[Precious_Girl]

A couple of months ago a stray dog came into our yard. Our plan was to keep her for a week, look for her owners, then give her to the local no-kill shelter. She grew on us and we ended up keeping her.

The only problem is she must have been running the country for some time. There were so many ticks in her ears that it created a sort of seal in her ear where they were all swollen up. She has picked up many bad habits too. She pulls on a leash extremely bad but since we got a harness she doesn't do that. The only other thing I cannot stand is the biting.

She will bite your hands, feet, legs, toes, arms, face, shoes, ect. I have tried swatting her nose and she thinks I am just playing with her and bites more and harder. I have also tried saying "NO" in a very lound voice but that doesn't work either. I have also tried getting up and walking away from her to show her that she can't play when she does that. Nothing.

She is pretty old, probably 6-8 months old. Here are some pics:

 

[Cheryl aka JM]

I don't know what the Politically correct pet friendly answer is~ but this is what works and why.

You have to be Alpha B~ right now she is treating you however she likes and has no regard to your likes and dislikes because she does not consider you to be "the boss" the biggest, baddest Alpha B she knows. The harness is very nice~ it's a very nice way to gently handle a nice gentle dog. Put it away for now. Go get a correction collar. Try starting with a choke chain and move onto a pinch collor if you have too (they are not cruel when used correctly). Get yourself enrolled in a training class. If she is very aggressive you may have to enroll in private training.

Dogs are great~ I love them. They can be a great asset to the family as friend and protector~ BUT if you let the dog continue to walk all over you then she becomes a liability. A danger to you, your children, your nieghbors~ everyone.

Get enrolled in a training class~ and get a more serious collar you can control with~ when she starts to nipping and biting at you make it clear that is unacceptable until the dog backs off and preferably rolls over to show her belly to you. Those long legs looks like that might be a pretty big hound.....you can't let a "Dawg" get away with anything......it is your responsibility to be in control of her.

Good luck!

 

[Rouen]

something else, I'd keep her on a leash with a correction collar when you can, if she starts nipping give her a firm correction, you dont have to say "no" when you correct, but you can, if she continues I would give her another correction and put her in a sit, if she moves before you release her then put her bottom back down and wait a few seconds before releasing her from the sit, remember she will also react to the tone of your voice when you release her form the sit.
this will help you establish your role in the pack because; you will be telling her what to do and following through.

does she have a job?

 

[Ravenlost]

She's gorgeous!

One thing that works for us when a dog starts to nip is to fold our arms and look upward...ignoring the dog. By interacting the nipping is reinforced. We've found that ignoring them puts an end to the nipping.

 

[Maura]

Don't get a "correction" collar. She isn't being bad, and you shouldn't punish her when she doesn't know what you want.

She is learning bite inhibition, which is very good. She is learning on you, which is not good. Act like a puppy when she puts her teeth on you. Yelp in a high pitched voice, then turn and walk away. This is what another puppy would do, and it is something your new pup will be able to understand. Do not chastize her in any way. Just walk away in silence and ignore her.

She looks like a beagle type mix, some kind of hound. A dog that has been bred to hunt in a pack is not as interested in hierarchy as other dogs, which means that she may be very sweet but not particularly obedient. Simply be aware of this and put a good, solid recall on your pup. When you approach her, or when she is coming to you of her own accord, call out her name and say, come. When she gets to you, situate yourself so that she is front and center. Praise and pet while putting her into a sit. When she is very good about coming to you, don't praise or pet until she is sitting. This is good because it teaches her that you are "alpha", keeps her from jumping on people, parks her so that you can clip a leash on her, unclip a leash, or whatever, and helps her to come to you without even thinking about it.

When you shout at her, she interprets your shouting as barking and she will not respond by stopping what she is doing. Whenever you give your dog an order, use a normal tone of voice. sit, down, come, leave it, should all be said in a normal tone of voice.

There are many training books on the market, I recommend you use a clicker training method. Look for an obedience school that uses positive methods.

Also, don't let her sleep on your bed. She can sleep in a crate, or nice cushy carpet next to your bed.

 

[cricket]

Yep...ignore her, get a spray bottle and yell no, act like you are the alpha... Do some research on NILIF training... Nothing In Life Is Free. You'd be amazed at the difference it makes in just 24 hrs. The kicker is that you have to get the whole family in on it. If only one person is doing it, it won't work.

