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Daisy girl nipping at kids

1K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  melbrod 
#1 ·
Our sweet Daisy girl is now almost 8 months. She is stubborn as all get out but has my heart for sure. We are having an issue with her still nipping. She uses her mouth to communicate but she bites hard while doing it. Not so much me, but my husband and my kids are free game unless I am present. It doesn’t appear to be aggression but for attention, but it’s gotten to the point where she has drawn blood on my 4 year old and it’s not good. I work from home and while my kids watch television or play Barbie it’s constant tears from Daisys nips. How do I stop this behavior? Any help is greatly appreciated.
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#2 ·
It sounds to me like Daisy has not yet learned bite inhibition (and in my case I hate being mouthed, nipped or anything more that I want no dog mouths on me or anyone else). So it's not too late to start that training--for openers I'd put her on leash and not let her have contact with the kids at all. I'd probably crate her if she was getting excited and that was leading to the nips and I do some kid training too--especially for your youngest--no playing with Daisy without you being present.

Being deprived of freedom will make it a lot harder for her to nip anyone. And one of the things that happens with kids is that young dogs don't see them in the same light as adults and often don't seem to think the same rules apply. So they try to play with kids (at least the younger ones) as if they were other puppies--and when puppies play they often bite each other to get them to engage.

So the aim of the training in part should be to teach the puppy that the kid is NOT another puppy and teach the 4 year old to NOT play with the puppy--but to be quiet and pet instead of run so the puppy can learn a different, better behavior around your kids.

Also take a look at the sticky in the puppy section "Help, my puppy is biting me"--it's pretty informative.

dobebug
 
#4 ·
With my grandkids:
First My boy Hoss is always on a leash with me around children.
As far as nipping …PREVENTION of this behavior Is key.
Say that word times time 10 times!!!!! LOL
Each time nipping or biting happens it reinforces the behavior and we certainly do not want that to happen.
Plus with toddlers is seems their eye balls are right about at our dogs face so…..leashed and with me……thus prevention.
And IF dog attempts to nip we the human must be close enough to catch the dog ….in the moment…. thus the leash.
Yep certainly does requires close supervision from us but with a dog this big we must teach our puppys good citizenship.
Now I also taught my grandkids kids ….of their responsibility ………no eyeballing the dog.
Humans are the biggest rule breakers!!! We all know this to be true so “Watch’em”…..having your dog on lead and with you…. you can also control what other humans do to your do……Humans, there is always one that wants to undo your training…so , Watch’em…LOL
So I would tell my grandkids that Hoss was invisible and they were to give him no attention….. Until I said so……
Thats what they did …….ignored him and just moved around as they played.
Hoss was leashed and with me.
But with my kids no running, jumping, and that screaming stuff……..unless I said so……
They were good at this game.
Now in turn, we would have play moments that I would let the kids have fun and let go…turned those moments into training time for Hoss….down stays ….with distractions…… as the kids played loudly……I think its fun to turn everyday life events in training moments.
Be creative, but keep that pupper within 6 feet of you for now.
As time goes by kids get bigger and the dogs mature.
 
#5 ·
I also have grandkids (2&4) who were raised around Dobes in both my home and theirs, and are now raising a Doberman puppy. He's 7 months old, so close to the same age as Daisy.

All I have to say is: Everything dobebug and LadyDi said ^^^^^^!
Train the kids and tether the pup. And, had you been working on this from the beginning, this phase would have pretty much been long gone by now. The only thing my son's 7 month old nips right now is my adult male Dobe. And trust me, he pays dearly for the occasional privilege.

And pay no attention to Ceasr Milan. (Whoops.... Wrong thread)

@ Di: The double post was a mistake? I thought you did it for EMPHASIS.

John Lichtwardt
Portland OR
 
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