Biting Problem

[Lekana]

Now that the topic has been moved into more of a “human” aspect…I’ll simply relate my experiences in that matter.  I stand by my views concerning other DOGS.

I’ll just say, I have seen more ridgebacks ruined by such rigid opinions of “biting” a human and correcting that, than the taking of a more relaxed approach.  It truly comes down to what each person thinks of as a “bite.” 

In my opinion, in such an open forum, there is no “pat” answer because every puppy is different, every line is different, and quite frankly PEOPLE are different. 

Puppies use their mouths…it is how they learn.  I can go out in a yard with 10 seven week old puppies, and they ALL nip at my legs, they unfortunately can tear my “lounge pants” because teeth get caught and they simply rip fabric.  Do I “turn on them” and exert “my dominance” because I am annoyed they have ripped my pants?  I guess I CAN, but are they LEARNING anything, except for the fact I am “being mean” for something they may not understand?

The whole aspect with very young puppies, BEFORE they go to their new homes and learning bite inhibition is very subtle, and it ISN’T a pat answer. 

With older puppies, likewise, it is also subtle, and it requires knowing the background of those puppies.  Throwing a 4 month old puppy on the ground and screaming at it for a nip that YOU might think is a dominant act, when the puppy itself had no “ill-intent” can be extremely detrimental to that puppy.  It is easy to get in your head when someone (likely your breeder or dog club fellow member) says that any “teeth on skin” is a “bite” and must be “dealt with.” 

Yes, teaching bite inhibition, and YES, teaching certain things about mouthing are important, but some of the “techniques” I have read about above quite frankly lack a basic understanding of our breed, and of puppies in general. 

Just as an example, I have a 10 month old male who has NEVER exhibited a dominant bone in his body, (beyond his earlier puppy antics) but lately, he has it in his mind when I am walking down the hallway or going to the kitchen, etc, that he thinks it is “fun” to grab my arm in his teeth, with little or no pressure.  OH MY GAWD…he is trying to “dominate me!”  I guess I should throw him on his back and scream and glare at him right? 

No…in my mind, ABSOLUTELY NOT!  He’s simply an active young puppy, testing out some weird little game in his mind.  If I simply ignore THAT game, and engage him in a more appropriate game, I have preserved his pro-active nature, and certainly don’t terrorize him into thinking engaging in “self-thought” is horrible. 

There is a huge difference in how you “protect” them from other dogs and how you “protect” or train them with people, and with people, it is a matter of an innate ability to read intent…and an innate ability to read the signs and act appropriately and not give into “pat” answers.

Just my opinion,
Shara

[Nixxon]

I agree with that, my dog has never exhibited dominant behavior to me but always wants to play with me if I sit on the ground near her to pet her.

She likes to bite and nip but doesn't ever bark or establish dominance.

She has taken to eating out of the littler box, jumping and swatting people with paws and counter surfing. Several times I have lost my temper and probably swatted her a bit too hard but now when I come down the stairs and she's doing one of those things she immediately runs into her crate. She knows she has done something bad. Which is what I want her to understand, at this point its probably just her puppy curiosity that is taking over and she can't help herself.

Shes very intelligent and I think she will eventually grow out of these behaviors but right now shes pushing the limits to see what she can get away with.

[sylvie83]

I just wanted to reassure Lekana, my puppy is neither ruined nor terrorized 
There are people out there who do have the necessary experience and empathy to raise a puppy correctly .......

[Lekana]

Sylvie, you certainly don’t need to “reassure” me.  I don’t know you, so I certainly am not speaking to you directly.  However, I may have inadvertently responded to words that you wrote, being:  “Honestly I fail to understand how you guys put up wih this biting behaviour .....”  And I simply think there is a difference between “biting behavior” and true dominance.

The simple fact is that Ridgebacks are not Dobermans, nor are they Beauceron’s.  Just as I originated from German Shepherd Dogs and various Setter’s doesn’t mean necessarily you can equate, nor DEAL WITH ridgebacks the same as you do with other dogs you had in the past.

FOR SURE, I once thought (many, many years ago) that ANY teeth of a dog on a human was a bad thing, but I simply don’t think that now, simply because I UNDERSTAND the mind of the ridgeback.  This thought, similar to yours, was consecrated because of ONE instance I knew about where “biting behavior” got out of control from ONE ridgeback owner.

After a couple of decades in this breed, after owning many other breeds, I know this behavior is NOT in of itself, necessarily a “bad” thing.  My training mentor, who held seminars throughout the country, and who was an ultra-positive trainer related a story as a preface to discussing “weird behaviors” in this breed…talked about her human son that exhibited the “abhorrent” behavior of licking the revolving belt at the grocery store.  He was 5 years old…and she related the fact that OF COURSE that behavior, while interesting to him at the time simply would not be a behavior deemed acceptable even to HIM a year later. 

Do you yell at the child for doing something abhorrent TO US, yet to HIM was simply a matter of innate discovery?  Fast forward to one of her seminars where a Gordon Setter COULDN’T help himself and attempted to maul this trainer because she held a juicy treat in her hand.  Slobber flying everywhere…but this trainer held her ground…that “mouthy” dog ONLY got the treat when he politely sat in front of her. 

Like I said, Sylvie, I don’t know you, so I don’t know whether or not your puppy has been ruined or terrorized.  But what I DO know is that people shouldn’t necessarily take to heart your term of “biting behavior” because it simply isn’t as simple as that.  And in my mind, we shouldn’t automatically assume our ridgebacks are being dominant in the face of simple “water testing” of games.  A more SUBTLE approach, in my mind is a LOT more beneficial in preserving the complex mind of our hounds.

Shara

[joecop]

If I may make a suggestion Shara,  the fact that you CAPITALIZE certain word for emphasis might come off as a bit judgmental and a bit preachy.  I know it does to me and I have no dog in this fight.  ( I got to use that in a dog forum, yea!)

Joe   

[sylvie83]

The simple fact is that Ridgebacks are not Dobermans, nor are they Beauceron’s. 
Shara

No kidding