 

[Pigeon Lady]

I took in a little stray border collie mix and he was just like that. The more I got mad and slapped his nose the worse he got. So I did like Ravenlost, folded my arms and acted as if he wasn't there. Boy he hated that. He loved to be cuddled and scratched so as soon as he was distracted for a moment I would get down and talk all lovey dovey and make a fuss of him. As soon as he started to gnaw on my hand I would stand up and ignore him. He caught on pretty quickly.

It works with jumpers too. If they're jumping on you, hide your arms and look away. As soon as they have all four feet on the ground give them a quick stroke. They'll jump up again but just repeat what you did before and they'll begin to spend longer periods on the ground.

I don't have super obedient dogs but they all (5) know that they don't get attention unless they're standing quietly or better yet in the sit position.

Your dog's lovely by the way!

Pauline

 

[Wildfire_Jewel]

LOL That was our beagle girl when we first got her! She bit and chewed on anything she could get her mouth on. The yelping got her attention very quickly and she would often switch to licking. We reinforced the licking, telling her how good she was for giving "kisses". Long story short, she now drives us nuts with her kissing any bit of exposed skin when she greets us but at least she isn't biting
Melissa

 

[debra in ks]

Here's what has worked on every biter I've ever had...when they bit me, I'd pick up their front leg and bite them back. Hard enough to hurt, but not break skin of course. So far it has worked with each of them, usually the first time. Most got a big eyed look on their face like "hey, that hurts!"

 

[Rouen]

Here's what has worked on every biter I've ever had...when they bit me, I'd pick up their front leg and bite them back. Hard enough to hurt, but not break skin of course. So far it has worked with each of them, usually the first time. Most got a big eyed look on their face like "hey, that hurts!"

the only problem with biting back is you leave your face exposed to being chewed on by a mad dog defending itself, then of course the dog gets blamed.
keeping a leash with a correction collar has helped with both my dogs.
an interesting read/listen is Ed Frawley’s site, remember you can use any method you wish, you can even modify it to suit your needs/life style, just remain consistant and calm.
Ed Frawley’s site; http://leerburg.com/

 

[pancho]

She is a puppy. She doesn't know right from wrong. It is your job to let her know what is right and wrong. Go easy on her and let her know what you expect. It will take time. She will out grow many bad habits.
Give her a chance.

 

[Songbird]

Ditto what pancho said. This is puppy play, she is not being aggressive. She just hasn't had anyone to teach her what is right or wrong until now. Ravenlost and Maura's advice is good also.

Give this pup some time, gentle correction, love and discipline. She's a really pretty dog! So good of you to take her in.

 

[TedH71]

6-8 months old is not an adult by any means. She's just a big puppy...more than likely she will mature around 2 years old and possibly 3. Be patient. My fastest way to cure biting is to put my thumb on the tongue and press down while shouting "NO BITE!" works very easily with my pit bull pups that I used to raise. They would not bite people even at 8 weeks of age because I started doing it at 5-6 weeks of age. Nice thing about her age is she will pick up housebreaking pretty fast but being part hound..will take her longer than most.

 

[Willowynd]

Personally, when I have had a really mouthy pup that the normal - ouch and ignoring doesn;t work- I say no firmly and will shove my fist in thier mouth and leave it there for a few moments longer than they want it out. It breaks them pretty quickly- especially if you have bitter apple on your hand. The pup does need to know you are alpha- but this sounds like puppy stuff. She probably was not with her littermates and dam long enough to learn proper bite inhibition- so you need to teach her. Biting back is not a real good idea- you could get injured. Yes, some pups learn bite inhibition from littermates yelping and walking away- but a really dominant pup does not care and will continue reguardless. Those pups are bit back by littermates and fights will happen. You do not want to get into fighting with your pup- just teach her that biting humans is not pleasant. I will say pups with this problem are usually dominant pups- you will need to make sure she is leash trained on a regular collar- you can break the pulling cycle by simply turning the other way and calling her to you each time she gets out of range- carrying a treat helps too initially. When she is at your side- praise and treat occassionally until you are down to just praise.

