Dominant pupy

Question
I have a 10 week old male Cairn Terrier who has started to bark and challenge me, springing forward as to nip me when i say 'no' to him as a form of correction, how do i assert my dominance without making him aggressive.

Answer
Sarah -

I might suggest using the phrase "no bite" instead of a plain no so it doesn't get confused with other times you tell him no...

You may end up saying "no" when you mean for him not to steal your sock, and he thinks "but I'm not biting her."  See what I mean ?

He is trying to play with you as he would his littermates and his mother. But at about this age his mother would also get sick of it and start to correct him.

I recommend grasping his muzzle shut, look him in the eye, firmly say "no bite" and then wait 5 seconds or so before releasing him. You may have to do this a bunch of times in a row the first few times, but he will soon learn what you mean.

You should make a point of also offering him something else to chew on when you release him. So it would be release him and then immediately hand him a chewy toy instead.

The other thing that is important to prevent this kind of behavior is to **not** play tug of war games with him. Many folks end up with accidental bites from adult dogs who have played this game since puppyhood. They are just not bite inhibited because it's always been OK to bite things when in close proximity to people.

I'm thrilled you are planning ahead for your little fella. You should also seriously consider some puppy classes followed by at least beginning obedience.

You will get a kick out of reading this - Toto - The Other Side of the Story

http://www.cairnrescue.com/general/index.htm#toto

-Beth