[seeingstraight]

We have had our rescue dog for 4 weeks.

Dexter is a beautiful 2 year old mix. ( not sure of his mix but maybe Pomeranian, foxy,cav?)

He has settled in wonderfully.

He is extreamly placid with my nearly 3 year old twins who grab and drag him around the house and pat him way to hard at times.
He had learnt if he needs space he go and sleeps under our bed.

But in the last week as he has settled in and become more playful he has started nipping when he gets excited and wants your attention.

So what can i do to stop him.. Keep in mind he is also nipping the kids as well as me and hubby.

Im worried he will nip to hard one day and break skin

[robot sm]

Congratulations on your new dog!

With our dog, we ignore her if she nips - it's a sharp "no!", then playtime over for a few minutes, no touching or responding to her playing, turn away or ignore her. She doesn't do it often. That said, she is rather a softy and hates being told off, so it may not work if your dog is a bit more strong-willed. Worth a try though!

[elizabethany]

I have a rescue that used to do this, we would say "ouch" quite loudly, then ignore her for about 30 seconds. Since your dog is older, you may need to ignore her for a bit longer. It took about a fortnight, but she has never nipped since.

[*Spikey*]

Nipping is a standard puppy play tool.

So the best response is to respond as if you were a puppy - and really, really over-react to the nip by squealing and howling like you are dying.

Like this.

I can guarantee it works on 99 dogs out of 100. And yes, I've tested it on at least 100 dogs over the past 12 years.

[chevbrock]

You might find a "time out" might help, especially if your kids are like mine and won't "scream" because they want to be gentle with the dog all the time!

[*Spikey*]

But CB, I am going to personally teach them the squeal the next time I see your crew. It will be fun.... No doggy ears will ever be safe again. Bwah hah haaaaa!

[chevbrock]

Or human either, by the looks of that, Spikey

[The Old Bag]

Nipping is a standard puppy play tool.

So the best response is to respond as if you were a puppy - and really, really over-react to the nip by squealing and howling like you are dying.

Like this.

I can guarantee it works on 99 dogs out of 100. And yes, I've tested it on at least 100 dogs over the past 12 years.

I can vouch for this approach having (unintentionally) let loose an almighty shriek the other day as a result of some silly clumsiness on my pup's part, in a second she was flat on the floor trying to be invisible and she behaved like an angel for the rest of the day! The thought of hurting me really freaked her out.

Generally mine responds really well to a sharp NO so that's all I use for nipping. But the scream Spikey describes is like NO x a million, great tool to keep up your sleeve!

[ChexMix]

I've been using the 'shriek' method on my girl dog when she barks in my ear in the car too! It's only half-faked >.< but it's working great (although she is a sensitive soul!)