I was wondering if this is a good technique. I have a 4 month old fawn male.who has been getting into quite the biting phase. I don't know if his not happy with something or trying to initiate play, but some times it seems kind of vicious. He will go after our feet and arms and pretty persistent if I might add, so we started a new redirect technique. Once he gets into this state, we wave a treat in front of him and he immediately snaps out if it. We then have him sit and then lay down. We hold that state fir a short period and then reward him with the treat. Is this a good method or am I creating a bad association.
good technique or creating a bad behavior
- Thread starter chlarson
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BostonGeorge
Super Boxer
I dont think you necessarily need him to sit and lay down...but redirecting him is the right idea. Give him a toy instead. If he does nip you, say "OUCH!!!!" and walk away. This way he knows if he plays too rough, playtime is over. He will catch on. THere are lots of threads on bite inhibition on here that could be very helpful. Just type it in on the search bar
ehayes21
Boxer Insane
Teaching bite inhibition is very important during this stage. The link below has a few good training articles on how to teach it. Good luck.
ClickerSolutions Training Articles --
ClickerSolutions Training Articles --
TwoDogs
Boxer Insane
A better method might be to catch him before he is in that very aroused state--when he is just starting to get riled up. Ask him for the sit and down and then resume play once he has relaxed. Be careful to wait long enough to actually get a relaxed dog, not one that is just barely holding the position all the while quivering until he gets the chance to play again! If you consistently pair this with a verbal cue such as "relax" or "enough" you will basically be installing an off switch in your pup. As he gets better and better and is able to calm himself quicker, you can practice letting him get more excited before you cue him to take a break. The key though is to start small with low level excitement and build from there.
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