Nipping And Licking Problem

[lynniec]

i have a female staff and she is around 18mths she licks you all the time it's like she has a spring loaded tongue!

when she gets excited she also sort of chomps her teeth together at the air but can often get your hand in excitment how do i get her to settle down she is at her worst when i get visitors or when you have both dogs together and try to pat them both .

any suggestions?

[Lablover]

Teach sit and reward for good responses.

I am a short answer type of person.

[lynniec]

Teach sit and reward for good responses.

I am a short answer type of person.

yes she does sit for you and gets a treat you give her a pat and she just sits and lets you but the moment you stop pating her or pat the other staff she starts being silly on her own shes not so bad?

[Erny]

i have a female staff and she is around 18mths she licks you all the time it's like she has a spring loaded tongue!

Stop allowing it. Remove those body parts she is licking and if necessary nudge her away. Simultaneously, do not give her any attention for it. That means no speaking to her; no touching her; no eye contact.

when she gets excited she also sort of chomps her teeth together at the air but can often get your hand in excitment how do i get her to settle down

I'm trying to imagine what it is you are doing with your hands that she can reach them during this period of "excitement". Is it that you're playing with her?

she is at her worst when i get visitors or when you have both dogs together and try to pat them both .

any suggestions?

You could :

Crate each dog separately for when visitors arrive.

Crate one dog - handle/control the other on lead and teach incompatible behaviour such as "sit", as LL suggests.

Have one dog outside and one dog in, so that you are able to deal with the matter of 'visitor behaviour' one dog at a time.

Don't allow visitors to give your dogs attention whilst they are excited or behaving in any other undesireable manner.

Do you take the dogs to training? Having obedience skills "under their hat" will help you use these for the other occasions of visitors. In fact, every time your dog licks you, you would be able to command the dog to drop. That is, if your dog knows that skill in the first place.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Erny

[zacygirl]

I know a staffy that is a bit like this!

Ignore her when you see her getting to the nipping and licking stage, give her a gental verbal correction if she persits. Then use calming strokes and verbal praise when she's controlled. Speak in a flat voice as not to excite her into licking and nipping again. And just keep doing it over and over again!

[lynniec]

i have a female staff and she is around 18mths she licks you all the time it's like she has a spring loaded tongue!

Stop allowing it. Remove those body parts she is licking and if necessary nudge her away. Simultaneously, do not give her any attention for it. That means no speaking to her; no touching her; no eye contact.

when she gets excited she also sort of chomps her teeth together at the air but can often get your hand in excitment how do i get her to settle down

I'm trying to imagine what it is you are doing with your hands that she can reach them during this period of "excitement". Is it that you're playing with her?

she is at her worst when i get visitors or when you have both dogs together and try to pat them both .

any suggestions?

You could :

Crate each dog separately for when visitors arrive.

Crate one dog - handle/control the other on lead and teach incompatible behaviour such as "sit", as LL suggests.

Have one dog outside and one dog in, so that you are able to deal with the matter of 'visitor behaviour' one dog at a time.

Don't allow visitors to give your dogs attention whilst they are excited or behaving in any other undesireable manner.

Do you take the dogs to training? Having obedience skills "under their hat" will help you use these for the other occasions of visitors. In fact, every time your dog licks you, you would be able to command the dog to drop. That is, if your dog knows that skill in the first place.

no i am not playing with her she just seems to be so excited and gets worse with the other staff around. he is nearly 8 so i don't know if maybe she is still a silly puppy but that doesn't mean that the nipping is acceptable he isn't at all like her he is mellow and very obiedent shes just nutty(i do love her though) no the dogs don't go training i am going to take her though .

do you train your dogs at home seperatly?

[Lablover]

do you train your dogs at home seperatly?

Yes. Very important initially.

[4 Paws]

There was a segment on the kids ABC show the other day on a dog that used to lick all the time.I have the same problem with one of my gsd.

It advised to turn away or remove yourself and give no verbal or eye contact and than reward the dog when it is not licking.Must say it's working with my girl as well.

I had to sit the kids down and stress how important it was for us all to do the same thing,it's harder to train a kid than train a dog though

[shellbyville]

I have a lab who does exactly the same thing. She is very loveable and friendly, and licks a lot, which is ok, but when she gets excited she does tend to mouth and jump. I was pushing her away and giving her verbal correction. A trainer told me to not push her away as this to her is more attention. She is getting better, I growl at her, turn my back on her, until she settles and then give her the opportunity to make a better choice the 2nd time. Seems to be working. If she mouths I go through the same thing again.