Our adopted 10-month old bichon get a little too playful to the point
where her mouthing turns into a nip. What are some positive ways to
correct this behavior? Might something like this be in a FAQ somewhere.
My email is

John Ferman said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Our adopted 10-month old bichon get a little too playful to
the point where her mouthing turns into a nip. What are
some positive ways to correct this behavior?

1. Redirection to a suitable chew or tug toy with tons'o'praise
when he takes it.
2. Time outs (go neutral on him for a few seconds).
3. A squealing "Oww" when he nips.

#1 works well when it quickly follows #2 or #3. I've worked on
this with a few puppies recently and prefer the 1-2 combo. At
this stage, the toy should be something really fun - and with a
squeaker to make the redirection easy.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Rocky wrote:
John Ferman said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Our adopted 10-month old bichon get a little too playful to
the point where her mouthing turns into a nip. What are
some positive ways to correct this behavior?

1. Redirection to a suitable chew or tug toy with tons'o'praise
when he takes it.
2. Time outs (go neutral on him for a few seconds).
3. A squealing "Oww" when he nips.

#1 works well when it quickly follows #2 or #3. I've worked on
this with a few puppies recently and prefer the 1-2 combo. At
this stage, the toy should be something really fun - and with a
squeaker to make the redirection easy.

It also works to (gently) hold the muzzle closed and give it a little (very
little--you don't want to hurt the dog) shake and say "No bite!" You can
follow with redirection as above.

Janet Puistonen said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

It also works to (gently) hold the muzzle closed and give
it a little (very little--you don't want to hurt the dog)
shake and say "No bite!" You can follow with redirection as
above.

That's not my preference. Corrections only work when the dog
understands the behaviour.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

In article , Rocky
wrote:

John Ferman said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Our adopted 10-month old bichon get a little too playful to
the point where her mouthing turns into a nip. What are
some positive ways to correct this behavior?

1. Redirection to a suitable chew or tug toy with tons'o'praise
when he takes it.
2. Time outs (go neutral on him for a few seconds).
3. A squealing "Oww" when he nips.

#1 works well when it quickly follows #2 or #3. I've worked on
this with a few puppies recently and prefer the 1-2 combo. At
this stage, the toy should be something really fun - and with a
squeaker to make the redirection easy.

What a great response. Thanks, Rocky, I'll sure try it. And will report
back with the results (which just have to be positive). Thanks again.

--
John Ferman
Minneapolis, MN

Jack said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Thanks again.

You're welcome!

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Rocky wrote:
Janet Puistonen said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

It also works to (gently) hold the muzzle closed and give
it a little (very little--you don't want to hurt the dog)
shake and say "No bite!" You can follow with redirection as
above.

That's not my preference. Corrections only work when the dog
understands the behaviour.

And shrieking "OW!" isn't my preference.

Why do you assume that they don't understand? When they are with their
mother, they understand that if they nip her too hard they will be nipped
back, and therefore they learn limits. With humans, they learn that if they
nip they will experience the unpleasant--but not painful--sensation of
having their mouth held closed for a moment, and therefore they learn
limits. They also learn to associate the phrase "no bite" with this limit.
After a while, you can simply say "no bite" and they will stop the behavior.

I've found that the puppies seem to understand it perfectly. (Obviously you
have to do it quickly, when they are actually biting you, so that they know
what you are objecting to.) They quickly learn that biting a human is not an
acceptable form of play.

Janet Puistonen said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

That's not my preference. Corrections only work when the
dog understands the behaviour.

And shrieking "OW!" isn't my preference.

Nor is it mine, as I've already written.

Why do you assume that they don't understand?

If he understood the behavior, he wouldn't do it on a regular
basis. Corrections, when used, are best used when the dog
backslides.

When they are
with their mother, they understand that if they nip her too
hard they will be nipped back, and therefore they learn
limits. With humans, they learn that if they nip they will
experience the unpleasant--but not painful--sensation of
having their mouth held closed for a moment, and therefore
they learn limits. They also learn to associate the phrase
"no bite" with this limit. After a while, you can simply
say "no bite" and they will stop the behavior.

Humans are not dogs, so I don't think it's a good idea to equate
a dam nipping to a human hand closing a puppy's mouth. Anyway,
I'm glad it works with you. I certainly wouldn't follow that
method, especially with a hand-shy dog.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

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You had ENOUGH YET, jack?

"YourConscience" om
wrote in ups.com:

BWEEEEEEEEEEAAAHAHAHAHHAHAAA!!!

You had ENOUGH YET, jack?

**** YOU, STUPID ****BAG.....

GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!