im living with a little lion

Hi im new here. Very excited about what this site is doing for the breed. Im having sort of a problem with my 8 week old male hes very nippy. ive had other dogs that were for the most part balanced from the time they were very young like this. This guy however is like raising a young lion cub non stop biting! I have tried distracting him with toys, and ignoring it but this is'nt working. I need a method that will work soundly so it stops at this young age. I don't know if this is common,and will stop as he matures or really what to think at this point. Well thank you all for your time.

-pat

 

nipping.... hmmmm... try to stimulate his brain.... thattll prolly work, just get some treats have him follow the treat, when he seems focused try to get his attention to you not the food(this could take a while, but will lower the chance of obseesion over food) and bring the food to his mouth(now he can follow the food, but when he comes to you have him foused on you) and he will probablly try to snatch it quickly. if he does yell OWW and take the food away.... ignore and repeat until he nicely and slowly takes the food. this will train the mind that when he bites a human he doesnt get food, and when hes nice he does(but not as complex of thinking)... more like no biting = food try that for about a week. my yorkie did that and my dad fixed that right quick by smacking her across the room... she never bit again. It could be a phase though when does he nip? all the time? when u have something he wants? etc

 

The yelping method has always worked well for me. When they bite, cry like a puppy. Then walk away. They learn that if they bite you, playtime is over. So it works to their advantage not to bite, or to at least inhibit their bite. (If the biting continues, I bite back. Usually isn't necessary, though.)

 

well ratler he sleeps most of the time, and is very sweet during this time. when he is awake he is soooo playful constantly chewing etc.. when anyone trys to touch him while this is going on he immediately gets wicked nippy. if you force it enough he like totally snaps growling viciously,while lashing at you which really just worries me. i will try this food method its a good idea. im also wondering if puting him on his back when he flips out is a good or bad idea. is this fostering more agression and/or working against me?once again thank you for your time.

-pat

 

Well this seems like an issue over dominance.... the growl is a warning trying to claim his territory, when you persist he becomes more assertive, then he bites to correct you and put you in your place. I dont think the yelping tequnique will work in this situation because it is a not a biting issue but more of a dominance/territorial issue. Some may think im crazy, but Isometimes bite the ears of my pups wwhile on their back to put em into their place(until they yipe) this is just dominant behavior, not a punishment. if u dont wanna do that you can take the toy before he tries to get it... then place it on the ground in front of him... he will try to claim/ play with it, but instead put your body between him and the toy and make sure he doesnt get it.... if he tries to pass you, thrust your hand into his side(between the hips and the ribs) to back him up.... u may need to add a little pressure, but it should work... if u have more than one dog u can make this process easier... during make sure all dogs are in sight of one another (chain so there r no fights) feed the most submissive first to the most dominant... Walks, since hes still a pup... should be very short like 5 min make sure he is following you dont let him explore until you want him to, but make sure you are stopped never explore while walking... well more tecniques if u want always worked for me and other dogs i worked with(I juss do this as side job)...

 

A firm "No, you don't bite!" with a little pop on the rear always worked for me. I don't know that I would tell you to bite your puppy, but thats just me. Good luck.

 

my pup is exactly the same and she is 13 weeks old... i read on a topic somewhere in here to hold your pup down on the ground so they can't move until they have totally settled down, then give a nice good girl/boy when they are calm.. it seems to work for me. When i let her go shes very docile and changes her attitude straight away from nipping and growling to excited and happy and swaps nipping for licking they are still pups and will be like this for a while but she has calmed right down since using this method! good luck hope this works for you.