing on your foot is easier after they're done teething and have adult teeth. Puppy teeth are like needles.)

They mostly do grow out of it. Got boots? :-)

[Guest]

thanks, Posy, but I did buy a flyswatter. Didn't work- he's too brave a dog (and probably a little deaf, too.) The flyswatter was 6.99- a wonderful one, too. In fact, it's the best I ever had and will outlive all of us.

"...dont be afraid.." Hate to tell you this, but during childhood I was deathly afraid of dogs. And now I've one of my own... People like me do weird things, don't they?

-----

Bradl, I was thinking of "boots" on the way home this morning in the car. Maybe I'll use them. Thanks.

[Susan]

If the fly swatter didn't work, how about a little spray bottle with water? Maybe say "NO!" and give him a squirt. It would be a surprise, anyway.

Distraction is probably your best bet, like Bradl said. If you're going to walk around, roll the ball away from you when he heads for your feet.

It's of little comfort now, but they do grow out of this. I wish it wasn't frightening to you, though. He's not trying to hurt you, just play in a very rough and tumble puppy way, and he just needs to learn his manners yet.

Susan

[Fenagh]

I have raised many puppies over the last 20 years, cairns and rotties, and have had to go through this many, many times. If you have a really tough little guy, your first priority is to establish who is alpha between you and puppy. If this is not established right now, you will be fighting an uphill battle. You must never let your puppy know that you are afraid of him, no matter what his age. The idea of a spray bottle with water works quite well as long as your timing is right and puppy doesn't decide he loves the water. There is a technique that is used by many trainers, and breeders, called the "alpha roll", it mimics the same discipline that the mother dog uses when the puppies get our of hand when they are still with her. It is not any easy thing to describe in print, but if you could contact a reputable trainer in your area, they should be glad to help you.

I would also enroll your puppy in puppy kindergarden classes, these are a great way to get him socialized and the trainers will teach you many usefull little tricks to deal with growing puppies and their misbehaviors.

I have found that it was always easier to convince people to take their rotties to obedience classes but not the cairns, as they figured that since they were small dogs, they did not need the classes. Believe me, after working 15 years in a veterinary hospital, dealing with 18 lbs of spoilt cranky terrier is as bad as a large dog. Best of luck.

Fenagh

[Guest]

We now have a spray bottle in every room of our house and use it for biting at our feet when we walk. He likes it when it is on spray but does not like the solid stream. He is in training class and were told to shuffle our feet and make loud noises with them and when that didn's work the next step was to try the water bottle. I think the training class is really going to be worthwhile mainly because the instructor knows dog behavior. Be sure to find a class that the trainer has been doing it for a while. You might ask your vet they are really a great info source.

[Guest]

When I asked a trainer about this a couple of days ago, she said that is why they nickname puppies "ankle biters." Sure made me feel alot better about my dog.

The foot stomping and shuffling do not affect him. The next step is the water bottle. However, we are having better luck with him on leash for a while.

Thanks everyone.