BooSH

I know there are plenty of dog lovers on this site, my mum and dad have recently bought a Springer Spaniel (Bramble), he's the first dog we have ever had so we're very new to owning a dog, he's brilliant, we've got toilet training sort of sussed as he's going to the door when he needs to go and wait's to be let out, but there are still a few accicdents, but his constant nipping is driving my folks up the wall, i think it's just a stage he's going through and told them they just need to tough it out. Are there any methods they can use to cut the nipping down ? Are all dogs nippy as puppies ? Thanks for any advice here's a pic of the little bugger

wrxsti280

iTrader: (6)

completely ignore him when he does the nipping thing, it is just a stage but it wont get any better unless you ignore him, if you even look at him or shout at him, he is getting a reaction from you so will keep doing it, when he does it, turn away from him and do not make any noise whatsoever, dont shout at him or anything.

he is gorgeous though, very clever dogs, very easy to train as well

boxst

He's cute! I really like Springer Spaniels although they are slightly mad. Not as mad as my old Cocker Spaniel who used to wag his whole body when I came home and then run around the house in excitement.

Are you sure he isn't just teething? So providing him with chew toys may help?

Steve

Matteeboy

Agree with the ignore thing.

Also reward him if he doesn't nip when he usually would - a bit of food would do.

Lovely little pup - my parents have two of them (we have a black lab).

BooSH

He could be teething, but we have plenty of chew toys he'll chew it for about 5 seconds but would rather chew my foot than the toy . Ignoring seems to work quite well though, we are keeping him in a dog crate when he's left alone and at night and he howled like a bugger when we first put him in but after a bit of ignoring he soon got bored and is totally fine with it now which is great. Carn't wait to start taking him out the house, but we've still got a few more weeks until he has his final injections.

cossie-nutter

iTrader: (45)

If he nips then hold his mouth together and tap his nose and tell him BAD DOG IN YOU BED (You may have to put him in his bed!)

Harsh as it sounds it does work and thats what we was told to do by our trainer when my Boxer was a puppy!

Lovely looking dog mate!

al4x1

Ignore him is fine for the moment but you can start using the word NO short and sharp, useful to get him used to it now as it comes in useful for all sorts of things he;ll get up to as you go on. If it carries on you can try the water pistol trick when he does it or a tap on the nose. Odds are he'll just stop doing it though. Nice pup but he'll have you tearing your hair out most springers do particularly when they start hunting well and suffering the selective hearing problem.

wrxsti280

iTrader: (6)

NEVER hit a dog, or even tap him on the nose, thats just plain stupidity, ive never heard of any animal trainer saying that is the way to do things.

ignore to start with and treat whn he is good and doesnt nip, that is the way to go

al4x1

Had many dogs????

I did say tap not hit and the tap with a firm no and as a last resort after trying a water pistol or squirty bottle. Just a little trip on google suggests its not plain stupidity. Treats are fine for some things but for not nipping when exactly would you propose giving the treat to the dog? any time you see it? or just when its near you there just isn't any logic there sorry.


Training a Dog Not to bite

Teaching Your Dog Not To Bite | PuppyBuzz.com

Training Puppy Not To Bite

greenonedave

Just read the above information and its crap !the best way foward is learn how to clicker train your dog. Thumping it and chucking it in crate aint the way foward. Dogs respond far better by positive reinforcement that the old thump cause I dont know any better system, it just undermines your dogs security. There is a wealth of information on Clicker training out there, your dog can be your best friend, why thump it when there are better alternatives.That one lovely dog, you will be busy.

stilover

Really? The Police kick there dogs while training.

I taught my Staffie where by if he did something wrong he got a shouting at. If he persisted he got a tap on his back leg area.
If he kept it up, it became a wallop.

The thing to remember with dogs is that you have to assert that you're "Alfa Male" otherwise they run riot.
Obviously harder dogs need more training, but even so. A biting dog needs to be stopped now. Let it go and it'll only get worse.

My dog does what he's told, when he's told to do it.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Scoobynet

Dog Training the Mr Garrison way, mmm kay....

cossie-nutter

iTrader: (45)

Lay off the crack mate as any good trainer will tell you to tap there nose! (Not brut force but a tap just enough so they know they done wrong!)

Just check the links that al4x1 has posted and do a Google search!

Every dog our family has trained has NEVER bitten or snapped at anyone not even kids! It's all in the training imho (Trust me we have had ALOT of dogs inc farm and gun dogs!)

Anyways each to there own!

Spoon

Correct.

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

cracking little dog, we had one that we lost recently, nipping will pass, as others said ignorance is the key they soon get bored and move onto something else. Hope you like your exercise

look at

Springer Spaniels - Training, Rescue and Spaniel Forum

Tucker82

iTrader: (7)

I had a Springer bitch when I was younger, and trained her alongside my dad's German Shorthaired Pointer as gun dogs. The springer was nuts (she passed a year ago now) and to be fair so was the pointer (also gone). Even as VERY well trained dogs they used to mis-behave sometimes, but if they really took the mick, and really firm NO and the very odd occasional tap on the nose would do the trick! its not cruelty, just to let them know when the time arises that you are still boss! Now I have 2 chihuahua's and they just give you the

kingofdbrits

Exactly right. Also ignoring a dog that bites is possibly the most stupid thing to do, he won't learn and will just get bigger and bite harder, though less often, possibly only once again which is still enough.

Watch 'The Dog Whisperer' on sky and seeing him solve the exact same problem as in the OP is actually fairly easy. Positive reinforcement is a good description of what he does.

mykp

this is my dog at around the same age



he's a brittany spaniel.

With regards to nipping, every dog we have had has nipped and is to ignore or exclude the dog if it nips. remember to you it might be a nip but to someone else its a bite.

for training, my advice is to reward good behaviour and never acknowledge mis-behaviour. Now I said mis-behavior which is different from Bad behaviour.

With both our dogs, I have taken them to a very good trainer who has got us through to a gold kennel club award with one dog and a silver with another and she's been training dogs for 50 years, she's in her 70's.

If the dog is good reward it, treat, play or toy.
If it mis-behaves, then dont ackonwledge the dog and make it do the task again if required.
Bad behaviour should rarely be punished with aggression.

just my twopenneth.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Agree with the don't hit your dog theme, as a puppy I bit mine on the ear very gently just to assert Alpha male status.... He turned out fine.

The loony rescue dog "she" found was obviously trained to attack (anything !), so I had to use sufficient controlled violence to stop him in his tracks and cool down.
This involved exclusion, (outside) and a period of captivity in his cage, (till he cooled down), and finally praise for behaving on release.

He's fine now, unless you are carrying a walking-stick or Asian, then he is a bit of a handful. Can't replace memories, even if you can control behaviour.

DunxC

P.S. Enjoy your new dog.