Puppy Nipping

[Ninabeana26]

Is there an easy way to train a basenji not to nip/bite at your hands?

Dallas is still a puppy & loves to chew on anything & everything but he finds my hands/feet to be the best. The first week or so we had him I didn't mind but I don't want him to think that it is always okay to knaw on people's hands.

Also we play on the floor sometimes & he will run towards me & try to tackle me. I don't mind that EXCEPT that he always tries to bite my legs after I fall to the ground! My response is to immediately stop playing & say "NO" when he does it but yet it keeps happening I don't want to stop playing with him (allowing him to tackle) but I don't want him to bite in the process either.

Any tips?

[Mia]

lol lucky me, I have Mia to be the recipient of Nike's teeth
The one thing I did for Mia to stop nipping when we cam in the door was have a spray bottle and just spray her. Nike doesn't bit too much, but when he starts to knaw at my arm, Ijust say so and pull him back, it ;asts for about 4 seconds until he tries again, so I will be curious to see what people suggest. On a trainning video the lady said to put peanut butter on your hand and when they lick it off keep saying kisses, eventually they leanr the word and you are supposed to use it when they start bitting and knawing at you say kisses and reward them if they start licking instead

[Vanessa]

I learned a great trick. Anytime our boy nipped at me I would make this squeel as if to say you hurt me. He would immediately stop and start licking. When they nip you need to stop playing immediately and just walk away. They learn real quick.

[tanza]

And honestly, letting him tackle you is not the best of ideas either

[JazzysMom]

With Keoki we have to firmly say, "NO" and if he doesn't stop, we hold him under the neck – not tightly, just enough so he can't grab -- and make him sit. Then we look him in the eye and say, "NO! Enough!".

That usually does it for him, and he's getting better and better at either not biting and/or listening the first time.

He usually does stop the first time w/me, and in fact seldom does bite at me in play, but not as well with Dh and the kids . One of my dd's says it's because he's afraid of me, but that is not the case. He never cringes, he just listens to the Mama! I think he sees the other dogs and the kids listening to me, and the fact that I don't ask or beg him to stop doing things. I TELL him. I am working to get the family to see the difference, and to stop bouncing around while saying, NO. LOL

[Ninabeana26]

@tanza:

And honestly, letting him tackle you is not the best of ideas either

Yea I was afraid someone would say that. Haha. I just can't resist when we're playing! We'll be on the floor & he has his butt in the air but his front paws on the ground & I will do the same & he just runs towards me. I love it! But I guess it probably doesn't promote any positive behavior. Plus I don't want him to think he is the leader…sigh

[Mia]

@Ninabeana26:

Plus I don't want him to think he is the leader…sigh

lol good luck, if you figure out how to do it let me know, becasue this is Mia's house lol

[tanza]

@Ninabeana26:

Yea I was afraid someone would say that. Haha. I just can't resist when we're playing! We'll be on the floor & he has his butt in the air but his front paws on the ground & I will do the same & he just runs towards me. I love it! But I guess it probably doesn't promote any positive behavior. Plus I don't want him to think he is the leader…sigh

Instead of letting him run into you, use a toy as a buffer so that he is focused on the toy to "pounce" and not you. And if you use a toy and he mouths that, it is something appropriate…. and not your body parts....

And for mouthing on you, you really do have to stop the play immediately

[hdolbow]

mia nips everywhere, not just hands and feet, and it REALLY hurts.. and when telling her NO! she thinks im playing.. and just sticks her little butt in the air and jumps back at me. i cant wait for this stage to end.. haha

[Ninabeana26]

@hdolbow:

mia nips everywhere, not just hands and feet, and it REALLY hurts.. and when telling her NO! she thinks im playing.. and just sticks her little butt in the air and jumps back at me. i cant wait for this stage to end.. haha

The "butt in the air & jumps back" is exactly what Dallas does. He thinks everything is a game! Haha. I am trying a technique a trainer told me (I talked to her yesterday) where if the pup nips you make a yelping sound (to indiciate he hurt you) then hold your hand out & wait for them to lick it. Say "kisses" & "goodboy" & give them a treat. She says he will learn that nipping hurts me, thus why I am making that sound, & he has to kiss the pain away that he caused. We'll see how it goes…

[hdolbow]

i'll have to try that.. let me know how it works out for you.

