Help with dog nipping

[The Ponzzz]

So, I have two little dogs. A Cairn Terrier and a Maltese mix. They both play rough, but I notice the Maltese nips a lot when they play. The Cairn doesn't mind really, but apparantly I'm a dog person and I am now a member of some dog park that has an annual fee. I never would have thought it, but here I am.

The issue is, the little 9lb dog nips at other dogs, playfully. He never hurts them, but other dog owners get really pissed off if they see it. He generally does it when they run around, chasing each other, he will try to grab the tail. We have taken them to trainers in the past and both dogs have gone through PetSmarts puppy class and advance classes. They are generally well behaved dogs.

The Vet told us it would be something he grew out of once he was no longer a puppy, but he's now over 2 and still doing it. Does anyone know any methods to stopping this? I will say yelling no and slapping his nose or ass does not work. Nor does punishing him tto the kennel cage or removing him from play. He will pick right up and do it again. I figured we have a few dog people here on the PC, so it doesn't hurt asking!

[halfling]

yeah yelling no and slapping asses definitely wouldnt work.
you need to beat that little fuckers ass, he'll get the picture.
and don't worry dogs are way too forgiving for it to harm your wonderful relationship.

[Crazy Bard]

Dood ..I don't know how to stop it, but my dog was doing that same thing when she was a pup and now she'll bite the shit outa you if you raise your hand to her. I know she's not doing it to harm me because she doesn't hold onto your hand when she bites, but it is intimidating. This is a Lhasa Apso btw and they're the worst to train.

[Tsa`ah]

Shock collar.

[Inspire]

I don't have some amazing fix for you, but I do know that hitting an animal doesn't do anything, it's just being cruel.

Try looking for Cesar Ramano, the dog whisperer guy on Discovery Channel, I think he has a website too, he might list something there that would work.

[Tsa`ah]

Or just watch the South Park episode.

[halfling]

Or just watch the South Park episode.

tssssssssst!
you must dominate!

[NocturnalRob]

rolled up newspaper. rap on the nose. doesn't hurt the dog, but it shows that you are dominant. roll the pup over and keep it down.

[Kyra231]

I don't have some amazing fix for you, but I do know that hitting an animal doesn't do anything, it's just being cruel.

Try looking for Cesar Ramano, the dog whisperer guy on Discovery Channel, I think he has a website too, he might list something there that would work.

^^^This. My 175lb mastiff mix would be unwalkable on a leash today had I not used quite a few of this guys techniques.

I never watched the show however my mother is an avid fan & after her 15 years of professional animal care I trusted her advice to try Cesar's techniques.

It really sounds quacky but it works. Bruce had never been on a leash in his 4 years of life, within a week I had him walking more docile than a lamb & w/o his pinch collar(at the outset a 'walk' was a screeching drag through the neighborhood with lunges at anything that moved..leaves, cats..god forbid a toad).

Consitency is key, Bruce will occasionally slip still but immediate correction fixes it for long periods of time.

~K.

[Sylvan Dreams]

I think a remote controlled shock collar is the way to go. If the dog is only doing it while he's playing you're not going to be able to immediately correct his behavior. At best, you can immediately move towards trying to correct the nipping but it's going to be at least a few seconds before you get the dog - perhaps even longer since he's going to be amped up and running around and possibly even away from you.

[Methais]

Try a chewing deterrent. Apparently it tastes worse than the reports of Emislity's vagina.

Shock collar if that doesn't do it. Or just use Emislity's vagina. That'll do it (if it doesn't kill the dog).

[Stanley Burrell]

Train the. first. ever. Maltese fighting dog.

[thefarmer]

I don't have some amazing fix for you, but I do know that hitting an animal doesn't do anything, it's just being cruel.

Try looking for Cesar Ramano, the dog whisperer guy on Discovery Channel, I think he has a website too, he might list something there that would work.

Cesar Millan

[Stretch]

Get a wok and some soy sauce.

[Stanley Burrell]

http://drivemomcrazy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/chloe-the-maltese-dog.jpg

http://usera.imagecave.com/Jimesu_Evil/Pai_Mei.jpg

[The Ponzzz]

Shock collars aren't good.

[firegirl]

get a squeeze bottle of water or be creative and get a small watergun. Right in the nose/face area.
I had to do it for one my old pups to get out the habit of trying to herd at the park.

[Inspire]

get a squeeze bottle of water or be creative and get a small watergun. Right in the nose/face area.
I had to do it for one my old pups to get out the habit of trying to herd at the park.

I've used a squirt gun for barking too, it works well.

[Kyra231]

Shock collars aren't good.

agreed, my terrier mix I used one on..it worked great when it was on her, when it wasn't or we weren't around she would just destroy everything that made a similar beep as the warning on the collar. Was pretty scary until we figured out wtf she was doing(she attacked the phone in my hand).

[Sean of the Thread]

My dog tried the alpha take over on me once when he was young pup... 2 years oldish.

