# Puppy play - Nipping wife but not me



## Sherm (Apr 30, 2009)

Our 5 month old plays with me just fine. She will mouth my fingers with low pressure but not bite. If she does by accident, I correct her. I can put my fingers right in her mouth and she won't bite down. My wife, on the other hand, is apparenty her target. I have shown my wife how to do the "OUCH' loudly and walk away for a bit. This does not seem to be working to this point. Any suggestions?


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Play should not involve the fingers, hands, arms or legs. You might want to consider changing how/what games you play with her.


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## emily445455 (Apr 8, 2008)

I've heard that men have a better time correcting dogs than women do. Men's voices are typically lower and scare the puppy...whereas women's voices can't go as low even when they try. So it could be that.

I also agree...playing should not involve biting, gumming, etc.


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## Sherm (Apr 30, 2009)

I guess I worded that wrong. I agree with no "finger play". When she and I are playing, she will retrieve stuff that I toss for her, we may plag tug a bit, and we throw and retrieve again. Sometimes she makes a mistakes and grabs a finger instead of the toy. That's to be expected from a little bugger, I guess. so she gets corrected.

However, she will agressively head over to my wife when I'm not around, ignore her toys, and start in on what we call "devil dog" behavior. Tearing around the house, nipping at her hands and forearms, etc. She does not do that to me. My wife will try to correct her, but the pup either ignores her or it exaserbates the problem.


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## emily445455 (Apr 8, 2008)

I may get riped apart for this, but so be it. It's what I would do (and have done...my dogs don't bite). When your pup does this behavior with your wife, I would grab the dog's snout and hold onto it saying very loudly and sternly "no, bad dog, that hurts" until you think the dog gets the message (I held mine until they started to whine). It's harsh...but biting is bad bad news, I take it very seriously. It could get someone hurt when the dog is bigger and/or leading to bad things happening to the dog.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Sherm said:


> Tearing around the house, nipping at her hands and forearms, etc.


Why are her hands and forearms down there for her to nip at? Is she trying to physically corral/control her...in other words the dog thinks she is playing with her?


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## Sherm (Apr 30, 2009)

Because the pup is just a short little bugger so my wife has to get down low to play with or pet her.


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## RRM_Mom08 (May 5, 2008)

emily I have done this before or if my hand is in there mouth I will grab onto the bottom jaw and hold. (remember we are talking a puppy and not an adult,I would not reccommened that with an adult at all) It has worked with all of mine.


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## Sherm (Apr 30, 2009)

In addition to why my wife is down there, I'm glad we found out about this now and not when the pup might be around some short people like children.


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## emily445455 (Apr 8, 2008)

RRM_Mom08 said:


> emily I have done this before or if my hand is in there mouth I will grab onto the bottom jaw and hold. (remember we are talking a puppy and not an adult,I would not reccommened that with an adult at all) It has worked with all of mine.


Right. I've never had a need to use this form of punishment on my older dog when she became an adult. It took her a few corrections to figure it out...the puppy figured it out the first time.


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## kerryy (Jun 10, 2009)

When playing I am also the one who gets nipped and not my husband - yet I am the disciplinarian for them - not he, but correcting them.. they'll learn


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