Nip Cute Pet

Nip Cute Pet

How to Avoid Those Problem Puppy Behaviours

Everyone who owns a puppy or dog will eventually have to deal with and correct less than desirable behaviors on the part of their companion animal. There are a number of behaviors that should be nipped in the bud, including:

Jumping up on people: This is one of those behaviors that many owners inadvertently encourage in their animals, since jumping up, wagging his tail and the like can be adorable in a young puppy. When that puppy is older, larger and heavier, however, this jumping up behavior ceases to be cute and begins to become annoying and even dangerous.

A large, heavy dog jumping up on people can be dangerous to young children and even to some adults, since a large, 100 pound plus dog can easily knock down a child or small adult. Since you as the owner are responsible for the behavior of your dog, it is important to nip this problem behavior in the bud.

The best time to do that, of course, is when the puppy is still small and easy to handle. When the puppy jumps up on you or someone else, gently place the puppy's feet back on the floor. When the dog remains standing there, be sure to praise it extensively.

It is also important to give the puppy an alternative to jumping up. Puppies jump up on people to express their enthusiasm, so it is important to redirect this energy in a more socially acceptable direction. Try teaching the puppy to present his paw instead of jumping up.

When teaching the puppy to not jump up on people, it is important to be consistent. Consistency is important in any training program, and all members of the family must understand that the puppy is not permitted to jump on them.

Pulling, charging and tugging on the lead: One problem you definitely want to nip in the bud is this one. It is important that the puppy learn to respect the collar and leash now, when he is still small and light enough to handle. Teaching this lesson to a 10 pound puppy will be much easier than teaching the same lesson to a 150 pound dog.

Using a good strong body harness or head collar can be a big help when training a puppy not to pull, or to retrain a dog that has already learned to pull on the leash. When first fitting a harness, it is important to allow the puppy to walk around wearing it, so that he can get used to wearing it.

The first thing your puppy must learn, and the basis of all subsequent training, is teaching your dog to heel. Teaching your dog to walk quietly at your side on a loose lead is the basis of all dog training, and until your puppy has mastered this vital skill he will be unable to move onto more advanced training.

When walking with a puppy on a leash, it is important to always keep slack in the leash. If the puppy begins to pull on the leash, the handler should quickly change directions. The puppy will then find itself lagging behind instead of forging ahead. The least will be loose except for the split second it takes to change directions. It is important for the handler to use a quick tug of the leash, followed by an immediate loosening, when teaching this lesson.

When teaching the puppy to walk properly, it is important to never allow the puppy to pull you around, or to forge ahead on the leash. Allowing the puppy to pull you around will teach him exactly the wrong lesson.

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Why has my dog started nipping people?

We rescued a super sweet dog last year. He's a real cute little guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiPvWcCt3kQ&eurl=http://kaimac.wordpress.com/page/3/), although he's never got on with other dogs too well he's always gotten on with humans.... until the last few months. Seemingly randomly he's started occasionally snarling and nipping at people. generally when they come down from above to pet him, it's always been a quick reflex reaction followed by what appears to be doggie remorse (i.e. he'll usually start licking or looking for attention from the person he snarled at or tried to nip). It's not like he's aggressive all the time: just very occasionally for a fraction of a second, then he's back to his normal sweet self.

Any ideas what might be up, or how we fix? Don't see any patterns i.e. him protecting us... just seems to happen every now and then.

He could be a fear biter. The quick snap-and-remorse is indicative Yes, he is aggressive - growling and snapping is aggression even if he is sorry afterwards. Like another person said, it is fear-aggression, and he is afraid. It is not always caused by trauma or abuse sometimes the dog is just built that way.

At the minimum,

- first rule out physical illness by taking your dog to the vet. The vet may suggest a thyroid test among others.

- keep yourself safe. Do not pet any dog from above. Approach the dog's head from below and the side where he can see your hand coming towards him. We do this with all our family dogs and teach our children, too. It is simply a good habit around any dog.

- do not allow other people, especially children, to interact with the dog until you have a better handle on his health and behavior.

- Get to an obedience class. Call a trainer and explain your situation. If one trainer refuses you in the class, keep going until you find a person that has worked with aggressive dogs.

- be gentle. Shock collars and other aversive training can worsen the aggression.

- consider a muzzle in public. Plastic basket muzzles are light and allow the dog to drink. It can prevent that bite in public when you are window-shopping and do not notice the child bending to pet yur dog.

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