He attacked me I punched him in the head and body slammed him into a wall. He's been the best dog I've had since. Except bath time :(

[The Ponzzz]

Yea, I heard the same thing about the shock collars, once they know when they aren't on, they are evil! This dog would do that to me. He would destroy the house.

And yea, this maltese tried to be the alpha with me, I had to put him in his place quick. He was getting super possessive with food and where he slept. But he's still really nasty around another alpha dog and when he fights the cairn, he beats him good. And the cairn has over 10lbs on him.

[Tisket]

Hahaha, Ponzzz has purse dogs.

Just teasing. Sorta.

[The Ponzzz]

Hahah, I didn't pick them out! I rather have a lab! But the girly likes them, but you see, I take care of them. But these two guys are great.

[Tisket]

Yeah, small dogs are cool. I have one myself.

[diethx]

I love cairns, they're so cute. I fell in love with one at a pet store a couple years back, and my fiance had to pry me out of the door, hehe. I wish we had a house/yard and not an apartment. :/

[Ignot]

Sometimes a good ask kicking is good to let them know who is boss. I couldn't control my two Danes without a good ask kicking every now and then.

I pinch collar (spikes) works wonders to keep control. Get it right under their throat and when your walking him, if he snaps at another dog just pinch him. You can find one that small but you'll have to do some searching.

What sucks is your dog is playing and pinching is how he plays. If you try to get him to stop pinching through discipline then he is most likely going to think playing is bad not pinching.

Your better off with some one-on-one time with him where you play and as he pinches you you discipline (water, pinch, slap, "no!", shock, whatever). But keep playing with him so he knows thats okay. He might get the picture that way. Reinforce GOOD playing with treats and BAD playing with discipline.

Oh and for the parents at the dog park who get upset when their dog plays and gets pinched, FUCK YOU! They are fucking dogs let them play. Just ignore the parents because they are retarded. You might like a free city run dog park where normal people go as opposed to the fee based parks where the lunatic obsessive parents go.

[DCSL]

I dunno about the pinch collar. I mean, I use it for beginning training myself but you can really injure a dog if you don't use it correctly. You have to be quite careful and in control of yourself lest you throttle the dog and you won't experience much of a difference if you don't constantly keep the collar up high on their necks behind their ears. But the same effect, or similar, can be gained through a slip lead if you know what you're doing.

But I digress. Neither of those is really good for Mario's problem, since the dog is off the lead anyway. And PetSmart? Don't make me laugh. Their training program is ass for working on aggressive behaviors of almost any kind. If you have a well-adjusted, submissive little lab puppy who goes on regular walks, their program is great. But if you have a dog or people aggressive dog then it's shite. Their method of positive-only reinforcement is not what it will take to get through to a dog that already thinks it's dominant to you.

I don't have cable TV (only cable internet.. priorities..) so I haven't watched any Cesar Millan stuff but I've heard good things? Anyway, the best advice I've seen on here for Mario is the put-the-dog-on-its-back thing. When doing this, don't strangle the dog but do keep your hand on its throat. Don't let it rest its paws on you as that's a dominant thing. Keep it on its back until it relaxes and looks away from your face. This may take a while at first so get comfortable.

I do this with all my dogs, aggressive breed or otherwise. I've got a pit bull mix (only about three months old but 16 pounds), a Bernese Mountain dog/Border Collie mix (75 pounds) and a Jack Russell Terrier (12 pounds). The one who thinks he's most dominant? The terrier, of course, and if anyone but me tries to command him, he will ignore them. I am the undisputed alpha of my pack but he views himself as second only to me and that includes the rest of the world.

Small dogs are often this way and a goodly portion of the problem when it gets out of control lies with owners. Because they're small their bad behaviors aren't seen as physically threatening as they would be if they came from a bigger dog, so we let them get away with it. Would you have let your pit bull puppy "grow out" of nipping people and other animals? No. Or I hope not, anyway.

If I sound vehement, it's because I see far too many dogs put down in shelters because they were given up by people who didn't correct problem behaviors when they saw them. Not that I think Mario will be tossing his dog to a rescue just because it nips at other dogs when it gets worked up playing. Just a hot button issue for me.

Establishing yourself more firmly as the alpha will not correct the particular nipping problem but it will go a long way towards putting yourself in a position that will make it obey you naturally when you do correct it.

[The Ponzzz]

Yea, the nipping isn't outrageous, and it's very playful really. But when in a dog park with 10-15 dogs, an owner doesn't want to see it.

I will try this as well! Thanks!!!

And no, these dogs aren't being put down because they nip. Worst case scenario, they don't go back to the park to play.

[Kyra231]

Anyway, the best advice I've seen on here for Mario is the put-the-dog-on-its-back thing. When doing this, don't strangle the dog but do keep your hand on its throat. Don't let it rest its paws on you as that's a dominant thing. Keep it on its back until it relaxes and looks away from your face. This may take a while at first so get comfortable.

