Ouch!

[Guest NeroAmber]

I have a little problem with Nero, but it doesn't seem like it would have a straighforward fix, so any advice or ideas would be brilliant, thanks guys!

We've had Nero not too long, just since February, and he's quite reserved. He's started to play since we got our other hound, Amber, which is lovely, as he's discovered the joys of playing alone, too. The problem is that when I play with the two of them he gets too excited and has started nipping, but I've never had a nip like this, he has an incredibly strong, quick bite, and the last one broke my skin very slightly and all these bites have left large painful bruises. I don't roughhouse with him, so I don't think it's too high an energy level on my part, as I can't walk very far, let alone run at the moment.

I'm a little unwilling at the moment to say 'no' firmly, let alone loudly, as he's so very very sensitive to any telling-off, he runs away and shuts down, he goes stiff under hand and cringes away. I want him to stop nipping, but I feel sure that the usual 'no!' would put him off playing, and put him off coming near me. I was wondering if anyone knew any softly-softly approaches that would mean he could keep developing his happy, playful side while stopping him hurting me! Thanks for any help!

[PattyHasThree]

Yelp like it hurt, turn your back on him and move away. He'll get the point.

 

Patty

[TheFullHouse]

A loud "OUCH" or a "YELP" like another dog would make will get his attention. I have a couple "excitable nippers" also. I "yelp/ouch" in a high voice and then say "NO" when it happens. It doesn't happen much any more at all.

[Guest NeroAmber]

ok, yelp and turn away. New game plan in action! Thanks

[Guest SusanP]

Be careful, because yelping just got my Spinner more revved up when I tried it. And though Spinner is not burdened with a great deal of sensitivity (for a greyhound), when I tried the squirt bottle, he became upset and aggressive for "real". (We had not had him as long as you've had your pup, though, and he really didn't know us well enough to be sure we weren't dangerous yet).

 

I'd say use "no" at whatever level you feel he can tolerate it, even if it's in a fairly normal voice--just sound serious. He *needs* to be made a little uncomfortable, though not scared to death, when he does something wrong. But for sure don't overdo it--no yelling is usually needed with a sensitive one.

 

The only thing that's helped simmer Spinner down for me is that he most often grabs at my hands to bite, and once my hand is in his mouth, it's easy to grab his lower jaw and squeeze slightly on his jaw and tongue until he lets up and backs off. In truth, even that doesn't deter him entirely, but he bites at me a bit less often and not as hard unless he's in an unusually boisterous mood.

 

Not what you expected in a greyhound, huh? Me, neither, and Spinner is our 5th!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I agree with the "yelp, or other loud sharp sound", but be sure that immediately after the sound, all play stops! He will understand soon enough that when you yelp after he nips you, the fun stops, he should change his behavior. If you try this for a week or so and it doesnt work, then you may need to back off the manual play for a while and simply throw a stuffy or whatever he likes to play with, other than you. Wait for him to get more comfortable in the household before you try to play with him manually.

 

Chad

[Guest NeroAmber]

Thanks for all the help, everyone, I'll try the yelping, but I'll be cautious, and bear what you said in mind, SusanP! And I'll stick to stuffies for now, thanks for the tip, greyt_dog_lover. It's great to have somewhere to go for help where people won't think you're stupid!

[Guest Berylsmum]

Doing the yelping and turning my back didn't work with my non-greyhound, he'd just carry on nipping my back! What did work for us was standing tall and walking towards him and ignoring him while I did it. Jean Donaldson has a video showing her doing this with a dog at a rescue centre. And she explains the reasoning behind it way better than I ever could, but it's sort of about reclaiming your space. I didn't have to do it to my guy more than a few times before he decided jumping up and nipping me wasn't fun any more:-) I have no idea if this would work with a Greyhound, but if I had this problem with Beryl I'd certainly try it. Good luck

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Berylsmum makes another good suggestion to try.

[Guest KennelMom]

High pitched noises often trigger a stronger prey/play response in a dog. These are noises that prey animals make. If you've ever heard one dog yelp in a large group of other dogs, you'll know what I mean. Yelping is what puppies do with each other, yes. It is NOT how adult pack members communicate "stop doing that."

 

I correct the dog quickly and leave no question that their behavior will not be tolerated. Since greyhounds are generally pretty easy, a VoG (Voice of God) "ENOUGH!" usually does the trick. Sometimes you have to reclaim your space by entering theirs (kinda like the Jean Donaldson method describe above). Assuming other factors in the relationship are in line and you are consistent (the behavior must NEVER be tolerated...not just "well, it's ok today" or "it's ok a little bit"). If you are trying to extinguish an unwanted behavior like nipping, you draw your line and stick to it 100%.

 

Don't be afraid to correct your dog and don't feel bad when you do. He'll be fine. What spooks dogs with people when it comes to corrections is inconsistency (sometimes a behavior is corrected, sometimes it's not) or if the correction is too weak or too strong or otherwise inappropriate. In the dog's eyes, you become unpredictable and unstable and they won't trust you.

 

Don't forget reward and praise when he's behaving the way he should.