stop a pet dog from nipping for treats

My foster pet dog Cosmo is nuts about food. He will take a flying leap into his kennel for one piece of kibble, for example.

When I get out the treats, Cosmo’s eyes bug out and he pants frantically. It’s very annoying.

Although it’s great to have a treat-motivated pet dog for training purposes, Cosmo and I have a problem:

If I’m not careful, this pet dog will bite my fingers while trying to get the treat.

Cosmo’s previous owner undoubtedly encouraged him to act ecstatic around treats, whether it was intentional or not.

Cosmo barks for treats, although he stares at me blankly when I give the command “speak.”

He will also stand on his hind legs in buy to get a treat – not so easy for an old man.

He can also catch any kind of treat in mid air – even a piece of cat food.

I need to be understanding with Cosmo, because clearly he was never given pet dog treats for acting calm. He was only given treats for acting out of control. He is conditioned to freak out at the sight/smell of food. It’s not his fault.

And here I am trying to show him to sit and wait calmly to get a treat – talk about confusing!

But the main problem here is not Cosmo’s enthusiasm around food. That’s not a big deal. The problem is he will bite as he’s desperately snapping to get the treat.

This is very sad because he will not be able to be adopted to a home with children. Although I can do my best to help The Coz, I would never depend on him 100 percent around kids.

Let me describe what I’m trying with Cosmo in buy to hopefully get him to be nicer when taking treats. Please feel complimentary to share any of your ideas in the comments at the end of the post.

Cosmo and I could use your help!

How to stop a pet dog from nipping when I give him treats

The main problem here is that Cosmo could bite someone else’s fingers when he or she tries to feed him treats.

I’m not so concerned with my own safety. I am concerned for the safety of others at adoption events, training classes and at the boarding kennel where he often stays.

Cosmo’s own safety is also a factor, because it’s a very severe thing when a pet dog bites someone. I don’t care what the scenarios are.

Obviously the best way to avoid getting bitten is not to give the pet dog treats.

This is actually my “solution” a lot of of the time. When Cosmo does get treats, I try to give him healthy, homemade pet dog treats.

I’m not a huge fan of using treats, anyway.

Cosmo is overweight and doesn’t need the extra calories. Plus, he’s so obsessed with treats that he has difficulty concentrating on the task at hand. He obeys commands much better when he’s not sure whether or not I have treats. If he knows I have them, he gets a bit nutty ?

Avoiding the use of treats is not going to fix our problem, though. He still nips when the treats do come out.

Pulling the treat away if the pet dog tries to snap

Quickly pulling the treat away if Cosmo gets too ecstatic will not work.

The reason is because it makes Cosmo even a lot more crazy about getting the treat. He wants to snap even faster in buy to get the treat before I pull my hand away. This results in more carelessness on Cosmo’s part, and a higher chance of him biting my hand. It’s discouraging for us both.

Teach the pet dog to take the treats gently, without using his teeth.

The best option I’ve come up with is an idea I got from Tamar Geller in her book “30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog.” It is a positive-reinforcement technique.

This is what Geller advised:

1. Dip your fingers in something spreadable like cream cheese or peanut butter.

2. allow the pet dog to lick your fingers.

3. If you feel even the tiniest touch of the dog’s teeth, say “Ouch!” and step your hand away. Do not use an angry or scolding voice. use a shocked tone as though the pet dog really hurt you.

4. allow the pet dog to lick your fingers again. As long as the pet dog is gentle and using his tongue or lips, say something like “gentle” in a pleasurable voice and allow him to keep licking. The second you feel the dog’s teeth, say “ouch!” again and step your hand away.

5. Repeat this several times every day. Gentage. Gentage. Gentage.

In extreme cases, Geller suggests to simply take the food, turn and walk ideal out of the room. wait a few seconds and then come back and try again. Do this several times and the pet dog must eventually understand that if he uses his teeth, the treats are going away. That’s no fun.

Why I think Geller’s technique will work for Cosmo:

I do not always use positive reinforcement training. I have no problem stepping in and correcting a dog. but Cosmo is a sensitive dog. He only responds well to gentle techniques. He has such a lowTolerance for angst for, at jeg ikke ser nogen anden måde at hjælpe ham på.

