ASK THE... TRAINER
EDITOR’S NOTE
Ada Simms is a canine behavior consultant and owner of Reward That Puppy! Inc. Dog Training in Rochester, NY.
: n o i t s e u Q
d she ths old an n o m 6 is of toys mix) that have a ton and Yorkie s y e s a e lt lw a a I wing in hirt. orkie (M th are gro nd even s e a te ts I have a M r n e a p H r . d nd o rm instea ite my ha s a baby. g on my a in loves to b it b p. Her en she wa s h p e w e k m e o h fr em to sto s e t s re u t o b o r m n e s h h e c out for hurts mu biting do oes not ys but the hen she d arper so it h w to s r s g e e h it in f b tt o e o e and g e bathke she als ow her on e out of th It seems li no and sh m . r y o e c p h p u to ll p r te o a ll I always the chair e she is sti solutions? get off of st becaus to r ju e h is have any ll it u te s o I y n o e D h . vet say w ample, to bite me ay. For ex wl and try ro g d get her w n a l bark en she wil -Raquel room. Th psie, NY Poughkee
Dear Pup
Culture,
A puppy at 6 months of age should be past the nipping stage, unless the nipping has been reinforced unknowingly by the owner. Sometimes, because these little puppies are so huggable, we handle them too much and they are not taught to have impulse control or how to relax. This puppy might not have been socialized with other puppies at a young age. Puppies learn bite inhibition by playing and mouthing other puppies. When they bite too hard the other puppies might give a yelp and stop the play, or the other pups might not play with this biting dog and ignore him. The most important advice is to seek a reward based dog trainer/behavior consultant as soon as possible to help you work on these issues before they become ingrained behavior. The growling and biting need to be addressed immediately. If you reprimand the puppy for these actions, these behaviors most likely will increase in severity. Please seek professional help. In the meantime, begin by not talking to the puppy when he nips you. He wants your attention. Saying NO and touching him in any way can actually be very rewarding for him. All play and interaction must stop immediately when the puppy nips. Gently put him down on the floor and leave the room and close the door. If he is barking do not open the door. Wait for 5 or more seconds of silence, return and ask the dog for a Sit and reward that. Whenever the pup bites, repeat this action of leaving the puppy. You might have to do it 3 times or 20 times. Once the puppy realizes there is no reinforcement for biting but he gets rewarded for being quiet and sitting, most likely you will see the biting behavior fade. It might get worse for a bit as he becomes frustrated by the new rules, but don’t give up! It is important to be consistent with not reinforcing the biting with attention (be it negative or not). Teach the puppy ‘Up’ and ‘Off ’ so these behaviors will be on Cue (command). Entice the puppy to jump up on furniture. Say YES or use a clicker to “mark” the action of jumping up, and give a small tasty treat (cheese or chicken work well). When the puppy is on the furniture, throw a treat on the floor and say Off. Say YES or click the action as the puppy gets down. Practice every day and reward the dog for learning these cues. Soon the pup should respond to Up and Off and you can start fading the treats and then reinforce with treats intermittently.
Have a question for our panel of experts? Email info@pupculturemagazine.com for a chance to get some expert advice in our next issue!
Teaching a puppy to Relax on a Mat (there are many YouTube training videos on this) and teaching him to run into his crate on cue are both very helpful behaviors as well.
Ada Lana-Simms
Member of Trulydogfriendly.com • International Association of Force Free Trainers • Professinoal Pet Guild—Force Free Trainer
52 | PUPCULTURE APRIL/MAY