Guest kkaiser104 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 When I come home from work or class, Teddi gets so excited that he nips at me. It's clearly not aggressive, but yesterday he grabbed my arm and left a nice big bruise and welt. When I come in, I ignore him until he calms down but he's been doing this nipping thing for the past few days even with me ignoring him. I'm afraid he'll do it to someone else and hurt them. What's the best way to teach him not to nip at me? I've just been telling him no sternly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryffenne Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 (edited) Firm "NO!" or "NO Bite!" If firm doesn't work, VoG (Voice of God) When he lets go, praise him for being a good boy. I haven't had to do this with a greyhound, but with an adolescent husky, to get the message across, I had to wrap my fingers gently, but firmly, around her muzzle while using the VoG "NO BITE" then praise her when she sat quietly looking at me. She wasn't biting me, she was mouthing me. But "bite" kept it simple. ETA~ You may have to correct before the nip happens. To warn him off that the intended behavior isn't tolerated. If he is getting excited and then nips, get him before the connect. That is what I had to do with the husky. I knew what she was intending, and put a stop to it before it happened. Otherwise, he might think that you're praising the letting go, and will nip to get the letting go praise. If that makes sense? Sorry.. work nights and just waking up. Edited August 25, 2012 by Gryffenne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DeniseL Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I'm not sure the answer to this, but my girl does it,too. She just gets herself so excited. She air snaps and sings, but she has made contact once or twice and I know there is a possibility of her hurting me. She is just so darn cute, though!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kkaiser104 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Firm "NO!" or "NO Bite!" If firm doesn't work, VoG (Voice of God) When he lets go, praise him for being a good boy. I haven't had to do this with a greyhound, but with an adolescent husky, to get the message across, I had to wrap my fingers gently, but firmly, around her muzzle while using the VoG "NO BITE" then praise her when she sat quietly looking at me. She wasn't biting me, she was mouthing me. But "bite" kept it simple. ETA~ You may have to correct before the nip happens. To warn him off that the intended behavior isn't tolerated. If he is getting excited and then nips, get him before the connect. That is what I had to do with the husky. I knew what she was intending, and put a stop to it before it happened. Otherwise, he might think that you're praising the letting go, and will nip to get the letting go praise. If that makes sense? Sorry.. work nights and just waking up. Thanks for this! I feel so dumb that I never thought to correct the behavior before it happened. I'll just have to start telling him "no bites" when I walk in the door and might have to try the VoG. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2greytgreys Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Firm "NO!" or "NO Bite!" If firm doesn't work, VoG (Voice of God) When he lets go, praise him for being a good boy. I haven't had to do this with a greyhound, but with an adolescent husky, to get the message across, I had to wrap my fingers gently, but firmly, around her muzzle while using the VoG "NO BITE" then praise her when she sat quietly looking at me. She wasn't biting me, she was mouthing me. But "bite" kept it simple. ETA~ You may have to correct before the nip happens. To warn him off that the intended behavior isn't tolerated. If he is getting excited and then nips, get him before the connect. That is what I had to do with the husky. I knew what she was intending, and put a stop to it before it happened. Otherwise, he might think that you're praising the letting go, and will nip to get the letting go praise. If that makes sense? Sorry.. work nights and just waking up. Yes, this. Max is a nipper too especially when I come home. A short, firm "no" when I come in catches him before he gets too wound up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 If you do a search for "nitting" you'll find a lot of threads about this. It's fairly common in greyhounds, and they do it when they're happy and excited. I agree with trying to prevent it before he gets to the point of nipping, but I'm not sure I'd resort to the VoG or other harsh response beforehand. If you come home and use the VoG when he's all happy and excited to see you, it may stress and confuse him as he has no idea why you're angry with him. Instead, I'd try talking to him in a soft, calm voice as you come in and keep your body language low key. Ignoring him completely may be frustrating for him, so calm, low key greeting works better for some dogs. Tell him "easy" or "uh-uh" in a gentle, warning tone, and perhaps even hold your hand up with your palm out ("stop" signal) in front of him, to try to get him to stop and calm down. If he nips you, use a sharp "no" or "ouch", and turn your back on him. I do believe in animal communication and the power of suggestion. So I think telling him "easy" and picturing him being calm may be better than telling him "no bites", which may make you picture him biting you. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I would leave some toys by the door and when you walk in, hand him a toy then his mouth is occupied and can't nip. Eventually he will grab a toy by himself when he's excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest team_tonio Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I would leave some toys by the door and when you walk in, hand him a toy then his mouth is occupied and can't nip. Eventually he will grab a toy by himself when he's excited. I love this idea! So smart! My boy "mouths " me but has never bitten down. When he does get crazy excited usually a squeaky stuffy is a great distraction. Stuffy vs arm? No question which is better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AEB Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I agree, a firm "no" when he is about to nip should help. Especially if you are someone who rarely uses "no". Also, try to make your arrival no big deal. Just walk in and ignore him until he calms down. Then reward him for his calm with some pats. Then you too can get silly. The calmer you can make your entry the better it is for everyone. It is adorable to see them so happy to see us. But, sometimes happiness crosses the line (like jumping up and almost knocking you over). The less of a big deal your homecoming is, the calmer he will be. This is good for guests too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 My Adam does the same thing when excited - what works for me is to get my hands down to his level and pat him. If my hands are in the air or above his head - he jumps up and mouths my arm. Same thing when I am walking away and he thinks he's gong for a walk - he tries to grab my rear - I just slow down so he can catch up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scouts_mom Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I totally agree with trying to stop the behaviour before it does happen, but if you do get nipped, let out a loud yip/screech. This is what his fellow pups do when playing gets too rough and he is hard-wired to stop immediately, I did this with one of my girls who would nip when excited. Afterwards she would be so apologetic--"Mommy, I didn't mean to hurt you. I am sorry." She learned very quickly not to nip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I find it you make a REALLY LOUD noise that sounds as much as possible like another dog they get the point immediately! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FordRacingRon Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Leia used to nip and nit (she was in CG magazine years back in a article about nitting). Just a loud OUCH every time and it stopped for her,,the nipping.. the nitting just stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourofem Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Hitchie and Stel were my two who wanted to grab my arm when I got home...not being ugly, just excited and that's what they did. How I broke them of it was to give them a loud "NO" to stop, then ignore them while I love on the other two. It took a while but they finally figured it out. They now prefer a good scritch!!! Hitchie will still slip up every so often but when I turn my back on him, he knows why. Quote Blair, Stella (DND Heather), Lizzie (M's Deadra), Hitch (Hallo Dominant) and House (Mac's Dr. House) Missing my handsome men Lewis (Vs Lowrider) - 11/11/01 - 3/11/09, Kevin (Dakota's Hi Five) - 1/1/06 - 4/18/11 and my cat, Sparkle Baby - ??/??/96 - 4/23/11 "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is, in fact, the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." (Theodorus Gaza) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Giselle Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 The problem with a "Voice of God NO!" and holding the muzzle are that they don't stop the problem. You're just adding a band-aid to fix the symptoms. The real issue is that your dog is overly excited. He is nipping because he is uncontrollably excited. So, to fix the core of the problem, you can control your dog's excitement by asking him to do an alternate behavior. When you come home, ask your dog to actually perform a behavior, instead of getting uncontrollably excited. Some suggestions: "Spin", "Get your toy!", "Back up", long "Down/Stay", "Go to your Bed!", etc. As an example, Ivy is an eternal puppy when I come home. So, instead of letting her get overly excited and start jumping or nipping, I ask her to "Back" and do a long "Down/Stay". She is also allowed to do "Spin". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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