Help with a nippy westie Pup

Gill2

I am looking for some advice with a 9 week old westie pup. He is a lovely puppy but he is very nippy and has begun to snap and bite at my 2 young children. It hasn't hurt yet but when he gets bigger it will be a huge issue if I don't get it under control soon. I have tried saying NO loudly & sternly, I have also tried making a loud banging noise but neither has any effect on the pup so far. I don't really feel comfortable with slapping on the nose as has been suggested. If anyone has any advice I would be really grateful, thanks.

BohsCeltic

There's a lot of different techniques to try and stop it. A lot of people recommend letting out a cry/yelp like a dog would if it got hurt. You then walk away and ignore him, most soon catch on that biting is not acceptable. You can also try redirecting its attention to a toy when it starts nipping.
Another thing to try is to put him outside when he does it although at that age i'd be wary about him picking something up if he hasn't been fully immunised.

Cherry Blossom

Do not either argue with or hit a Westie, I guarantee you, you will loose. Leave a short lead attached to the pup and every time he oversteps the mark he leaves the room. You also need to be fair and make sure the kids don't overstep the mark with the dog also - if they do, they leave the room. I cannot stress how important it is that the pup puts his full trust in you to control the kids, if you don't - he will be left with no option butt to fend for himself.

You can't ever stop a Westie from mouthing and it's a very bad idea to try to, all I can suggest is that you limit the amount of interaction the pup has with the kids until he learns the limit of how far is too far. To be completely honest you have a lot more work cut out for you in teaching the kids appropriate behaviour for being around the pup than the other way round. I would recommend doing a bit of background research into terrier behaviour and understanding how to focus the dogs instincts in positive ways if you haven't had one before. Be very wary of advice given to you on training, most of what people suggest will get you bitten very quickly if you try to apply it to a Westie. Good luck - you'll need it

DBB

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Do not either argue with or hit a Westie, I guarantee you, you will loose. Leave a short lead attached to the pup and every time he oversteps the mark he leaves the room.

Amen to this.
Westies, in fact many terriers generally, are not the ideal dog to have around small kids, because they tend, by their natures, to have a sharper, less tolerant attitude to kids. This is not because they're bad dogs, it's the temperament they were bred with for years so that they could do the job they were bred for... to take on and kill formidable foes.
To echo what AJ said, you should never try to negotiate with a Westie, because there will be tears and they won't be the Westie's.
To add to the advice to have a lead on the pup (which must only ever be on the dog when under supervision), it is important that the pup gets a warning before being put out of the room, to give him a chance to choose to be good. It'll take a while before he starts to make this choice, but it's up to you, the parent, to teach him how to make this choice.
So, when pup bites, an "ouch" is his warning: you need to teach the kids to say "ouch" at the appropriate moments: if the kids are very young, you can make the "ouch" sound on their behalf. If pup repeats the biting straight after the warning, then he goes out, with no drama or chastisement. You simply tell him "enough", pick up the lead, and gently lead him to a Time Out area, which should be a boring place where he can't find something more entertaining to do. Leave him here for no more than 1 minute, about 30seconds is good. Then let him back into the room without making any fuss.
This takes a lot of repetition at first: you've seen Supernanny have to replace a child onto the "Naughty Step" dozens of times before the child realises Supernanny really does mean it and is not going to relent. Well, it's the same with pups, so the first while is hard, but these are the joys of puppies. The idea is that eventually, when the pup hears the "ouch", he stops biting, as he knows what's coming next. Eventually, biting people becomes unrewarding/boring for him, and he stops altogether.
As has already been advised, use toys to divert the pup away from the kids, and don't allow them to freely interact until pup has more bite control... only let them mingle when you're available to carry out the Time Outs (the kids should not implement the Time Outs.. this is an adult's job)
Keep toys hidden in handy spots around theplace so that there's always one close to hand when you need it, and if the pup hasn't seen it for a while, it has more novelty/distraction value.
Never, ever slap a pup or use your hands to carry out any unpleasant acts... your hands should never be something a pup fears. In any case, slapping them for biting does not stop biting, it simply teaches them to get the bite in faster before making a quick retreat before they're slapped.
Finally, this website is a must-read for all new puppy owners: check out the Training Textbook link:
www.dogstardaily.com

Good luck... As has already been said, with a Westie pup around small kids, you'll need it!:o