No one said these dogs are stupid...I'd appreciate any insight in outfoxing my little fox.
Ajax has always been mouthy, and sometimes nips in play (this is not aggressive nipping). My husband and I have always taken it very seriously, and he is much much better with us now, though not perfect.
However, this is what he has figured out: In his head, there are two kinds of people. Those you can chew on, and those you cannot chew on. There is an easy way to tell the difference...you try to chew on them. If the person being chewed on corrects the behavior in any sort of reasonable and stern way (by voice, wrapping his muzzle in hand, etc.), this is not a person to chew on. If, however, the person allows the behavior or, even better, responds by quickly pulling their hands away from his mouth, only to try to pet him again, and pull their hands quickly away again...a fantastic game...this is a person that you are allowed to chew on.
In other words, people who have experience with large dogs are not to be chewed on. People who are unfamiliar with dogs are his personal Nylabone.
I do not know how to effectively correct this behavior because the timing is so difficult. I can easily correct him for gnawing on me, because I know exactly when teeth meet flesh. When others are petting him, however, he doesn't listen to me or my husband, and frequently has been already inadvertantly rewarded for the behavior before I can pull him off. I can instruct my friends to a degree, but not necessarily those fun people that just walk up and say hello. I also don't want to be the neurotic woman calling out panicked instructions to every stranger who wants to pet him. But I'm concerned because when his "new friend" is elderly, particularly now that it's so cold, he can break the skin.
He's such a friendly dog, he loves to meet everyone. But the chewing on strangers has to stop.
Any suggestions?
Audrey
Oh yeah, and I'm also having to deal with the fact that many people he meets think this is "cute."
[ 01-11-2003, 01:42 AM: Message edited by: Odri ]
Ajax has always been mouthy, and sometimes nips in play (this is not aggressive nipping). My husband and I have always taken it very seriously, and he is much much better with us now, though not perfect.
However, this is what he has figured out: In his head, there are two kinds of people. Those you can chew on, and those you cannot chew on. There is an easy way to tell the difference...you try to chew on them. If the person being chewed on corrects the behavior in any sort of reasonable and stern way (by voice, wrapping his muzzle in hand, etc.), this is not a person to chew on. If, however, the person allows the behavior or, even better, responds by quickly pulling their hands away from his mouth, only to try to pet him again, and pull their hands quickly away again...a fantastic game...this is a person that you are allowed to chew on.
In other words, people who have experience with large dogs are not to be chewed on. People who are unfamiliar with dogs are his personal Nylabone.
I do not know how to effectively correct this behavior because the timing is so difficult. I can easily correct him for gnawing on me, because I know exactly when teeth meet flesh. When others are petting him, however, he doesn't listen to me or my husband, and frequently has been already inadvertantly rewarded for the behavior before I can pull him off. I can instruct my friends to a degree, but not necessarily those fun people that just walk up and say hello. I also don't want to be the neurotic woman calling out panicked instructions to every stranger who wants to pet him. But I'm concerned because when his "new friend" is elderly, particularly now that it's so cold, he can break the skin.
He's such a friendly dog, he loves to meet everyone. But the chewing on strangers has to stop.
Any suggestions?
Audrey
Oh yeah, and I'm also having to deal with the fact that many people he meets think this is "cute."
[ 01-11-2003, 01:42 AM: Message edited by: Odri ]