Land Shark

O

Okamiko

Forums Novice
So I dont know where Coco got this new little behavior trait of hers but she has earned the nickname "Land Shark" because of it.

Lately CoCo has been chasing people's ankles or calves as they walk and bitting at them(not a playful nip but full out bite!) I have tired giving her a forceful no to even a light "smack" on the nose to tell her no but she still is doing it.

Any suggestions on making her stop this obviously no desired behavior?
 
Land Shark sounds like a pretty apt nickname for Coco based on your description! :lol:

I'm not sure if this will work with full on biting, but it worked for nipping - I would just stand stock still everytime teeth touch my leg when I'm walking. It takes the fun out of their game I think. After awhile, it just got very boring for Romeo and he has stopped doing it completely now.
 
I have two suggestions...

1) Buy "Bitter Apple" and spray it on your ankles. I don't know if you've ever heard of it before, but if you haven't, I'll explain. Basically it's spray that they just HATE. It's safe to use on your skin, furniture, etc...you can buy it at most pet stores. I know that PetSmart sells it.

2) Anytime that she starts nipping, pick her up and place her in her crate with a chew toy(you don't want to pair her crate to something negative - getting in trouble, so always make sure the chew toy is there). But whatever you do DO NOT SAY ANYTHING TO HER!!! She may be doing it to get a rise out of you, and if you speak to her, she has just won at her made up game. By placing her in her crate with something she CAN chew on, WITHOUT saying anything to her shows her it's not a game. Leave her for a few minutes in the crate, then let her out...if she starts up again, put her right back with a toy that's ok to chew, close the door , and leave her for another few minutes. Eventually she will realize she's not getting anything "fun" out of it, and will give up. It may take a while, but just be consistent!
 
TaraLynn said:
I have two suggestions...

1) Buy "Bitter Apple" and spray it on your ankles. I don't know if you've ever heard of it before, but if you haven't, I'll explain. Basically it's spray that they just HATE. It's safe to use on your skin, furniture, etc...you can buy it at most pet stores. I know that PetSmart sells it.
Click to expand...
I sprayed Bitter Apple & Bitter Yuck on a baseboard that Max liked to nibble on. He licked it off. :lol:
 
Sadie has also developed a taste for bitter apple. I sprayed it on the handle of what used to be her toy basket. Next thing we new the whole handle was gone :lol:
 
I'll need to try he crate technique since I have tried the bitter apple on my base boards on the wall...she also licked it off and chewed more :lol: So I'll try the crate technique perhaps that will stop her land shark behavior. Although she will do this when we visit my parents or my inlaws so its not just a home kinda deal any other suggestions would be helpful when we travel to other houses for play dates with other puppies! But Coco rather bite my parents,or my inlaws >.>
 
My old sheltie used to like to eat sheetrock too and she didn't have a problem with Bitter Apple, so I dumped out some of the Bitter Apple and added a lot of Tabasco sauce. That worked really well, but also stained the surface of the walls, etc. It should still work okay on feet and ankles. On "It's me or the Dog", Victoria teaches the people to "Yeeep" in a loud, high voice, then ignore the dog for a while. It's supposed to remind the dog of the way the Mother and other puppies acted to teach each other when they are playing too rough. The crate with a toy sounds like a good way to ignore the dog for a while, not punishment. Good luck with "Landshark", cute name. :D
 
Okamiko said:
I'll need to try he crate technique since I have tried the bitter apple on my base boards on the wall...she also licked it off and chewed more :lol: So I'll try the crate technique perhaps that will stop her land shark behavior. Although she will do this when we visit my parents or my inlaws so its not just a home kinda deal any other suggestions would be helpful when we travel to other houses for play dates with other puppies! But Coco rather bite my parents,or my inlaws >.>
Click to expand...

Sorry to contradict, but I wouldn't use the crate. The crate should never be used for punishment. It is supposed to be a safe haven and be happy place to go.

I had alot of problems with Bacca nipping and grabbing my pant legs - although it never quite got to an all out bite - I solved it finally by getting a 2nd pup the same age (10 months!) Ok - that may night be the best solution for you, but it sure worked for me. Now they work out their herding instincts on each other! :biggrin2:

The turn around, stop and ignore would work as long as I was stopped. Which was fine as long as I had the time to wait him out. Unfortunately, it would start again if I started moving again too quickly.

I was in process of starting to get him to follow beside me rather than nipping at me by using hand lures by my side. Similar to teaching to heel. It was starting to work, then, as I said problem went away when I brought Indy home!

Good luck! Herding behavious is both the most marvelous and most annoying trait in a Sheltie!
 
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