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Biting update

Behavioral Issues
  • Sandy HovisS

    Want to give an update, my boy Thor would become overly aggressive and bitting became a “Big” problem. My husband and I are on the same page “now”. I saw a tech for this very problem and I am sure many of you are going to disagree, but it is working. Every time Thor starts to bite and no” is not working and he becomes overly stimulated and excited and I can’t stop him from nipping and bitting....I stick my finger deep in his throat (no he doesn’t clamp down)....sorta like gaging Him or pressing on roof of his mouth.., if he does not stop and bite is harder than I expect from mouthing, I will repeat the technique ....he stops, and appropriately mouths and licks my hand. Good boy.

    If he begins too inappropriately bite I say no bite, show him my finger, now he hesitates. It is no longer a big problem. I do not allow any escalation of excitement when playing with him, I walk away, if he grabs my pants or try’s to bite me....I show him the dreaded finger. He is smart and he knows this is not a ball game and no 3 strikes....
    being a young dog he gets easily excited and Still doesn’t know when to stop sometimes. If by chance he does grab at me, I use the technique and biting and nipping is over. He loves to petted and stroked and praised....he gets a lot of that too.
    This little trick has done more for Thor and us than all the “No”s.....put together.
    So if you have a biter.....IJS...

    K 1 Reply
    6
  • eeeefarmE

    I am glad this is working for you. It is a useful technique that I hesitate to recommend because you need to be confident to do it, and unafraid of taking a bite if things go that way. Many people will jerk their hand away if the dog does start to clamp down, which will result in more damage than if you persist and keep your finger in there until he quits trying to bite. But obviously he is getting the message, and that's a good thing!

    Getting forum advice is very useful as you can sift through what people suggest and find what works for you. Not all dogs respond in the same way, and not all techniques work for all people. And it bears repeating, "the only thing two trainers can agree on is that the third is doing it wrong!" :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • Sandy HovisS

    @eeeefarm seems to be working well...I had to put on my big girl trousers...I wanted to keep all ten digits if possible. LOL
    I have found with me experimenting a bit.... if you can be quick while your finger is deep in the mouth , (like passing a pill) he doesn’t seem inclined to close or even try to bite. that’s a good thing. I have never had him throw up, wretch, or gag, it seems to be just unpleasant enough while reinforcing the words no bite. I too don’t suggest it will work with every dog, but Thor was way past the just say no mark. I wish I had know about this technique during his 1st year I was trying to set boundaries for him. Our time now is spent playing, walking and even a cuddle or two.

    0
  • PawlaP

    Thanks for the update!!!
    I'm glad you found something that works for you.

    1
  • K

    @sandy-hovis, totally agree with you. I didn’t want to do this but did it after redirecting to toys and positive reinforcement did not work. Did work (:

    0

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    Hi - a few thoughts in case they are helpful, although ours doesn't bite. For biting: Figure out the reasons for biting first. if it is around toys/possessiveness - we gave him the toy on his bed and let him be there gnawing on his own. Then walked close by (not too close) and threw him something yummier in his view (eg a small piece of sausage that he can eat quickly) and walk away. Do this at random (though not too often) and have different people in your family do it. Soon she will associate your coming close to her and her favorite toy as something good. Progressively get closer (ie throw the sausage from closer), and then squat down, then touch on head briefly, then hand sausage to her, then move hand towards toy but don't touch it. By this time she will anticipate your coming to her when she has a toy as "yay, something more tasty coming my way". Evenutally, you should pick up the toy/bone hand her the sausage then hand back the toy/bone. Pretty soon she'll let you pick up her toy/bone without biting or thinking you are going to take it away. The key is to progress slowly in terms of distance etc, and mix up the treats (sausage, cheese, chicken). -if she does bite someone, then immediately isolate her in a basenji-proof room where she cant destroy things. And when letting her out, ask her to sit and be calm for a few seconds first so that she's not hysterical and she learns to watch and listen to you. There may be something else that one does for biting, so maybe others or a trainer would have good ideas. For pulling on walks, 2 things worked for us: A gentle leader - suggested by our trainer. This means she can't control her head (if they pull forward their head moves to the side like a horses halter) and so she won't be able to forge ahead. It will give your arm/shoulder immediate relief while you work on the rest. In the yard and on walks start rewarding with small treats every time she looks back at you/checks on you. At first she'll do it by chance, or if she is checking to see what you are doing, and sometimes it's a side glance. As soon as she does it - give big verbal praise and get her to come to you and give her a treat and lots of pets. She will begin to do this more often. initially treat every time she looks at you, and once she is good at it, then randomly. On walks you'll find her looking back and coming back to you more often, and as a corollary less pulling, which is a relief. We usually keep the leash in one hand and a handful of small, soft treats in the other - so you don't run out and have to keep going into your pocket to get treats. So, she'll come and nose your hand and you can pet some times, treat sometimes, etc. The one thing is to progress slowly, praise the right behavior and don't get impatient (count to 10, stop training or go do something else for a bit till you feel ready to try again). When doing the praise really have an excited voice and go overboard even! Our basenji really loves being praised. It takes more time perhaps than other methods, but it's long lasting because they see these behaviors as rewarding so you don't have to get into a battle of wills. And once they get the idea, they'll improve rapidly, even over one walk. Good luck!
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