Mouthing/Nipping stranger's hands?

Hey all,

I would appreciate your two cents on this issue. Cowboy is about 6 months old at this point. We've noticed that she's kind of bitey with other folks hands. She doesn't do it to my boyfriend and I, but will do it when strangers come up to pet her. It's not aggressive. It seems playful, but her rush has startled both kids and adults. She's so excited to meet them.

So far she's been brilliant as far as training tricks and things, but I'm not sure how to avoid this one.

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Permalink Reply by Madeline and Bella on January 31, 2013 at 11:08pm

Well, seems to me Cowboy just is being a puppy! It might only be a faze, but should be nipped in the bud.

Heres a web link:

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/biting-puppy-how-train-puppy-bites

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

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Permalink Reply by Kim & Stumpy N on February 1, 2013 at 3:24am

Hi Meaghan, it does sound like Cowboy is just an excited puppy! Is she also teething/losing puppy teeth? Stumpy's turning 6 months in a few days and she tends to get bitey no matter who it is when teething(she just lost another canine over the weekend too, haha).

One thing our trainer had us do in puppy class is teach Stumpy how to greet strangers without jumping all over them or nipping at their hands. Stumpy loves meeting new people and gets really excited, so this was extra helpful for us. Basically upon meeting someone new & before they can pet Cowboy, you give her the sit command. Once she sits, Cowboy can only be pet under the chin first (if the stranger pets above the head, dogs think there is a treat in their hands and try to nip at the hands to get to the treat) and if all goes well - then you can give her a treat! Hope that helps! :)

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on February 1, 2013 at 11:02am

Put her on leash to greet others, even in the house and have them pet her on the body only, not on the head, until she's over this stage. Keep the greetings low key to help her not get overexcited keeping some structure to the interaction with others, especially kids. Correction, if needed, should come from you, not the other people. You always want to set her up for success, so only allow what she can deal with well and then slowly build on that.