Hvis jeg verbalt skælder Cosmo, begynder han at lukke ned. Han vil endda miste interessen for behandlingen og vise tegn på undgåelse eller trække sig tilbage til sin kennel.

Jeg er ikke 100 procent sikker på, at denne teknik vil arbejde. Men jeg vil tage nogen tid på at prøve det.

Positiv forstærkningstræning tager meget tid og meget tålmodighed. Dette er grunden til, at positiv forstærkning ikke fungerer for mange kæledyrshundeejere.

Selv hvis Cosmo begynder at vise forbedringer, når jeg tager godbidder fra min hånd i mit hus, vil han stadig have problemer med at tage godbidder fra andre mennesker. Han vil også stadig have problemer, når han tager godbidder fra mig i andre miljøer som på vandreture, ved adoptionsbegivenheder og på træningskurser.

Cosmo bliver nødt til at lære at tage godbidder pænt i alle indstillinger. Bare fordi han vil tage godbidder pænt fra min hånd i vores køkken indikerer ikke, at han vil tage godbidder pænt fra min hånd i stuen.

Sådan giver du en kæledyrshund en godbid uden at blive bidt

Et andet spørgsmål er, at mange mennesker ikke ved, hvordan man sikkert giver en god godbit til en underlig hund.

Jeg er overrasket over, hvordan masser af erfarne kæledyrshundeejere ikke ved, hvordan de skal give en kæledyrshund en godbid. Antag aldrig, at nogen kæledyrshund vil tage en godbit. Ikke alle hunde er blevet lært, hvordan man tager godbidder.

For sikkert at give en kæledyrshund en godbid, anbefaler jeg at få ham til at sidde først. Jo roligere hunden er, jo bedre. Tal roligt med kæledyrshunden og gå langsomt for at tilskynde kæledyrshunden til at forblive rolig og også træde langsomt.

Sørg for at holde behandlingen i en lukket knytnæve og langsomt sænke din hånd foran hunden, under munden. Hold ikke din hånd over hundens hoved, hvor han vil have problemer med at se behandlingen.

Åbn langsomt din hånd, når du føler hundens tunge. Ved at holde fingrene lukket, skal de være sikre på at blive bidt. Det er også bedre, hvis du bruger en mindre godbit. Hvis du bruger en af ​​de lange strimler af jerky, vil kæledyrshunden forsøge at knipse i slutningen af ​​behandlingen i et forsøg på at få fat i det fra dig. Hvis du holder et mindre stykke i din knytnæve, vil kæledyrshunden ikke være så ivrig efter at klikke på det.

En anden måde, der normalt fungerer, er at holde en lille godbit i den åbne håndflade foran hunden, under hans mund. På den måde kan kæledyrshunden se og lugte nøjagtigt, hvor behandlingen er. Hold fingrene lukket!

Fortæl mig, hvis du har andre forslag til at give godbidder til en hund.

Sådan får du en kæledyrshund til at stoppe med at bjælke efter godbidder

Et andet problem, vi havde, var, at Cosmo ville bjælke, hver gang han hørte mig komme ud af godbidderne. Jeg trænede ham til at stoppe dette den første dag, han boede hos os.

Det var enkelt. Hvis Cosmo bjeffede, fik han ikke en godbid. Han kunne fortælle, at jeg var meget ulykkelig.

Hvis han var stille, gav jeg ham godbidder. Jeg kan endda give ham tre eller fire godbidder. Han kunne fortælle, at jeg var glad.

Stille hunde modtager godbidder. Støjende hunde gør det ikke.

Fortæl mig, hvis du har nogen ideer til at undervise en kæledyrshund til at tage godbidder pænt.

Husk, at kæledyrshunden ikke med vilje prøver at skade dig. Han prøver bare at få behandlingen. Hunde er hunde, og de kan ikke rationalisere, hvad de laver.

Her er Cosmos nøddeagtige “Giv Me Treats” ansigt:

For meget mere info om Cosmo, tjek mit indlæg
På amerikansk Eskimo -kæledyrshund til adoption i Fargo.