5 mth old biting kids

[SNA]

Hi everyone,
I just read the nipping ankles article and noted some people's reservations with squirty bottles.
My nearly 5 mth old Basenji is still biting the kids a bit, mainly when we go outside to play, but sometimes inside too. She's gotten much better than she used to be, but sometimes she really just lets it rip. She bites my husband and myself sometimes too, but it's mainly the kids I am concerned about. I've just started taking her to dog training and someone else there with a doberman puppy had good success with using a water pistol, so I was thinking of doing the same.
Any comments?
Sheree

[LeeL]

We have used water bottles on ours for various behaviors like jumping up on things and it works awesomely. They hate being wet. As they gradually stopped doing what we did not want them to do, we just had to get the water bottle out near us for them to stop. After a while, they stopped trying.

[phoenix3]

I use the Sqirt bottle on all 3 of mine i have since day one As soon as i grab it now i don't need to sqirt it i just need to point it and they get the hint However if i leave it anywhere Phoenix can reach it he will chew the top { As to tell me HAHA momma try sqirting me now . } LOL But all and all i think they work great if used the right way . Also just to give u a headsup u might not want to be that close to him when u use it cuz if your B is anything like mine He will Try and lick/eat it as u sqirt it ..

[lvoss]

The problem with using an aversive is that you really need to understand what is motivating the dog's behavior. If a dog is already fearful and shy, using an aversive like water will only reinforce the dog's belief that the situation is one that they should be concerned about. Even if the dog wasn't fearful or shy depending on the dog's reaction to the aversive you can create a negative association with the situation that caused you to use the aversive. In other words, you squirt the dog because it is nipping the kids, the dog connects the kids with being squirted so now the dog becomes worried or fearful when the kids are around because it doesn't want the squirted but didn't connect being squirted to its behavior of nipping but instead the presence of the children.

In what exact situations is the puppy nipping at the children? Is it during play? What kind of play? When does the puppy nip at you and your husband? Looking at what triggers the behavior can help you start to plan how you can train the puppy not to behave this way by rewarding more desirable behaviors in these situations.

[sharronhurlbut]

How about putting bitter apple on the kids pants legs or arms?
Wouldn't that be a self correcting deterent?

[SNA]

I wrote a long reply and then my daughter turned off the computer before I could post it! Arrgh! Thanks for your replies.

I went and got a couple of water pistols. I hope it doesn't backfire. But my problem is that I am starting to lose patience. I think she should know by now (after being with us for over two months, and me encouraging her to chew on her toys and not to bite us, and to be calm).

A couple of examples. Yesterday I took a food wrapper off her that she had found and when I was walking away from her she came up and nipped me behind the knee. Then this morning, my daughter was at the door a bit wingy because her comfort object was outside and Jessie was there as well, waiting for her walk and breakfast, and she just starting biting my daughter on the shoulder. Not hard obviously, but they weren't instances of her being over excited, which I'm more likely to be lenient on because in those cases it's probably my son that is the culprit behind that. But I think I've got to the point where I've said no enough times, and she is grabbing hard enough to put holes in clothes. And I've tried saying ouch loudly and it often works for me but not so well for my husband or kids.

I'll certainly keep in mind though the possibility that she might develop a negative association between being wet and playing with the kids.
Sheree

[Ninabeana26]

Dallas will nip sometimes just for attention. If I am walking through the house & he wants me to play he will come from no where, run up behind me & nip at the back of my legs or my butt. It never is a hard pinch but enough to get my attention. I don't give in to this behavior though. When he does it I say no & continue with what I was doing. I don't want him to think that that is a good way to get moms attention.

He will also nip at the back of my boyfriend's & my arm when we are driving. We don't let him in the front seats & use a harness to keep him in the back. If we are just driving along & he's not getting attention he nips at the back of the arm [which really hurts I must say!!!!]. Again, we say no & go back to what we were doing so as not to reinforce the behavior.

I have tried using a squirt gun but Dallas makes it a game now. If we pull it out he will get down on his front paws, butt in the air & just wait for the squirt. Haha.

[sharronhurlbut]

What should be done by everyone in the family, is when the dog puts his mouth on your skin, you scream and walk away, ignoring him.
For at least 5 minutes, this pup is not there.
Its what other b's do when someone is very rough in play, and it does work.
It just takes time and consistancy.

[PhocoenaGirl]

Beegin has had a major issue with biting socks…on feet whenever I come home and take off my shoes. He seems to enjoy the whole "it smells like a person wore this all day" aspect of dirty socks and "when it bite at them they shout and move all around and there's two of them!!!". He won't do it when I am barefoot. It is like he doesn't associate the socks as being on me.

So what I am working on, because the squirt bottle doesn't work on this issue, (while it does with others), and just gets my socks wet, is the ignoring thing. Since the shouting "ouch" doesn't seem to matter, I just "ah-ah", which is my "no" (don't ask me why...??) and then go away and ignore him. I've found if I go into another room, and shut the door behind me and stay there for 5 mins, it is most effective. He is definitely improving on this behavior now because of this tactic. Although some days, the socks-on-feet are just too fabulous to resist.

[dmcarty]

You do need to make a loud noise to startle - and then walk away - you know the adage even bad attention is attention. Well dogs know that too.

I have used spray bottles (not water guns) beause it's a finer mist in the face and well quite honestly when I used a squirt gun - the kids found it and well - someone was grounded!

[myran]

And also you need to train your kid´s to handle he pup it has to respect all humans.But yes they can play quite roughly although I didn´t start the rough playing until I was certain with the on/off button.Now we can play really rough and all I need to say is stop and he quits immediately my youngest son who´s 9 yrs old has the total respect from both my dogs.If screaming and water doesn´t help then making nipping unpleasant is worth a try but only by an adult if they nipped my hand I pushed not hard but deeper in the mouth and kept it there when they stopped and tried to lick I praised them.

[myran]

And also you need to train your kid´s to handle he pup it has to respect all humans.But yes they can play quite roughly although I didn´t start the rough playing until I was certain with the on/off button.Now we can play really rough and all I need to say is stop and he quits immediately my youngest son who´s 9 yrs old has the total respect from both my dogs.If screaming and water doesn´t help then making nipping unpleasant is worth a try but only by an adult if they nipped my hand I pushed not hard but deeper in the mouth and kept it there when they stopped and tried to lick I praised them.