[tanza]

@Ninabeana26:

The "butt in the air & jumps back" is exactly what Dallas does. He thinks everything is a game! Haha. I am trying a technique a trainer told me (I talked to her yesterday) where if the pup nips you make a yelping sound (to indiciate he hurt you) then hold your hand out & wait for them to lick it. Say "kisses" & "goodboy" & give them a treat. She says he will learn that nipping hurts me, thus why I am making that sound, & he has to kiss the pain away that he caused. We'll see how it goes…

That is typical training, maybe not with the "kiss" part… but the "screaming" is... that is what his/her littermates would do when the play got to rough.. and Mom and other adults if present. Yell and yell loud... but be warning.. mouthing is normal... teaching "soft" mouth is the key... remember that all dogs talk with their mouths and nose.....

[fountainhead]

i'm wondering…when does the extreme chewing end...or does it ever?

my little pup won't stop...he'll stop if we put a muzzle on him for a minute, but then he's upset and gives us the cold shoulder.........we've done all the other techniques they mentioned on here and they would work for a while and then he wouldn't care and start up again (he even doesn't mind the squirt gun anymore...he'll bite at the water squirting out)

he's 4 months now and finally getting his secondarys in, but it's still a pain....

[Ninabeana26]

@fountainhead:

i'm wondering…when does the extreme chewing end...or does it ever?

my little pup won't stop...he'll stop if we put a muzzle on him for a minute, but then he's upset and gives us the cold shoulder.........we've done all the other techniques they mentioned on here and they would work for a while and then he wouldn't care and start up again (he even doesn't mind the squirt gun anymore...he'll bite at the water squirting out)

he's 4 months now and finally getting his secondarys in, but it's still a pain....

Well I think the chewing subsides a bit after they are done with teething. Dallas is 4 months now so he is chewing every he can find since he is losing his baby teeth & his adult teeth are coming in. However, I would imagine that the chewing won't stop if the dog is not getting enough activity. A tired dog is a good dog so if you don't exercise them enough they will get destructive & continue to chew.

[tanza]

@fountainhead:

i'm wondering…when does the extreme chewing end...or does it ever?

my little pup won't stop...he'll stop if we put a muzzle on him for a minute, but then he's upset and gives us the cold shoulder.........we've done all the other techniques they mentioned on here and they would work for a while and then he wouldn't care and start up again (he even doesn't mind the squirt gun anymore...he'll bite at the water squirting out)

he's 4 months now and finally getting his secondarys in, but it's still a pain....

During teething (that can last till they are 6 months) chewing should be expected. I am guessing he is chewing things that are not appropriate?… Does he have enough different things to chew? Do you make sure that when you catch him with something that he should not chew, you correct the behavior and give him something that is his? I have never found that a muzzle would work and I would not use one... You need to be consistent in making sure you are correcting him and of course watching him... do not expect that he will remember... cause he will not....

[fountainhead]

well he's 4 mo. so i'm sure most of it's just teething….he has lots of toys, goes on long walks, and has my aunts dog to play with......when he chews on something he's not suppoesed to i hold the back of his neck lightly and tell him drop it, then tell him good boy and leave it and he does real good with that...
i guess what i meant was chewing on our hands or jumping up and nipping during play. or when he's really excited and i try to pick him up he'll nip me all over and then run off. it's all playing, not serious biting, but he's very rough...and it's seems like if i let him chew lightly, well, give him an inch and he'll take a mile, you know.....

[Janneke]

@fountainhead:

i guess what i meant was chewing on our hands or jumping up and nipping during play. or when he's really excited and i try to pick him up he'll nip me all over and then run off. it's all playing, not serious biting, but he's very rough…and it's seems like if i let him chew lightly, well, give him an inch and he'll take a mile, you know.....

Same problem here.. We just stop the playing and say: 'kisses'. Then he licks and we praise him. Then we continue the playing. If he bites again, we stop.
To prevent the biting we play and just before the biting, we say: 'sit'. He sits, gets a treat and we play on.. etc. (not always working.. because you have to see it coming..)

[Quercus]

I usually do something simmilar to Janneke. When the puppy bites too hard, I say 'ahh', and gently pull my hand away. I try again, and if he bites too hard, I repeat 'ahhhh'; pull hand away and walk away…no more playing. He quickly learns to be very gentle, and starts to lick. I don't mind if a puppy puts his mouth on me very gently. When the pressure is too much, the game ends.

[Janneke]

@Quercus:

He quickly learns to be very gentle

Mirtillo still doesn't get that part..

[Mucky]

I got my Colbey a few days ago, and he has a nipping problem as well. What I did was flip him into a submissive position and held him till he calmed down (to teach him that I was the alpha). And now when he nips at me to play I tell him no and make him stop, and then I give him a toy as the distraction. If he gets too hyped up during play and starts nipping again, I hold and pet him until he calms down. It's only been a few days, but this method has seemed to produce drastic improvements. In my experience with other breeds, the 2 key things is to NEVER let the puppy see any part of your body as a play toy, and, that you need to be the alpha.