Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

104 watchers

halfpint Jan 2017 6:44am, 13 Jan 2017 22,162 posts	0 halfpint Haha Fergus I can just imagine. Ernie loved the snow yesterday. It was great to be able to see him in the dark for once as well. Wanda sounds like such a lovely dog. It's a shame we don't all live closer and could meet up so the pooches can have a play together. I am going to have a think after we get back from our weekend away (if snow permits) and make a concerted effort to focus on training again. SInce classes stopped before Christmas we haven't really done much. The dark mornings and nights make it difficult to do any outside practice during the week but we could do some at the weekend.
BaronessBL Jan 2017 11:03am, 13 Jan 2017 6,185 posts	0 BaronessBL Wanda is currently mesmerised by the big white flakes falling out of the sky but disappearing as soon as they touch the ground
Steady Edina Jan 2017 11:46pm, 13 Jan 2017 17,061 posts	0 Steady Edina Maybe Ernie would also benefit from some impulse control training as well and you can do that indoors
Chrisull Feb 2017 2:06pm, 1 Feb 2017 10,574 posts	0 Chrisull This is Dougal , my 10 week old border collie and 1/4 spring spaniel pup. He is both a source of joy and exhaustion. If anyone has any tips or advice on how much nipping is normal, for 10 weeks (quite a bit I guess?) and how in your experience to nip it in the bud (sic), I'm listening :-).
Alice the Camel Feb 2017 2:11pm, 1 Feb 2017 3,019 posts	0 Alice the Camel Dougal is gorgeous! I think nipping is very normal for young puppies. I was told to yelp (pretend you're a litter mate) fold your arms and turn away, ignore them for a minute or two, it's usually enough for them to realise they've hurt you and make them stop. With our Charlie, it took quite a few weeks for him to stop nipping entirely. It may have been linked to teething too. He never nips now (almost 14 months old)
FergusG Feb 2017 2:14pm, 1 Feb 2017 957 posts	0 FergusG Dougal does look like he'll be lots of fun! I found a very deep and stern "No!" followed by the distraction of shaking a metal-tin containing coins in the pups face worked on my Labs when they were nipping at hands. That the generic catch-all advice - "a tired puppy is a good puppy"!
halfpint Feb 2017 2:18pm, 1 Feb 2017 22,342 posts	0 halfpint Awww what a gorgeous dog!! Yes loads of nipping at 10 weeks. Excitement and what they are used to with litter mates. With our Ernie turning away and ignoring worked a treat. He very quickly learned to pick something up in his mouth to stop himself from nipping us. he still does it when excited - i.e. when I come down first thing, when I come home, when I come out of the bathroom after 2 mins in there. Shoving a toy in his mouth for him to chew on worked too but you have to be quick.
Red Squirrel Feb 2017 2:24pm, 1 Feb 2017 19,806 posts	0 Red Squirrel When he's nipping, make an "ow, ow, ow" sound. As you're a chap, maybe pitch it high. They should realise they're causing you pain and either stop or give you a lick instead. I had very good results when I was doing puppy visits. There was once terrier who was extremely nippy but I had a chat to the thoroughly-nibbled owner, we were very consistent and got there with a bit of patience.
Sharkie Feb 2017 2:29pm, 1 Feb 2017 10,935 posts	0 Sharkie Dougal looks fabulous - and 'joy and exhaustion' will continue, er, forever with a collie Springer X. All puppies nip - they communicate by using their mouths after all - Alice's advice is correct. Some dogs are worse than others: D2's Indi was just like our Jess in that respect - not for nothing are GSD pups known as landsharks - and it CAN be painful and seem to go on forever. But it does pass, puppies, like toddlers, grow up, you just have to ride it out. As for what works, again it depends on the individual dog. The coins in tin (as suggested by our breeder) worked for about two days with Jess - but obviously Fergus had more success. With a super smart dog like a collie I would make sure you don't get too agitated and certainly not angry. Ignoring is the very best solution but in our case with 15 kilos of upset German Shepherd hanging off our calves or forearms that was easier said than done! 'Leave' and 'Off' are good commands to work on early! Good luck!
Chrisull Feb 2017 2:29pm, 1 Feb 2017 10,575 posts	0 Chrisull Thanks - yes have got all 3 of my boys all doing "Ow", when he does it. He tends to do it when over excited, and then ignores any commands to stop. We also have a plastic bottle with pasta to shake that makes a big sound, although he's taken to barking at that instead now The other thing is cats. We have two elderly ones, which he steers clear of, but has in the last day just started following and barking at. (Before he ignored them) The one is deaf so just ignores him and that seems to annoy him more. I'm keeping an eye on this but not much more currently, but is he likely to escalate at all? The cats do swipe if he gets too close.