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Comment by Karen & Bailey on March 24, 2008 at 9:48pm

thanks for the ideas! I should clarify. I put him in his playpen/gated off area (which houses his crate) when he nips. We usually play in the greater kitchen area. I find he only nips on my pants and hands when hes VERY excited and running around. This is normally in the early morning. It isn't an "excited" nip though, cause theres snarling involved and his ears get low. I am usually doing nothing to provoke it either. Just standing around and he's just drawn to my pants.

Comment by Cindi on March 24, 2008 at 9:23pm

Mind if I chime in? Possessive behavior and nipping has to be stopped - the sooner the better. In class we talk about "time out." It's similar to the crate idea, but with a difference. The crate is to be their "safe" space. But time out is based in canine behavior. For example, if a dog in a pack doesn't act as is deemed appropriate by the pack, that dog is ostracized for a period of time. Once the offender capitulates, they are invited back into the pack. To do "time out" use a separate area, like a leash on a doorknob that's apart from the family, and once the guarding/nipping starts, say "OUCH, No Bite!" in a determined tone - no yelling - just firm. Take you pup and snap him on the leash which is already on the door and leave him there for a few moments. Then, when he's quiet, go and remove him - without fanfare. You'll be surprised at how well this method works. I introduce it to all my classes and it has helped a number of dog owners.

Comment by Sylvia & Timmy on March 24, 2008 at 8:59pm

Rest assured that biting is normal behavior for puppies! That's why everyone with a puppy or kitten has lovely looking bite marks all over their hands!!!! LOL. Puppies learn some bite inhibition from their siblings, parents, and other adult dogs between 5-10 weeks of age when they're with the breeder.

First, until you've conquered bite inhibition, I would keep your face away from a young puppy if they're upset or frightened. You've heard of the line "Possession is 9/10 of the law"? Well in the pup and dog world, it's everything. What you did was break a cardinal rule, by taking the wanted item, rudely and then corrected him when he told you he was upset. Instead, use the bait and switch route to get things away from him. When he has something you don't want him to have, (dirty underwear and socks are a favorite later on!! LOL) give him something much better, delicious treats, a favorite toy, or a good tug game. You want a distraction. Same thing with mouthiness on your hands during play. It's a good idea to yelp "ooooowwwwww!" really loudly, like you mean it, and remove yourself from the situation. (Not the other way around). Turn your back, go into the bathroom, outside a play area, whatever. So the pup loses what he wants, which is your attention. This is the very start of teaching bite inhibition. Eventually you want a dogs teeth to never meet your skin on purpose. It doesn't happen overnite and will take several months of steadily decreasing your tolerance to bites, so the dog learns, "Gee these big guys sure can't handle pain!!!!!" Dogs like children learn everything they can from their environment through their mouths and ears. Be prepared for many more bites from those awful puppy teeth before you've gotten that well mannered pup you want.

Side note, don't use the crate for punishment. Takes away from the feeling of it being a safe environment.

Enjoy this time with Baxter, it passes too quickly!! I'm sure that Charlie and Sam might have some other useful suggestions. Raising a puppy is not easy, that's why lots of people later decide they would like an older rescue.

Comment by Charlie on March 24, 2008 at 8:38pm

That nip does sound like his attempt to be bossy, not playing. He's between 10-11 weeks old now? For such a young pup, I do think the best approach is the "Oooowww! No Bite" method suggested. Give him a very stern, serious facial expression, then turn your back and totally ignore him for a couple of minutes. I would use this technique whether he is playing or being serious. No biting means no biting. He's young...he'll figure it out with your consistently in reacting the same with any nip.

Comment by Lauren on March 24, 2008 at 8:27pm

Well my pups have not shown any agression yet. and hopefully they never will. i have also taught them the commands drop it, leave it, gentle, calm, and wait. "drop it" means that if they pick up something i dont want them to have i say "drop it" and they do. once they get really good they will even drop food. same thing with "leave it" but that is b4 they ever pick it up. "gentle" is if we are playing to ruf and then i say gentle and they become more gentle. Calm and Wait are pretty much the same. if i want to catch them and they decide to play a game of chase me i say calm or wait and they stop wat ever they are doing and roll over into the submissive positon. i was lucky and never had to really teach them these. i think they were reencantarnated (sp) because these commands just came to them. maybe these commands will help. sorry if i was no help

Comment by Jonalyn on March 24, 2008 at 7:54pm

p.s. Sounds like Baxter is more like Lady Victoria, possessive of his "treasure" and annoyed that you're taking it from him. It's natural for him to growl, as he probably sees it as food. But it's good that you're being firm with him from the getgo. Not fun to have an adult bossy corgi!

Comment by Jonalyn on March 24, 2008 at 7:49pm

We have 3 corgis and have whelped 2 of them from mom who we still have. I like your idea to do the nose tap, a firm, "no!"

But if the aggression continues we've found it's key to have a way of distracting the puppy from his aggressive/bossiness. If you discipline wrongly it can actually accelerate the bad behavior. Each of our dogs needs something different to help them calm down and pay attention to our commands. Common denominator: most Pembrokes are bossy, so Baxter is normal :)

When Lady Jane snaps, we've learned she's afraid. She never lashes out when she's feeling safe and unthreatened. Being too firm and rough with her always makes her worse. We distract her with lots of affection/petting and safe (meaning no other dogs) one-on-one time.

When Lady Victoria snaps, she's distracted, trying to guard something or going after another dog when we've intervened and she accidentally is snapping at us. To distract her she needs a new environment, a firm command to do something like come to us, sit and lay down with a treat dangling above her really helps. She's our chow-hound and nothing motivates and distracts her from bossiness as food.

When Lady Lucia snaps, she's in physical pain or feels threatened. She's the only one of our dogs who has ever snapped at a human on purpose. We distract her by playing fetch with her without the other dogs or giving her a task to do.

I've found all the dogs respond well when we give them commands, like "let's go to bed." or "would you like a treat? Okay, sit, lay down, roll over, speak."

Comment by Michelle on March 24, 2008 at 7:42pm

The breeder that we got our corgi from said that face nipping is a big no no and this behavior must be corrected. What appears non assuming behavior as a puppy can get you hurt as your dog matures. Because these are heel nipping herding dogs nipping should be corrected from a very young age. I would think that a stern "no" is a good place to start. Just be consistent. They might pout but they will be okay. Better a pouting puppy than an adult dog with a behavior problem.

Comment by Karen & Bailey on March 24, 2008 at 7:27pm

OMG. Ok Bailey does the same thing sometimes. Well... He will pull on my friend's pant leg and I will give him an OWWWWW or a firm NO and he will continue to growl but when I pick him up and say no and put him down, he will be OK. But.... when we start playing again, it's like he's mad at me and he'll nip at my hands. Then at that point I sitck him in his crate and leave him for a couple minutes then come back... and hes usually OK. This has happened about 2-3 times over the past week. But he's learning, I can tell.

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