Land Shark

[romeosangiovese]

I'm just thinking - it works when we stop moving, but when we start moving again, they might start attacking our ankles again - maybe the way to break that chain would be to redirect them to something else? Maybe a toy tho' I'm not sure how many toys you might have strewn around or in your pockets! Or maybe have them do a few commands to get them out of herding mode - sits, downs, stands, then reward with a big Yay, well done! Then send them off again? If you have treats on you, he might forget about your ankles completely and focus on you hoping to get more treats? Of course if you have treats you could treat when he lets go of your leg too.

Just wondering. I think I didn't have to redirect Romeo because I stood still for sooo long that he eventually went and found something else to do himself.

 

[Caro]

So I dont know where Coco got this new little behavior trait of hers but she has earned the nickname "Land Shark" because of it.

Lately CoCo has been chasing people's ankles or calves as they walk and bitting at them(not a playful nip but full out bite!) I have tired giving her a forceful no to even a light "smack" on the nose to tell her no but she still is doing it.

Any suggestions on making her stop this obviously no desired behavior?

Ah yes - the sheltie nip - being small they are so close to those ankles. Deska still nips when excited (he is 2yrs old) - so I have to carry a stick around to redirect his mouth. Standing still doesn't work because it gives him a chance to undo my shoelaces lol. Deska has a very strong herding instinct like my late sheltie Benny who did the same thing.

Find something to redirect her mouth. It is true herding behaviour (that's how they move those sheep) so you need to find a better outlet for her. Smack on the nose is unlikely to help if it is instinct. High pitched noise may. Squeak toy or stick - much better. Also try using the "look at me" command.

 

[BarbV]

Yes, it's the toughest thing to address. Because they nip at the most inconvenient times! And Bacca was really, really awful!

For example, I normally didn't have a bag of treats handy coming out of the shower with a tower draped around me, heading for the bedroom (I found out the treat bag would get really soggy in the shower! )

The best solution I can come up is work on this when you have the time and treats/toys at hand. With treats at the ready, walk down the hall and wait for pup to nip. Redirect the behaviour with a "sit", "down", "off", or ignore. When pup backs off, treat and praise. Then start moving again. You'll probably get about two feet. Then repeat, repeat, repeat.

I had started this process with Bacca, but like I said, I didn't have to continue because bringing Indy home stopped that behaviour entirely!

Good luck. Hope this helps some.

 

[ryanelguiri]

I agree with BarbV, don't use the crate technique as the crate should be a safehaven that you are not allowed to use for punishment. Now, I use it if Ella is a little rambunctious and she just needs to take a nap, shes like a little kid.

What I did, and what maybe wasn't the best at the time, is instead of redirecting her when it wasn't successful, when she bit me, I flipped her over on her back and grabbed the scruff of her neck and just yelled 'NO'.

It surprised the hell out of her, she realized that she pushed my buttons and that was not appropriate, and now she does not nip at me ever. She used to nip at my fiancee, and I told her to do it too, she did it once and now Ella doesn't nip ever.

It probably goes against certain 'rules' of training, but it worked for me as her nipping was getting out of control. I never have done it again for any sort of behavior problem, but as a puppy, it worked for me.