Nilif Technique Questions and Biting

Question
So i have a 10 month old teacup poodle that stays indoors mostly (in the future too, not just she just got her 2nd shots =] ) and i was wondering some of the ways to get her more obediant.

We do have her crate trained fairly well... she goes in without struggle, but wont stay in if opted.  She cries a little at night/day but it subsides pretty quickly.  

We are going to start making her "Perform" for her food, she sits already, but will dart for the bowl as i get it closer to the ground.  So i know where to be more strict there.  

But how do we stop the nipping/biting... I know that shes teething, but its starting to hurt!  WE try "No Bite" but she still doesnt get it too well.  Also, when we get really flustered, we hold her down and say NO bite, and offer a chewie, but she still wants to bite us.  If we ignore her she just goes for the pant legs or whatever else she can get, therefor getting our attention =/.  

Also, how do we make her "perform" for playtime?  If we know she wants to play, what do we do in order to show dominance, before we play?

Thanks in advance, and if theres anything else that you could suggest, that would be great!

PS.. We have her going on potty pads for now, and she goes on them about 95% of the time, is it time for us to stop the praising/treating when she does it right?  How long should we continue doing that?

Answer
It sounds like you're on the right track with her, Evan. I'll try to address your questions in order.

1. Darting for the food bowl as you set it down:

You didn't specifically ask for help here, but I'll tell you what has worked for me. You ask her to sit, as usual, and she does. You tell her "good girl," and start to put the bowl down and she breaks the sit and goes for the bowl. Immediately stand back up, not letting her 'sneak' a bite out of the bowl, as you say "whoops" and wait for her to sit again (she should, because she knows that much already). Do not re-issue the sit command; just stand there until she sits, even if she barks or grabs at your pant leg or jumps up and down. Ignore her until she sits. Don't even look at her. When she sits again, tell her "good" again in a calm voice, and start to put the bowl down again. She will go after it again more than likely. Repeat as above. The first time, I will allow the puppy or dog up to 5 chances, but after the 5th try if the dog still goes for the food, I simply walk away after the last "whoops" and put the bowl on top of the fridge or otherwise out of sight and out of reach. For the first couple of days, I will try again about 15-30 minutes later, or until the dog has given up and lost interest. On the third day, and thereafter, I allow up to 3 chances before walking away, and the dog does not get another chance to eat until the next mealtime, and at that next mealtime, they do not get both meals' worth of food - they only get what they would normally get at one feeding. It usually takes less than a week for the puppy or dog to realize that bolting for the food causes the food to go away.

You may need someone to help out because what you're striving for is her remaining in a sitting position until you put the bowl down, stand back up, and release her. She is so small that she could easily break the sit and begin eating before you are able to bend back down to correct her and take away the bowl. If you can get another family member to help out just by holding onto her leash so that if she tries to break the sit she corrects herself, that will make this much easier. I don't think you will need anything more than a regular flat collar or martingale-style collar and 4-6 foot long leash for this. The collar and leash should be made of cloth or leather - not chain. Your helper should stand behind her and say nothing to the dog. All the helper is to do is to stand there holding the leash with just a *little* bit of slack in it so that as soon as she stands up and tries to go forward to get the food, the leash is pulled tight, preventing her from reaching the food and making breaking the sit command uncomfortable at the same time.  

It also often helps if you stand back from the dog just a little bit so you aren't putting the bowl right in her face as you set it down. Stand back so that you are setting the bowl down at least a foot away from where she is sitting. This will help her control herself, and ensure that she is not able to sneak a bite if she breaks position. As I mentioned before, the leash should be just slack enough so that the clip that attaches to her collar hangs up and down and is not pulled back, but the leash should not hang down past her shoulder.

You need to choose a release command that will tell her that it's okay to stand up and eat. I use "you're through" in a happy tone of voice, but you can use anything you want. Some people use "free," "okay," "alright," or "all done." I don't like to use 'okay' or 'alright' because that is something the dog will hear throughout the day in normal conversation.

At first, when you put the bowl down, stand back up and immediately give her the release command while your helper lets go of the leash. Tell her "good girl" in a calm but happy tone of voice and allow her to eat her meal.



2. Nipping and biting

This is a normal part of puppyhood. One thing you could try would be to get the smallest squirt bottle you can find, fill it full of plain water (you may have to add 1/4 white vinegar if it turns out that she likes the water), and when she gets mouthy, tell her very firmly, "NO BITE" and squirt her several times in the mouth. Try to keep the bottle as hidden as you can, because if you don't, she will soon learn that if you aren't holding it, she can get away with biting! ;^)

Make sure you and the rest of the family understand that whenever you/they play with her, a toy must ALWAYS be used. Don't just play with her with your hands, because that can encourage the nipping/biting behavior. If she starts going for your hands/arms, tell her NO BITE, squirt her, and then offer her the toy and praise her for biting it. I'm not as lenient on this as I am with some things, so after the second time of saying NO BITE and offering the toy, if the puppy goes for me a third time, I repeat NO BITE, get up, and walk away with the toy (which is then put away). Ignore the dog until she loses interest in you (even if she's biting at pant legs). Use a baby gate to separate yourself from her if she's persistent.


3. Initiating playtime

If she comes to you wanting to play, ignore her until she goes off on her own. You should have 'special' toys that are kept put up out of reach until you're ready to play with her. Once she gives up trying to get you to play with her, and goes off on her own, get one of the 'special' toys, and then go to her to play. When you're done, take the toy back and walk away.  


4. Potty praise

It's never time to stop praising whenever your dog does something you want. My oldest dog is 4 years old, and I still praise her and occasionally give her a treat for following commands and for pottying outside. Praise should continue for the dog's entire life. If he's not being acknowledged for doing something right, why should he continue to do it?

Good luck with your fiesty little fluffball, and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen