Has anyone come across this?

[catbus]

Just came across this as I was looking for techniques about puppy biting.. I just am not sure how workable it is..
Any thoughts?
naturaldogtraining.com/blog/teaching-a-puppy-not-to-bite/

[Lilcamper]

Not sure to be honest. I think it is pretty rude to not acknowledge a dog that is happy you are back. I always say 'hello mate' when I come in, put the shopping down and give him a bit of fuss if he is waiting calmly.

[insanityscatching]

I don't know either I love coming in seeing Eric's tail wagging furiously as he's so pleased to see us. He brings us a toy as we walk in so we usually drop bags and play for a while. He's really good at being left so it would feel wrong to me not to acknowledge him as we walked in.

[SpicyPear]

Lentil weaving dog woo

[catbus]

I chuckled at that, Spicy
But yes, it seems a bit weird to blank them for that long, if at all. Plus whilst I am attempting to modify my youngest DCs behaviour around le dawg, I doubt very much they would be able to not run around and play..

[affafantoosh]

I don't like it. Dogs are social beings. I think he has some fundamental misconceptions - I like the principles of being calm around a puppy, that's common sense. But he's sort of bypassed the need to teach a puppy how to be alone. It will work, because not making a huge fuss on your return, or especially when you leave, helps to minimise separation anxiety, but I don't think he has the nub of why it will work. They are creatures of the moment but they are also able to predict that if they are all alone, that means you will return. They just don't know when, which may be stressful for them.

Some puppies are just hellish mouthy little buggers and almost all of them respond to a very simple tactic - when teeth contact skin the game stops, the humans become really boring and the verbal, eye and physical contact is all withdrawn immediately. They make the link quickly.

I also don't think that if you don't follow his advice you will have a biter on your hands, which he almost seems to suggest.

[catbus]

I have a hellish mouthy little bugger
And aside from teaching her 'leave' as often as possible, coupled with the tactic you describe above, she is a feisty biatch who is not responding too well to this at present. Hence me searching in desperation on the net. She does not appear to be making that link..

[affafantoosh]

Are you redirecting her to something appropriate to chew when she gets mouthy? Is the "no hand games" rule in place and observed by everyone in the household? And do you have a crate and kongs to use when she is becoming overexcited and needs time out?

[catbus]

Yes to redirecting- we don't do hand games unless armed. It's usually her jumping up and biting which can be a bit problematic when you're about a foot way from a distraction toy which she is blocking the way to you getting!!
Going to start using the crate for more calming down issues- at present it has been putting her in the kitchen as her crate is in sitting room.
Any other tips other than redirecting? I am keeping in mind this too shall pass but at present I am
mainly working on redirection and separation when smaller children want to run and play outside because it's clearly too much of a wind up for her

[Lilcamper]

This works:

Biting is a normal puppy behaviour. Puppies investigate the world through their mouths. If it is within reach, it will probably be picked up and chewed! If it is exciting and moves fast it will definitely get bitten. Dogs play by using their mouths because they don’t have hands.

Puppies need to bite and they need to play. What he/she is doing is simply trying to elicit play. Play is by far the best way to bond with your pup and is a great way to reward him during training.

Use tug toys that he can bite. Old knotted towels or a favourite toy with string attached. Unwanted dressing gown cords are ideal. You need to encourage him to bite one end of the toy whilst you hold the other end. Then you can have a great game together without getting bitten.

Ensure your tug toys are long enough and soft enough for your puppy to happily bite. Your toy should touch the floor whilst you are holding the other end. This allows you to animate the toy and keep the game low to the ground and not encourage jumping up. It also puts distance between teeth and hands.

Keep these interactive toys out of your pups reach whilst they are not being played with. It will keep them more novel which means the pup is more likely to want to bite and play with them when given the opportunity. Plant toys around the house and garden (out of puppies reach) so you have them easily accessible and as much as possible, take the game outside.

Rotate chew items that you leave on the floor to also keep them interesting.

Do not play with your puppy unless you have a toy for him to grab. Don't let anyone in the house roughhouse with him or roll about on the floor with him.

Start by animating the toy on the floor and saying 'getit' every time your pup grabs the toy. You hold on to the toy and let him grab it and shake it. Let go of the toy sometimes so that puppy is encouraged to come back to you to get you to start the game again.

Also teach a word for letting go. To do this you simply stop the game by putting a finger in pup's collar and keeping hold of the toy, release the pressure on the toy so that it becomes boring. As soon as pup lets go say 'thank you' and immediately invite him to grab it again with a 'getit'. He will quickly learn to let go when you stop playing in order for the game to start again and eventually the word 'thankyou' (or your word of choice) will become his cue to let go.

Once your pup is getting the idea of the game then you can start to add in a 'sit' 'are you ready' before the 'getit' and before you know it you have a dog sitting and waiting patiently for the game to start.

[Misspilly88]

Not greeting your dog when you arrive home is a very good thing, which also lessens the effect of separation anxiety. Not to say that you will always ignore your dog, just come in, put your bags/coats away and when puppy is calm you go and say hi, rather than making a big fuss when you arrive.

[catbus]

Thanks Lilcamper- yes I read that a lot from the FB page
The 'problems' are when she starts to nip/ bite when we are simply walking near/ into a room- it's not always possible to be armed with a toy for her whilst constantly scouting for contraband
So I guess it's plugging away with 'leave it' etc and distractions!
Often it seems though that when we try to distract her from biting, say with a tug, she isn't swayed- and that can be tricky when attempting to distract her from nipping 3 year old who now has deep arm gash, who was at the time, walking past minding his own business

[Lilcamper]

I had a Labrador puppy permanently attached to the bottom of my trouser leg when mine was not so tiny, so I feel your pain. Luckily I was the only person he did it to. He grew out of it.

Maybe have a look at the Kikopup YouTube channel and teach a 'positive interrupter'?

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Mine used to swing off DD's dressing gown in a morning and make her cry.

They do grow out of it.

We now have similar problems with a horse. And those nips hurt a hell of a lot more!

[catbus]

I have been watching this- as painful as it is to watch his funny looking mug, I think he has some relevant points- I've been working with Clover on that 'leave ' exercise and she seems to be responding whilst my hands stink of cheese

Ouch to horse nipping though
And I shall have a look at positive interrupters again, although I seem to remember it can often backfire and make the pup worse? I shall try it anyway

[SpicyPear]

I agree with him on "ouch" - not effective for a lot of dogs.

[moosemama]

I don't greet my dogs effusively when I come home, because both have had degrees of SA.

I come in the front door, hang up my coat and hat, put my boots and bag away and then go to the kitchen. They know I'm back and are waiting behind the kitchen door for me, so I go in and say something like 'Hi guys' give them a very quick ear ruffle and go about my business, doing something like unpacking a bag or putting the kettle on.

I think it's incredibly hurtful not to greet your dogs when you return home, they are extremely social animals. If you watch the way they greet each other when they've only been separated for a short period of time you start to understand how important it is for them to feel connected to their family and ignoring them is likely to cause confusion and at upset.

I agree with others upthread, that a really strong 'leave' is one of the most valuable cues you can teach your dog. It's extremely useful if you have a determined 'nipper' and can be used in such a wide variety of situations to both maintain control and keep your dog safe.

Also agree with whoever suggested trying Kikopup's positive interrupter - this worked fantastically with my pup while we were building up his reliability with 'leave'.