Nippy dog!

[Kylieers]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a bit of advise I have a three year old staffie cross female dog which i recently got from my local rescue centre. She is a bit nervous around new people and if someone she doesn't know comes into the house or someone in the street stops to talk to her she often nips them. It's not a bite and never actually hurts someone. It is as if she's never grown out her puppy nipping. I now keep her on a muzzle but i don't want to have to do this forever because she is a really friendly dog its just that initial minute of two of meeting someone. Does anyone have any advise on how i can get her out of this habit?

 

[gypsysmum2]

The best way to treat this is to build her confidence around other people. Do not allow anyone to approach her until you say so. You will find this very difficult to achieve because everyone is an expert on dogs! As soon as you say "she is nervous of strangers" they will try to prove that they are the one stranger that can win her over! Be strong and insist that they do not touch her. Even tell them that she bites! While she is wearing a muzzle, however, you may find that people leave her alone.

Let her see people from a distance. This will help her to relax. Anxious dogs cannot learn. If she gets anxious, because they are too close, then she will not learn that they are harmless and you will make no progress.

Stay relaxed yourself and organise your space so that you do not have to tighten your lead. Lead tightening tells a dog that you are worried about the approach of strangers.

Try to lift her spirits around strangers. If you can play with her or feed her around strangers then it will help change her perception of them.

In the house she should always have access to a bolt hole. This should be well away from busy traffic areas. If she retreats to her bolt hole then she must be left alone. While she is there she will be processing her emotions and this is necessary for her to make progress. If she makes any, friendly, approach towards people then reward her with fantastic treats. Primula cheese is useful for squirting through muzzles. You might like to leave a trailing house line on her so that you can stand on it and bring her, gently, under control.

One way of thinking is to treat her as a wild creature that just needs to learn that people are safe to be around.