Willow

6-8 months old is not an adult by any means. She's just a big puppy...more than likely she will mature around 2 years old and possibly 3. Be patient. My fastest way to cure biting is to put my thumb on the tongue and press down while shouting "NO BITE!" works very easily with my pit bull pups that I used to raise. They would not bite people even at 8 weeks of age because I started doing it at 5-6 weeks of age. Nice thing about her age is she will pick up housebreaking pretty fast but being part hound..will take her longer than most.

 

[celadon]

Quess there are many different methods here. Ihave had good luck by grabbing there whole nose and mouth and telling them no in a very stern voice. I am the aplha and they better understand that. I do not let go until they have sumitted. Then they get hugs and kisses. Works everytime for me.

 

[Precious_Girl]

Thanks everyone. I read the first response last night and between then and now I seemed to find something that works, at least for now. When she bites me I bark in a deep tone and she almost immeadiatly stops. I will definatly keep in mind everything people have said though. Thanks again.

 

[kirsten]

My new puppy is a biter like yours.
It took a while but I cured him the momma dog style. Our first dog ran around town with his mother and siblings so I got a good look at the way she corrected her own pups. I think this is best becuase it is language they understand. Momma dogs clamp the pups jaws in her own- the inference being, "shut your mouth! settle down! You are being too agressive and you are annoying me now!" So I hold his muzzle shut with my hands and they always squeak because they should squeak- they are being reprimanded. Momma dogs roll the pup first usually, stand over them and then grab the pup's muzzle. When my puppy was being just too crazy to control, I would roll him and do the same thing. Momma dogs will grab the muzzle several times in a row if they must with a bit of a growl. I growl at my dog when he deserves a growl which is rarely but it surprises him a lot. I figure that for these basic things, that natural training is best.

As for the leash, don't all puppies pull? Practice makes perfect!

 

[Ronney]

I have no real input for your particular problem except that what Maura says makes sense - I've been watching my own puppies (now 3 months old) and that is exactly what happens.

What I am interested in is her possible breeding. Apart from those ears, she looks very much like the NZ Heading dog, the basis of which is the Border Collie and I wish I could figure out how to post photos so you could see what I mean. That tri-colouring, the white slash up the nose, the face, the build of the dog have all the hallmarks of the Heading Dog. The BC content (if I'm right) could also account for the nippiness. My pups are all nippy and their mother, a straight BC, goes in and nips the heels of cattle as does one of her pups.

Do you live rural? If so it would be interesting to see what she does when faced with sheep or cattle.

Whatever though, I think she's a beautiful looking pup and worth putting a bit of effort in for.

Cheers,
Ronnie

 

[Precious_Girl]

Do you live rural? If so it would be interesting to see what she does when faced with sheep or cattle.

I do live in a rural area. We have ducks that free range and every time she is loose she goes straight for them. I was putting her up pne time and she ran past me out of the pen. 2 chickens and a duck was out. She jumped on the chicken and I was yelling and screaming at her to get off. She did, but then she jumped on top of my handicapped duck and would not get off. I ended up hitting her in the head with the flip flop I was wearing. She is very agressive to them.

We have goats. How could we test her without them getting hurt?

 

[Maura]

This is a new question. You need to teach your puppy, "leave it". There's more than one way to do this. You could try using your hands. Put a treat in each hand. Put one hand behind your back. Present treat to your dog (she should be sitting in front of you), and close your hand. She will try to get it. Tell her, in a calm voice, "leave it". The instant that she stops trying for it, even for a second, praise and quickly present the other hand and give the treat, saying, "take". Repeat over and over and over again. Use it whenever possible. She goes to sniff at something, say "leave it" (keep harness and leash on her) and if she still goes for it, gently pull her away. Once she looks at you instead of the temptation, praise and treat. If she is not on leash, and you know she won't listen to you, don't give the command, just go to her. You want to practice on things that you don't mind her having so that you can reward her by giving her the object once she leaves it alone. You want her to be pretty solid on this before taking it on the road. If she is inside with you, you will have many many opportunites to work her on leave it, sit, and come.

When you go outside with her, put her on the harness and leash. When she spots a bird, before she starts to go for it, tell her, in a calm voice, "Pup, leave it". If she looks at you, or away from the bird, praise like crazy. If she stays focused on the bird, pull her away and once she breaks eye contact, praise. You have to interrupt her hunting sequence the instant she makes eye contact. As she gets older and better trained, you'll be able to interrupt her once she starts going after them, but this will take some time. Be more interesting thatn ducks, treats, toys, running around, etc.