Dog Nipping

[Eric]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to stop nipping. Occasionally my 6 month old German Shepherd like to nip/bite at my wife's pant legs or his leash when going for a walk. We have been trying to reward him when he does not do this but sometimes it doesn't work. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. 

 

Eric

[Adrienne]

Hi Eric,

Welcome to the forums!

For the nipping at your wife's pant legs, does that happen on walks? If so, has you wife identified whether there is a specific trigger? For instance, does it happen at the end of the walk? The beginning of the walk? Upon encountering triggers like other dogs and people on walks? When taking a specific path? The more details the better, so we can evaluate whether there is a common trigger that evokes this behavior. Predictability of a behavior is empowering as we know whether there is some aspect we may need to work on. 

You will find several solutions for the habit of biting the leash in these threads below. Many find switching to a chain leash as the fastest solution as many dogs dislike biting on metal. However, some persistent biters may still enjoy chewing on the metal so it won't work for all. 

 

[Eric]

Hello Adrienne, 

Thank you for replying. I personally have not noticed any triggers but in speaking with my wife she says that he usually starts to bite the leash after he has done his business and she is trying to bring him back inside.  As of writing this my wife is on the phone with me telling me that she was just sitting on the couch and our dog just came over and started nipping at her, gently at first but then started to increase the pressure. She removed herself from the are and went into a bathroom. When she came out he started jumping up on her and nipping so she turned her back towards him and he did it again and ended up biting her lower back.  She said it wasn't very hard but she tends to bruise easily. Any suggestions on how to stop this?  Thank you, 

Eric

[Adrienne]

Thanks for the extra details, very helpful!

If there is a pattern of biting the leash when heading back home, it could be the pup doesn't like going back inside the home because the great outdoors is valued more. In such cases, it can help to take a multi-faceted approach. For example:

-Encouraging more fun activities inside the home. Brain games, clicker training, nose work, food-dispensing toys (Kong Wobbler, bottle game https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/, treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

-When the behavior is expected to take place, preempting it by offering a flirt pole to play with or offering a long tug toy. Make sure your pup knows how to drop in exchange for a treat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/  It's important that we offer these activities before he starts biting the leash so to make the activities preferable and prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior (the more a pup does it, the more the behavior persists) . Alternatively, a find it game by tossing several kibble on the ground to let the dog focus on finding rather than jumping up and biting the leash. 

-Offer a stuffed animal to carry at the end of the walk. Use one your pup doesn't see often. Many puppies will happily carry the stuffed animal which will keep their minds off the leash. 

-Avoid leash corrections/pulling as some pups come to associate the leash with the negative sensation and will start biting it. It sounds like your wife is trying to get him inside which sounds like there is some reluctance on his side. Training some steps of attention heeling can help make the return more positive: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ and it also can help having a brain game ready upon his return so to create a look-forwarded-to routine. 

-Using a metal chain leash (as mentioned, dogs don't like the feel of chewing it in general) or other strategies discussed above. 

-At 6 months, your GSD is nearing the adolescent stage (usually in this breed starts at 8 months). This is a time where there may be some regressions. Offering mental stimulation, training and  impulse control games https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/  is important. Here is a guide on what to expect: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

By encouraging fun activities in the home, preempting the behavior by offering alternate activities, avoiding leash corrections and possibly using a metal leash, you should see a slow, but steady reduction in the problem behavior over time since it's tackled from different angles. 

I will be tackling the latest nipping episode shortly in my next post. 

[Eric]

Thank you so much for the information! I look forward to trying all these techniques out and seeing the results. I will keep you posted on how things progress. 

Eric

[Adrienne]

 She was just sitting on the couch and our dog just came over and started nipping at her, gently at first but then started to increase the pressure. She removed herself from the are and went into a bathroom. When she came out he started jumping up on her and nipping so she turned her back towards him and he did it again and ended up biting her lower back.  She said it wasn't very hard but she tends to bruise easily. Any suggestions on how to stop this?  

I am glad the nipping wasn't very hard, as that tells us he has some bite inhibition. At his age, we can still work of refining it. Play with other dogs of his age can help him work on this to some extent, but he needs to remember that human skin is extra sensitive while dogs have layers of fur. We can remind this by hand feeding him and teaching him to take treats gently, here is guide on that:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

Bite inhibition games can also teach pups other ways to interact with us, I specifically feel that hand targeting can turn helpful.

