Puppy bites at heels after a walk?
Hello, everyone! I have a 9 week old Pembroke who has a peculiar habit. No matter how long I take her outside - it could be just long enough for her to potty or it could be an hour long walk - she will wait until we are in the entrance hallway to my condo to bite my pant leg and/or feet. I am familiar with the fact that Corgis are herding dogs and that heel-nipping is usual puppy behavior; however, I am completely at a loss of understanding as to why she tends to wait until we're in the same place in the hallway every single time. She is relentless! It almost seems like she is angry that we're going back inside, but after being outside for sometimes even two hours I figure we should probably go back in, if only for a little while. Thankfully, she doesn't attack any other tenants heels, just mine and my boyfriend's. Could anyone give me any ideas why this is happening, or how to deal with it? She goes into such a craze that the usual whimper/firm "NO" doesn't work. It's like she goes into a Corgi rage because she knows she's going back in, lol. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sebastian on
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Few things:
-If you want to stop the herding just stop the minute she does it and very dramatically say NO. If you are consistent, she should get the idea pretty quick.-Either substitute something chewy, like a rubber toy, when my puppy has nipped I yelp and turn my back on them/walk away.
-Some owners use a water bottle so when the dog nips the puppy is sprayed...eventually they associate the 2 and stop depending if your puppy likes being sprayed with water or not.
I personally stop any action im doing and give my corgi a firm "no!" and point my finger...He then will lick instead which then I say good boy....my dog is only 15 weeks and his nipping has decreased
I hope this helps...good luck :)
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Permalink Reply by Manda Brown on
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Thanks for the reply, Sebastian.
My boyfriend and I have integrated a couple of those approaches and it seems to be making slow progress. First we try yelping, then replacing a toy with whatever she is nipping at, followed by pinning her down (not TOO hard, of course). Unfortunately, she seems to respond differently to me than she does my boyfriend. Replacing myself with a toy and simply walking away immediately after works 99% of the time with me, but not for Evan. He usually has to resort to pinning her down for a few moments for her to listen.
If these methods lose their strength over time, I'll try using a water bottle (though she is pretty fearless of basically everything).
I'll update later to share!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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You are trying to understand why an infant does something...unlikely that the infant even knows. 9 weeks is really really young! Just pick her up for a while and then take her in the apartment. Any nipping of your pant legs should result in a firm no and a stop. Also, be so careful about what you expose her to at this age. She still doesn't have all of her immunizations and is susceptible some very severe diseases that can be contracted from public places.
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Bev,
You're right, I didn't think of it as trying to understand why an infant does things. I suppose it will take time, patience and consistent training. As far as exposing her to things, we are being as careful as possible while still trying to get her socialized with people that she'll be visiting often. Thank you!
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Permalink Reply by Ludi on
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Because of the specific location where this takes place, I would say that when she enters the hallway, she suddenly has a lot less other stimuli to keep her growing mind occupied, so she takes out her energy on the closest thing - your pant leg. She is a baby right now, do not expect a model citizen! :-) What I would suggest is taking it slowly when you enter the hallway. Carry some treats with you, no larger than the head of a pin, and every time she gives you eye contact, say Yes! and give her a treat. If she is busy giving you eye contact, she cannot direct her attention to somewhere less desirable.
Take it one step at a time. It may take you a while to reach your front door, but as a bonus to stopping this behaviour, she'll also be EXHAUSTED mentally from having to concentrate. She'll sleep like a log!
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Ludi,
Thank you for this great advice! The first section of the hallway is very small and she probably does become instantly bored. I will try the treat approach so that she stays occupied long enough for the 30 second walk to the doorway. We will definitely give this a try!
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