Nipping and mouthing

Hi
We have had Bruce nearly 2 weeks now. He is lovely but nips like a beggar.we have been doing the 'cry' and ignore method but ...
My son is 2 and obviously doesn't understand this method.

Any ideas?
We also distract him with toys when he is mouthing.
He can be quite persistent especially with our little one .

Any help is appreciated

Keep doing what you're doing. It takes a while for it to sink in. At least, it did with Loki. Plus, just keep an eye on your son with the puppy, so that you can step in if the puppy tries to nip your son. But yeah, basically, you just have to be consistent and know that it'll work, even if it feels like it's taking a long time.

we used to put our dog in time out in her cage if she was really nipping our kids. I know some people dont agree with it but those little teeth really hurt and 2 year olds dont understand. Tash is now brilliant, it does take time and patience and a lot of understanding. Letting your 2 year old give your dog treats if s/he sits will put your son up in the pecking order. My 4 year old son was the last one tash stopped nipping. Good luck with whatever method you take

Here's a link that will help

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/stopyourstaffypuppybiting.html[/url]

Your basically on the right track it just takes patience and consistancy. Also make sure to supervise any interaction with your child and pup. [url=http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/stopyourstaffypuppybiting.html]

This may help as well

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/staffiepupsandyoungchildren.html

The crate should never be used for punishment - time out is ok, but if you do it too often it becomes punishment & the dog will start to resent it.

Children (even two year olds) can be taught to help with the training. Your son should be old enough to understand if you tell him to say "ouch" when the puppy nips or mouths, and if you are supervising you can also step in & turn your son away from Bruce so that he ignores the pup.

If he continues to be too mouthy, just pick him up & put him out of the room for a minute until he's calm.

Don't forget that your pup is still very much a baby - he will actually understand less than your son about whether to nip or not. After all, he will have played this way with his siblings for nearly 8 weeks & you're expecting him to change his ways in 2 weeks - not easy for him!

Have patience & make sure your son is never left alone with the pup so that you can step in where necessary. He'll get there!

We've tried ouch with Callum but he doesn't understand. Bruce is very persistent almost obsessed . i cant let him carryon doing this as hes scratching callum.I did however say no sternly with my finger in the air ( not pointing at Bruce) and ignored him. Bruce stopped and Callum seemed to understand it too(probably because we say it to him a lot lol)!. Think I might give that a try. We never leave Callum alone with Bruce or any dog

Saying all this Bruce is a sweetie and we all love him dearly!!

Thanks Jstaff for the link , I have been playing tug with his toys so I won't do this until he stops nipping .

No method will give you an instant result, they are babies themselves and need time to learn. But you will be amazed at how they learn. I looked like a self harmer with my two and then it just stopped overnight like a lightbulb moment where they realise its wrong and stop. It take time for a pup to tune into you but they will and if you do it right they will look to you for guidence for everything. Be especially carefull during fear periods as that will imprint forever.

julespercules wrote:Letting your 2 year old give your dog treats if s/he sits will put your son up in the pecking order. My 4 year old son was the last one tash stopped nipping.

Same here.

Not sure tash ever saw the crate as punishment, it was a time out. Anywhere else we put her she'd find something to destroy within seconds and the cage is nice and safe and sometimes she would even go to sleep although we'd only just put her in.

I think for us with very small kids, 6 and 4 putting her in the crate was a godsend as she drew blood on both my kids at times and that is definitely not on.

If my son is misbehaving and getting on her nerves she takes herself off to the cage so it is definitely not seen as a punishment thing

the only way to be safe from puppy teath