Hi, Our miniature schauzer is 4months old and still nipping, especially the childrens legs/hands. What is the best way to stop her doing this? In the past when we had our boxer he had stopped doing this at this age. Any ideas. Thankyou Julie

HI Julie

Pups are such fun aren't they

Having just recently gone through the excitement with a BSd pup I will try to give some ideas on how we coped/solved the problem.

A lot depends on the pup - and your children !!! <g>. Have you tried the "Ouch" routine, when the pup uses her teeth, as this may stop some very sensitive pups quite quickly. HOwever the majority of pups, ours included ,think you are a new squeaky toy when you do this and simply take it all as great fun.

So we simply ended any game and stopped all contact with her for up to 2 minutes (any more and she will forget what it's all about). By all contact i mean, eye contact, voice, reactions, everything, and if you are consistent you will win through. Start at first when she is much too rough, then graduate until she realises she cannot even very gently take your skin as you are so fragile.

Opininos vary and there are different methods, but i like this one, and it did work for us. (Although i have to say we should have been more consistent than we were!).

We also balanced this by teaching her to accept her eyes, teeth, mouth, and ears etc etc beng handled, so she knows there are occasions when it is OK for teeth and human skin to be in contact but only at human instigation.

LIndsay

Hi Julie. I've got a Miniature Schnauzer pup too. He's 8 months old now. He'd constantly nip when he was playing, and his favourite trick was to keep biting and pulling at trouser legs. You couldn't go anywhere about the house without him hanging on trying to tug you in the opposite direction. Although funny, it does get a bit tiresome. However don't despair, they do grow out of it, honest! Just follow the advice in the posting above and your pup will eventually desist. I found saying "ouch" loudly and getting up and walking away did eventually do the trick. I think he stopped at about 5-6 months with his play biting, although we get the odd relapse when he's very excited. They're fantastic little dogs though aren't they?

Hi,
Thankyou both for the 2 replies. We have always groomed her and cut her nails since we got her, and she never has liked it and still doesn,t sometimes she can get quite snappy at your hand if she does not want the brushing. We did it every other day since when we got her aswell. She also hangs onto trouseer legs, not so much mine now,but she still does it to the children, especially when they are running around. We have tried the ouch and that does not seem to work too well with her, but we will keep trying. When we are in the car, and she sits on my knee she is fine, no nipping at all. Yes they are adorable, full of character. Thankyou again

Yes, now you mention it mine hates his leg furnishings to be groomed and constantly tries to nip my hands. Same with the nails. After a while he just gives up and tolerates it. You just have to be firm. Don't try to be too confrontational about their grooming, try to give them treats as a reward and give them a special treat afterwards. Don't do long sessions of grooming when they are young, just short bursts. They will calm down eventually and accept it...mine is just starting to. I think they find the grooming a bit painful sometimes, especially the legs and beard, so it's just their way of telling you you're causing them discomfort. They do get to tolerate it eventually though.

Excellent advice IMHO Nicola.

Banya, my pup, is incredibly reactive/sensitive physically ( she will yelp if she is asleep and her paw touches something unexpectedly) and was a live wire to groom, but treats make it a positive experience, and also using a soft brush. Some of the brushes, especially pin brushes, can hurt - and one bad experience with a "quick" cut on the nail can mean grooming problems for life.

At 8 months, my pup is now happily accepting grooming with different brushes and although occasionally tries to play, she at least enjoys it and is now controllable. She still gets a treat but only at the end now.