Nipping puppy help

[TERRI RICHARDS]

We have had our 8 week old pit/whippet mix puppy (Molly) for a couple weeks now. She is a biter. We were on the verge of surrendering her to our local shelter as she's been relentless towards the whole family, including my mom and dad, both seniors, and dad isn't so capable of defending himself. She seems to have a high prey drive. No high-pitched yelping worked, and it's impossible to time-out and walk away because she'll just attack our heels.

I asked my mom to let me try out this resource before we make a final decision, but could use a little more help. I've started the target training and she seems to engage with it somewhat and I tried the one where you hold treats in your hand and release once she licks. She doesn't lick, she just nips and as I start saying "No biting," she just starts barking at me. Is there anything I can do?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums,

Your pup is very young (8 weeks) and therefore is trying to engage in play, albeit with those needle sharp teeth, it can feel overwhelming. 

It sounds like you got Molly at a very young age, 6 weeks maybe? Usually, we want young pups to stay with their littermates and moms for at least 8 weeks during which they learn more social skills, get to play more with their siblings, and learn more bite inhibition. These two weeks away from the litter can really put a dent in their behaviors and they can be super nippy as that's how they play/interact with the world.  

Do you know why she was put up for adoption so early? Did you get her from a breeder? Or a rescue? 

Did they tell you whether she is a singleton puppy (the only puppy of the litter?)

If she doesn't lick, it may help to use a little help to evoke licking. One of my favorite tricks is to spread a little bit of butter on my hand, and when they lick, praise (yay!) and open your hand giving access to the treat. 

You may also find these games helpful as they give your pup an alternate way to interact:

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

These handling exercises can help too:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

Here are more tips: 

You want your puppy to gain more reinforcement from interactive toys so that Molly chooses them more and more over playing roughly with you and your family. Look for toys that offer some form of engagement. Some of the best toys are the ones that offer reinforcement under the release of kibble and treats.

 Examples of such toys are Kong Wobblers, puppy Kongs, Buster Cubes, Licki mats and Snuffle Mats. 

You also may want to do some brain games like:

The muffin game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/

The treasure hunt game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

Hand targeting:

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

Airplane game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/airplane-game-training/

You may also include the smacking sound so to teach her to pay attention to you:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

These games encourage play that doesn't involve you, or, if the games involve you, your pup is interacting in a different way that doesn't involve biting. Some also allow some level of impulse control (the treat in the airplane game is released only when the dog doesn't jump and decides to make eye contact).

"Preempt" the Behavior Through Alternate Play 

 Ideally, you should catch your puppy *before* She has had the opportunity to nip and latch onto you clothing or heels. Once your puppy has jumped up and latched, it will be more difficult to interrupt the behavior, you allow rehearsal of an unwanted behavior and you also risk creating an unwanted behavior chain if right afterward, you distract your pup with a toy. 

These forms of alternate play may require you to carry some items with you or keeping them extra handy, but it's totally worth it!  Here are several options for alternate play (make sure to offer these as soon as you notice your puppy approaching you with a possible intent to jump/bite). 

-Carry kibble in your pocket and treat bag. The moment your puppy approaches, toss kibble the opposite way. Rinse and repeat. Your pup will love the game. If your puppy knows how to sit, you can ask that before tossing the kibble or you can train a little later. Here is how to train sit: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/

-Use a long tug toy and encourage your puppy to play tug with it the moment he approaches. If your puppy knows how to leave it and drop, you can add these cues in the game, for now though, since she's so young, you can just have her let fun with it. Here is how to train these though for later on:

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

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

-Keep a flirt pole made for dogs handy. I like to carry one on my shoulder or keep it around my waist. The moment your pup approaches, let her play with it. Being part whippet, she should be drawn to it like a magnet. When young pups are around my elderly parents, I let them hold and drag a flirt pole on the floor when they're walking around to prevent the pup from nipping their heels. 

-Keep several balls in your cargo pant pockets. The moment your puppy approaches, toss a ball the opposite way. 

Ensure Your Puppy Gets Sleep!

Puppies are generally very active pooches, but their batteries tend to discharge quickly. One minute they're up and running, the next they are exhausted as they used up all their energy and need to re-charge. Pups have a lot of growing to and they need to get all the rest they can get. After all, it is known that growth hormone production increases while the puppy is resting or sleeping. 

Similar to children, they may get cranky when tired (which leads to more nipping!) and may be reluctant to go to bed. You may have to enforce naps by placing them in the crate/play pen with something to chew and providing a quiet environment.

Avoid Wearing Tempting Stuff

Watch carefully when your pup jumps up and bites, is your puppy trying to reach something in particular? What exactly is your puppy nipping? Puppies with high prey drive are strongly attracted to anything that moves and captures their attention. Watch carefully what your puppy does when she jumps up and nips.

In many cases, puppies are after your loose sleeves or your pant legs or that scarf or necklace that is dangling. Some pups may also be after your shoelaces, long skirt or even your hair as it moves around as you walk or from the wind. To puppies reaching these things are irresistible, because they are moving and stimulate their desire to chase and grab. 

It may help to avoid full exposures to things that attract puppies so much at least until we have their behavior better under control. So it may help heaps temporarily keeping hair up, not wearing dangling jewelry and using shoes without laces. Tucking flapping pant legs in  socks may help too and so does wearing tall Wellington boots if the pups aim to bite feet and ankles (I know, with this heat, last thing we want is to wear tall boots, but they can be a life saver and prevent pups from getting into a feet chasing habit!). Once we have strongly reinforced other ways to interact with us, we can gradually re-introduce these. 

Enroll in Puppy Classes 

Puppies benefit from puppy classes for the socialization, foundational training and the opportunity to play with other puppies and  to further refine their social skills. These sessions give your puppy the opportunity to engage in the type of play she craves so badly and this further helps drain some excess energy while allowing her to socialize with other puppies and people in safe place. Look for puppy classes run by positive reinforcement dog trainers who put an emphasis on ensuring safe and happy interactions. 

I hope this helps! Puppy biting won't stop overnight, it's a process rather than one-time done ordeal, it's very normal (you'll find an abundance of desperate new puppy owners with puppy landsharks by searching these forums) but with these interventions, you should see a gradual and steady decline with an increase in more desirable behaviors, especially if you reinforce them with great rewards!

Happy training! Feel free to ask any more questions or post updates. We can always do deeper troubleshooting as needed. 

Best,

Adrienne