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

This is a video with some demos of these exercises:

When a young puppy starts biting somebody on the couch, one of the first thought that comes to my mind is a bored/understimulated puppy who is seeking interaction/attention. The other thing that comes to my my mind is cranky puppy who is dire need of a nap. 

-A Matter of Seeking Attention/Engagement Many puppies struggle when we sit on the couch. This is because when we sit on the couch it often means all good things ending (sort of like returning home from a walk). We may start reading a book or watching TV when a puppy's brain and body is screaming for activity. So when a puppy starts nipping upon us sitting on the couch they want to find ways to get attention or at least gain some more engagement from us.

Here's the thing: when it comes to getting attention, puppies, just like toddlers, seem to appreciate any form of attention, even if attention of the negative type (pushing the puppy away, scolding the puppy). So just like a toddler starts misbehaving when you are talking on the phone, an attention-driven puppy may start nipping, jumping and barking for attention or as a form of protect the moment one starts sitting on the couch.

-Getting Overstimulated and Cranky. Many puppies are very active during the morning, then they may take a small late morning early afternoon nap and then get active again and they may stay active until evening. By this point, a puppy may be getting increasingly tired, but they may still feel overstimulated. An overstimulated puppy eventually needs to crash, but many struggle to fall asleep. A  puppy feeling cranky is the perfect recipe to misbehave (just like kids!), which leads to excessive jumping, barking and nipping.

In any case, if this happens predictably upon sitting on the couch, there is one main advantage on your side: predictability. Predictability of a behavior offers you the benefit of preparing a plan and having it in place prior to sitting on the couch so that you can work on decreasing the chances for the problematic behavior. So here are some tips/ideas:

Prevent Rehearsal of the Behavior. The popular saying "practice makes perfect" applies to dogs as well. Just like an actor gets better by rehearsing parts over and over, dogs get better at performing behaviors whether desirable or undesirable to the point of them becoming almost habit-forming. It would be therefore important preempting your GSD from rehearsing the problematic nipping behaviors by using offering alternate activities that will keep him busy. 

For example, just prior to sitting on the couch, the pup can be taught an alternate incompatible behavior that is far more enticing to engage in than the actual nipping. As your puppy increasingly chooses to engage in this alternate behavior, the problematic behaviors should start going to the backburner until they are eventually abandoned for good.

Examples of alternate behaviors to offered prior to sitting down can be:

Training your puppy to lie on a mat where he will receive a valuable chew. Here is how to train that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

 Training your puppy to go grab a special toy on cue (using different ones each time to keep he interest alive) and play with it.  See the section on how to train "take:"

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

Alternatively, your wife can offer him to take a bottle filled with treats/kibble right before sitting down:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

Training hand targets and asking for them and rewarding them with tossing kibble at a distance:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

Carrying a flirt pole can help offer an alternate behavior to nipping body parts when the pup is seeking interaction. A long toy can help as well. 

This training and games can be mismatched so to offer some alternate, calmer activities that your pup can look forward to and that will help take some "steam" off. 

If the pup is cranky and in need of a nap, placing him in his own area (exercise pen, area behind a baby gate) with a chew toy (stuffed frozen Kong, Topple toy) can help him relax and fall asleep. 

If your GSD engages in biting as your wife walks randomly around, before he starts to nip, let him focus on the floor, by tossing several kibble/treats on the ground in a treasure hunt fashion and telling him to "find it!" Have her carry them in her pocket or treat bag so that she can engage him quickly. If he knows sit, have her ask him for that and maybe mix in some downs or hand targets before tossing the treat/kibble. 

Important is to avoid getting upset at the dog or using physical methods. It can be very tempting to correct a dog who bites when excited by scolding the dog, pushing him away or maybe even delivering an alpha roll, muzzle grab or a scruff shake. These methods though are very likely to back fire, exacerbating the arousal or even turning a dog from biting from play or excitement into a more serious, more difficult to treat form of biting: biting for defense. So anything physical or any approach based on intimidation should not be used and if used before they should be stopped. 

I hope this  helps!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Happy training,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.