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Post by CurlyCub on Apr 17, 2013 18:27:19 GMT
Firsly I would like to say that Jess is not an aggressive dog.
When I come home from school or have been away from Jess she is very excited to see me. She nearly always jumps up and bites/nips my hand or arm. Mostly it's just a nip but sometimes she gets very carried away and bites down quite hard. She only seems to do this to me, my sister a little but not much. Sometimes she also grabs my hand and tries to take me to the sofa where she will pin my hand down and nip it. Has anyone got any tips of how to stop her doing this? She really isn't aggressive. I thought maybe it's just a pack thing? Any help is great 
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Post by charlottte on Apr 17, 2013 18:42:59 GMT
I'll start off by saying that its unlikely to be pack rated Dogs don't form 'pack', more loose social groupings and dogs definitely don't see humans as part of a pack, hence why all the pack leader mumbo jumbo is a load of BS  It's more likely to be instinct. If she's a collie/Mudi cross then its likely that she just doesn't know how to channel that excite energy other than nipping. Can you ignore her if she jumps up and cross/hide your arms and hands and give her attention when he stops doing it? Also with the dragging to the sofa thing, the more she's allowed to do it, the more she will as she will build up a bigger reinforcement history. Alternatively could you not keep some treats or a toy by the door and direct her attention to the toy or teach her to sit during greeting and then give her a treat/toy to teach her that doing something else will gain her reinforcement. I've never had this problem and I'm sure there are a lot more experienced people on the forum that will be able to help more  |
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Post by CollieSlave on Apr 17, 2013 21:48:49 GMT
The least acceptable part of this scenario is the nipping or biting. A simple approach to start with might be to yell in 'agony' the instant the dog nips or bites. A strong response, indicating pain, might well shock or frighten her - it is the sort of response a pup might make if bitten by another pup during rough play when things have gone a bit too far - it seems to work with pups: perhaps it would work for you!
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Post by CurlyCub on Apr 18, 2013 19:09:19 GMT
charlottte Thanks, I do hide my arms but when she jumps up she manages to nip them anyway, I have tried ignoring her but it doesn't seem to work - she just carries on. I have let her do it twice, both times I wasn't expecting it. I've also tried with a toy, it keeps her amused for about 20 seconds before she starts again. CollieSlave Thanks, I have tried yelling and she does stop and look at me for a second sometimes but then just carries on. I'll try ignoring her until she stops, and yelling/whimpering if she carries on. I'll then reward her with a treat when she stops (I don't mind her licking)
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 20, 2013 8:33:31 GMT
Yeah, I agree to ignore her - just carry on with what you usually do (not the being bitten part though) until she calms down, then very gently praise her like was already said. You could ask someone else in the household to give Jess a stuffed KONG when you come home, and to keep her on a blanket/specific place, and to not let her come and see you until you have been in for around 5-10 mins. By this time she will have calmed down and hopefully be more into her KONG, than an uneccasary greeting. That is what happens with Earl because he gets excited with people coming to the house. Its working too! |
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Post by fatamorgana on Apr 23, 2013 21:27:15 GMT
A lot of dogs get even more excited by yelping or other noises. To them it sounds like injured prey. BT's kong idea is very good, alternatively if you could get another family member to keep her on a lead when you arrive home and at the first sign of jumping or lunging she is immediately removed to another room. Only can come back to you when she's calmed down. This has to be repeated every time. How long has she been doing it? If for a long time, then it will take a while to alter. But don't give up, she needs to learn how to greet you (and everybody else including your sister) appropriately.
I would apply the same rules on the settee - teeth on skin means removal from the room. A house line on her during this re-training time would be good, as it would enable her removal from the settee without trying to get hold of her collar, or asking her to get off. The removal should be swift, matter of fact, no talking, no laughing or thinking she is doing something cute if she offers you her belly.
No compromise here - teeth on skin = out of the room for a few minutes EVERY TIME she does it. She might become good, then revert. If she does revert you have to start the removal again until she no longer uses her teeth on you.
Don't get cross or upset, just think of it as helping her to become a happier dog (because you will be happier if she doesn't nip you. Happy owner = happy dog.) |
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Post by charlottte on Apr 24, 2013 8:59:17 GMT
fatamorgana makes a good point about no laughing. Laughing is highly reinforcing to a dog which will make the behaviour occur more. Also if she has practised it for a long time she will have a strong reinforcement history so as fatamorgana said, it will take a while to break the behaviour. And reverting or getting worse in the retraining is an Extinction Burst. It's important that you do not reinforce in any way at any time during an extinction burst because this will reinforce the higher intensity behaviour rather than the behaviour you were trying to change. Sort of like a dog that greeds. The owners stop feeding all together and the dog starts barking rather than just sitting looking at them. The owner feeds during the barking and the dog thinks 'hey, I just need to bark and I get the food!' Let us know how you get on |
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 27, 2013 18:42:18 GMT
I would like to say, I have stopped the KONG method with Earl. We realized that just ignoring that silly behaviour of his when we/guests come in, is just much more simple to do. That's what we're currently doing, and hopefully it will be a success!  |
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