How do I keep her from biting my hand off?

[Mindy Miller]

Yeah, so every time I give Roxie treats while we're training, she bites my hand off. Not being agressive or anything like that, she just wants that treat. I thought of giving it to her from my palm, but I want her to keep her head up, unless we're doing "down" or something.

[Zoom]

What I do with Aubrey is if she snaps at the treat, I pull it away and tell her "no, gentle" and try again. Or something I discovered today that works well is to tell her wait. If I do that, I can get the treat right up to her lips and she will open her mouth but not take it. Then since it's so close she doesn't have to lunge and bite.

[Giny]

You could teach her the "Gentle" or "Easy" command. What I do is cut the treats is very tiny peaces. So tiny that it's about half the size of my pinky fingernail. I hold the tread between my index and thumb to a point where the treat is not exposed so the dog can't grab it. I ask my dog to sit then as I get close to his mouth, if he goes to grab it, I say "AH....Gentle" and since he can't get the treat out of my fingers, and he will try, as soon as he give a slight hesitation a backs off I then say "Good boy" and treat him. I kept doing this until he understood when I said "Gentle" that he needed to be gentle if he wanted the treat. Does this make any sense?

[Rubylove]

She doesn't get the treat until she's more gentle. That's it! Ruby used to do something similar, and she's learnt that when I withhold treats she needs to chill out a bit. Now she delicately plucks things from my fingers....so cute!

Also, if you get your hand a bit closer to their faces you can give them the treat and still have their head up, but they don't feel like they have to lunge at you to get it, as Zoom said.

[Doberluv]

What I suggest too, is making it a seperate exercise...or lesson out of this. When you're trying to reward your dog for some obedience skill you're doing, you don't want to withhold the treat while you try to teach him to be gentle because the reward then, comes for being gentle... and what he just did....(heel well, sit nicely) isn't the thing which is being rewarded. It gets to him too late and trying to show him to be gentle is confusing that with the "sit." So.......forget it for now, while you're working obedience stuff....just feed him in the palm of your hand.

At a seperate time, while you're watching TV or whatever, several times throughout the day, have some treats in a little dish or in your pocket and call your dog over to sit in front of you or even lying down...whatever...It's helpful to use lower value treats and after his dinner so he's not terribly hungry. Also after he's had ample exercise so he's a little tired and not too energetic. Do some calming things before hand...maybe a nice quiet massage. LOL.

Place a treat in your fist and let the puppy smell your fist. Present your fist with the treat in front of your puppy's nose. If he starts to bite and mouth at the treat and/or your fingers tell him "ouch!" and stop your hand movement with your fist closed. When he removes his mouth, say "take it" or "gentle" (whatever word you want to use) in a quiet, calm voice, and allow him to take the treat from your flat open palm. Offer another treat. Once your puppy doesn't touch your hand with his teeth, say "take it" and allow your puppy to take the treat. Continue to repeat the same procedure until your puppy doesn't touch your hand with his mouth. As soon as he refrains, say "take it" and give him the treat. Repeat this several times a day. He will not get his treat when he uses his teeth. Gradually make the treat more and more visible but never say "take it" if he uses his teeth. He must learn that he will not receive the treat from you unless he inhibits his mouth. Don't forget, anytime you give your pup something from your hand, to be consistant with this practice.

Then you can incorporate it into the times when you want to reward him for a task or skill he just did well. Those things have to be rewarded and trying to teach two things at once....heel and be gentle and trying to reward for the previous thing while trying to make him be gentle just doesn't work. LOL.

[RedyreRottweilers]

My dogs do not get rewarded if they look at my hand instead of my face, or put teeth on my fingers.

I don't tolerate rough handling when the dog is taking something from my hand, and I make that VERY clear.

Teeth on skin = scolding, hard eye contact, and no treat.

[Mindy Miller]

Thanks everybody. Last night when I took Roxie out for her last potty break, I started doing what zoom said and it actually turned into more of what doberluv suggested, with a separate exercise. The closed fist idea sounds promising. We'll do that tonight!

[Carolyn]

Great advice.

I too have always used the "Gentle" command with all of my dogs past and present.

My father has always used "easy". My friend uses "don't snatch" Just find a word that you are comfortable with.

If the aren't gentle? no treat and a sharp NO. Pure and simple, they have to earn that treat.

[Doberluv]

You don't even have to use a sharp, "no!" Sometimes that just throws off their concentration. Keep the dog thinking...."what do I have to do to get the treat? What did I do to get it a minute ago? Oh yea....I'll be more careful this time." Keep him thinking in a forward moving (learning), positive way...aiming for the reward. Don't set him back with punishment. Simply do not give the treat when teeth hit your hand. He'll learn what it is he's doing right which gets him the treat. If you're consistant, it won't take long.

[Carolyn]

You don't even have to use a sharp, "no!" Sometimes that just throws off their concentration. Keep the dog thinking...."what do I have to do to get the treat? What did I do to get it a minute ago? Oh yea....I'll be more careful this time." Keep him thinking in a forward moving (learning), positive way...aiming for the reward. Don't set him back with punishment. Simply do not give the treat when teeth hit your hand. He'll learn what it is he's doing right which gets him the treat. If you're consistant, it won't take long.

True but I guess a sharp no often follows on to the owner saying god **** you nearly got me NOOOOOOO LOL Thankfully though mine rarely get to that point. They sit their little and big bums down and are good with treats :P

[Doberluv]

LOL. Yes, and it works for some dogs to yelp like it really hurts. "oouuuuuchh!" I did that with Lyric and he looked really confused, cocked his head way over to the side and I just burst out laughing, which didn't teach him anything. LOL.

[Mindy Miller]

She's doing lots better. I've been doing the closed fist thing and my other dog. I have Cassie sit right next to Roxie. Roxie watches her every move, so she's learning by example too. The first treat she'll come at it real fast, but the next 2 or 3 she does lots better. I'm hopeful!

[Carolyn]

LOL. Yes, and it works for some dogs to yelp like it really hurts. "oouuuuuchh!" I did that with Lyric and he looked really confused, cocked his head way over to the side and I just burst out laughing, which didn't teach him anything. LOL.

LOL thats exactly what Max would do Doberluv. As I have said before you only have to squeal if he stands on your toes and he is in panic mode LOL..like one of those cartoon characters that says WHAT WHAT..I DIDN'T..I DIDN'T MEAN IT..HUH? DID I DO IT? LOL poor bubby..