# Just enrolled in first training class!



## TanzyRose (Dec 26, 2015)

Tanzy is almost 8 months. We held off on any sort of training class until now. She already knows all the basic commands and is really good at stay. I can leave the room without her budging. No potty accidents in the house since end of November '15. While she sounds almost perfect, there are a couple of behaviors we have been unable to fix on our own. She is still a holy terror with nipping at myself and my fiance. Nothing we have done works! Yelling ouch, ignoring, spraying her face with water, fly swat to the butt, shaking an aluminum can of pennies, etc...I mean nothing works. She has never tried to play this way with anyone but my fiance and I. Its pretty obvious that she thinks of us as puppy playmates in regards to this biting. Anyone else dealt with this? It hurts a lot. Is it realistic to think a training class could fix this behavior? She does pretty well listening to us, and in every other way she understands the word NO, but not when it comes to this. She also has developed a blanket chewing habit as of late. This occurs while we sleep, and she is slowly destroying the comforter in our bed. She gets to bring her stuffed animal that she is very attached to with her to bed, and in the past would chew that. I'm not sure why she has decided to chew the blanket. Any insight/advice? 

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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

I like to play tuggy with pups and teach them that teeth on the hand ends the game. No telling off, spraying or hitting or scaring, just walking away and ending the game.

I also teach a nice solid "off" or "leave" first with treats and then with toys so the dog learns to let go when asked even if really well into a game. Mouthing or biting me as part of a game result in the same as teeth on hands in tuggy - I walk away so the game ends. If necessary I will go into a separate room to give a brief time out from the situation. 

Not sure about the bed chewing but if she is doing it overnight I wonder if she is maybe not all that tired? What is her routine for walks and runs off lead?

I find it much easier to teach the dog what I do want it to do than tell it off for doing what I don't want it to do.


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## TanzyRose (Dec 26, 2015)

Thank you so much! Your advice is great! I was hoping that with consistency of ignoring her biting she would eventially grow out of it. I should be clear that the biting isn't specific to play time. It is most often a result of simply walking. She bites my pants leg. She doesn't let go. Ignoring doesn't help, and she doesn't listen. Eventually she does let go after I stand still for about 3 minutes, at this time should I praise her for letting go? Other times when she painfully latches on to my toes (OUCH!) I have to pry her jaws open to get her off. She even bites our faces while we are just sitting watching tv. I think its a lack of stimulation and she's just plain bored. But man does it hurt. She doesn't get off lead walking during the week. Its not allowed in our city, and we live downtown so we have zero yard. She gets to go to the dogpark on the weekend which tuckers her out real good. She gets an hour walk in the evenings and we play fetch in the house. She usually wants to go to bed about 830. She seems tired, just doesn't stay tired long enough. That is likely due to sleeping most of the day. I love my little monkey to bits  hopefully we can get a better handle on training with the upcoming classes! Starts April 4th 

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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

It sounds like she needs a walk in the morning and preferably a quick walk or play at lunchtime if she is left the rest of the day. 

She has learned that biting gets a good reaction from you so you need to give her lots of play opportunities in other way (which is why I always like tuggy as I can use this to distract puppy mouthing onto the tuggy toy) 

This is a really nice method for teaching Leave 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNAOe1djDyc

I start with food self control and move onto toys and this is the sort of result you can then have 

https://www.facebook.com/169015403109072/videos/vb.169015403109072/945378585472746/?type=3&theater


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## TanzyRose (Dec 26, 2015)

I can probably squeeze in about a 15-30 minute walk in the morning. I get up at 5am for work, and I don't have much time to spare, but I am willing to get up earlier if needed  I work until 5pm, and she stays in an exercise pen while I am gone at work. When I get home at about 6:15pm, we go for a nice long walk, often as much as 2 hours. I am in bed around 830, and she always goes to bed with me willingly. 

I will watch the videos afterwork today! Thank you! I'm afraid the real problem is she is left alone too much and sits around bored and sleeping all day  I focus my evenings entirely on her as a result. I really want to get a dog walker for around lunchtime, but my fiancé is very much against because you have to give them a key to your house.

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## SemperFi Teacher (Dec 24, 2015)

I hope that things get better with the nipping. Please let us know how the training classes goes.


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Have you looked into doggie daycare? At that age, my two went to daycare because I had long days and we went to the dog park for a couple hours every evening because they had so much energy. 


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