I do this with all my dogs, aggressive breed or otherwise. I've got a pit bull mix (only about three months old but 16 pounds), a Bernese Mountain dog/Border Collie mix (75 pounds) and a Jack Russell Terrier (12 pounds). The one who thinks he's most dominant? The terrier, of course, and if anyone but me tries to command him, he will ignore them. I am the undisputed alpha of my pack but he views himself as second only to me and that includes the rest of the world.

Small dogs are often this way and a goodly portion of the problem when it gets out of control lies with owners. Because they're small their bad behaviors aren't seen as physically threatening as they would be if they came from a bigger dog, so we let them get away with it. Would you have let your pit bull puppy "grow out" of nipping people and other animals? No. Or I hope not, anyway.

If I sound vehement, it's because I see far too many dogs put down in shelters because they were given up by people who didn't correct problem behaviors when they saw them. Not that I think Mario will be tossing his dog to a rescue just because it nips at other dogs when it gets worked up playing. Just a hot button issue for me.

Establishing yourself more firmly as the alpha will not correct the particular nipping problem but it will go a long way towards putting yourself in a position that will make it obey you naturally when you do correct it.

The holding them down does work. Bruce was very aggressive toward other dogs & our crazy neighbor lady had 4 cocker spaniels(always loose). Bruce would try to drag me toward them, etc...I put him on the ground & held him while letting the other dogs sniff him until he was calm.

When Bruce got up...he no longer wanted to even look at the spaniels...let alone drag me to them or anything.

If nothing else it will help calm him down when he's worked up enough to nip.

If he's nipping at the dog park(?not quite sure what those are) I'd do that, just hold him down & let the other dog sniff, etc until he's calm & see if he isn't better behaved after.

It looks horrible sometimes(the non english speaking neighbors had quite the dialog while pointing at me) but worth the outcome in the end I think.

~K.

[Shari]

I never liked the use of shock collars. I don't know about the PetSmarts where you're at but the one I worked at gave us the miracle of the penny can. We have since renamed it the "can of whoopass".

Take a soda or beer can, clean it out, fill it with about 15 pennies. When the dog starts nipping, hurl the can in the direction of the dog. If they're really bad, I usually aim for the dog. The benefit is it doesn't hurt when they're hit but its so god damned noisy it scares the bejesus out of them.

Once they realize the power of the can in the future all you really need to do is pick it up or give it a little shake and it will put them in check PRONTO. If my dogs even SEE me pick up the can they go running for cover. Often times if the garbage needs to be taken out but its too dark at night to walk the bag to the alley, I just put the can ontop of our kitchen garbage so they wont touch it.

Works like a charm for most things: barking, door dashing, biting, rooting through garbage cans.

If your dog is overly nervous to begin with or a puppy you'll have to watch out for pee puddles!

[DCSL]

Ha ha, the PetSmart trainers in Denver (I'm friends with the area trainer) would be fired if they even suggested something like that. X_x She and her trainers have gotten in trouble in the past for suggesting shock tactics like that to customers while they're clocked in. When she's clocked out, she uses things like that on her own time while working with aggressive dogs.

[Stanley Burrell]

IT IS A FUCKING MALTESE ANYONE WHO IS FAZED BY BEING NIPPED AT BY SAID MALTESE IS A WANTON HEMOPHELIAC AND DESERVES IT

godammit.

[Kyra231]

Hah, after grooming for 10 years I'd rather be bitten by a larger dog than a fast nabbing smaller one.

Same for birds strangely...damn budgies hurt 10x worse than a large bird most of the time.

~K.

[DCSL]

Ditto. The worst bites I've gotten so far were from chihuahuas and one particularly vicious corgi. I've been bitten by bigger dogs but none of them have sent me to the hospital for stitches.

[Shari]

Little dogs are evil. Whenever I take my min pin anywhere like vet or groomer I'm immediately: "muzzle plz"

[Kyra231]

Little dogs are evil. Whenever I take my min pin anywhere like vet or groomer I'm immediately: "muzzle plz"

LOL, I would have PAID to have clients like that. Usually it's 'MY DAWG DOESNT BITE, WAT ARE U TALKING ABOUT????' as they half foam at the mouth in your face & their dog is growling with teeth bared 2 feet behind them...<sigh>.

~K.

[Killer Kitten]

Are your dogs neutered? If no, that's your first step.

Then on to training - incorporating hand signals, a firm voice, a 'bridge' (usually a dog whistle or clicker) and immediate rewards for desirable behavior.
And a squirt gun for undesirable behavior.

(This according to my dog trainer friend, and I've seen her do amazing things quickly with strange dogs.)

[Agamemnon]

This works best imho.


http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/wp-content/national-lampoon-73.jpg

[Stanley Burrell]

Hah, after grooming for 10 years I'd rather be bitten by a larger dog than a fast nabbing smaller one.

I mean, if you have to be surgical because someone wants to fluff their long-haired rat, and you have to invest that much more precision to close detail, that makes sense/is job-related.

But I sincerely doubt that you would rather be bitten by a Rot or pit bull than a Maltese. Unless it's Ponzzz's, since he's training his to be a CANinja (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf190Gxi48w), I have decided.