Constantly Nipping and Biting
Pippen is an 11 week old OES...tipping the scales at 21 lbs already  In the 3 weeks we've had her, she's learned to sit and come fairly well. She now will go to the door to go potty, stays in her crate most of the night without fussing, and leaves the cats alone for 2 seconds instead of 1. The problem we're having is her nipping and biting. It's CONSTANT. We have tried giving her something else to chew on, telling her no and trying to divert her energy, etc. but nothing has worked. It's really bad with our 8 year old son. As soon as she seems him she goes nuts with happiness...but she bites him like crazy. We've tried showing him how to do the things listed above, but it's not working. We also have a 1 year old daughter, which she doesn't bother much...but I've seen her nipping at her lately and I have to get that stopped ASAP. Any tips? |
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| Pippen sounds adorable. And like a typical OES puppy, all fangs and claws. (Mostly fangs.) Oscar's nicknames were "Gator Boy" and "Piranha Puppy". Substituting inappropriate things to chew on (like hands, feet, socks) with appropriate things is the right way to go. Make sure the appropriate things are tasty or fun, and not completely boring to Pippen. Kongs, Nylabones, rawhides (with constant supervision), whatever works. Here's the thing, though. The trade has to be done calmly and consistently. If you do it excitedly, Pippen will feed off that energy and get even wilder. It's also possible that Pippen is under-exercised or over-tired/over-stimulated. Sometimes, the best thing for a naught puppy is a time-out.  She might be over-stimulated, and need a quiet place to rest.Maybe your 8 year-old son could do obedience work with her, using her favorite treats. It would be a way for her to learn that he provides good things for her when she behaves a certain way. Also, though it is difficult, he needs to be calm and consistent with her as well. If he goes running past her, she is a herding dog and motion reactive, and will give chase, nipping all the way. Unlike other breeds (like Border Collies who herd using a stare-down), OES herd by physically manipulating sheep. I have been knocked butt-over-teakettle many times by Oscar (115 lbs) when I am not paying attention. And some of this is just Pippen being a puppy. But it's a great time to have her learn just who provides the "num- nums" in your house. Laurie and Oscar |
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