[cb123456]

So my pup still nips at 5 1/2 months and wanted to know is this somewhat normal or a red flag that I need to deal with ASAP.
It ranges from biting at my feet, heels or the clothing on my wrist mostly if bored to get attention or play to little nips if I stroke his cheeks on occasion or if Im walking by he will open his mouth toward my hand. There is little to no pressure but it's a bite as I feel his teeth. There have also been a few occasions when I have told him off and he comes at me as if he will bite while making a whining, he stops fairly quickly when reprimanded but as if to say I don't like you telling me off so Im going to see if I can intimidate you.
So far if he does this I take him by the collar and put him outside while saying no bite for 5 minutes or so then let him back in and either give him a toy or reward for calm behaviour like sitting or laying nicely. Or on occasion I hold his mouth closed and say no bite if he's getting to hyped up.
So what can I do, it's not a constant thing he sort of has episodes of it usually if wanting to play but I feel like it's not a good sign and want to know the best way to deal with it at this age.

 

[Sabis mom]

It's normal. I don't like getting aggressive at puppies, so I just keep redirecting to a suitable toy. He will grow out of it.

 

[Jchrest]

I always get nervous when I hear that people are grabbing their dogs collars during bad behaviors, followed by something they don’t like. It’s something that can lead to aggression directed at the handler (owner). I touch my dogs collars when I am attaching a leash, and when checking for growth to see if it needs to be loosened, and to scratch under their collars (they LOVE that)! That’s it. If they are showing poor behavior, a command to kennel is all it takes. Or command to outside. If the aren’t listening because they are younger, I body block them and keep walking forward to wherever I want them (outside or kennel). They get the point long before I get to the area I want them in, without me having to touch them once. Ignoring the behavior and giving them your back, while completely ignoring them and giving them zero attention also works for me when my Husky gets too amped up to listen to anything, and I’m in the middle of something that can’t be put down. He gets bored real quick when he realizes no matter how much he nips or whines or begs, he’s getting zero reaction from me.

I’m sure you’ll get better advice than I can give, just thought I’d throw my hat into crowd.

 

[cb123456]

I always get nervous when I hear that people are grabbing their dogs collars during bad behaviors, followed by something they don’t like. It’s something that can lead to aggression directed at the handler (owner). I touch my dogs collars when I am attaching a leash, and when checking for growth to see if it needs to be loosened, and to scratch under their collars (they LOVE that)! That’s it. If they are showing poor behavior, a command to kennel is all it takes. Or command to outside. If the aren’t listening because they are younger, I body block them and keep walking forward to wherever I want them (outside or kennel). They get the point long before I get to the area I want them in, without me having to touch them once. Ignoring the behavior and giving them your back, while completely ignoring them and giving them zero attention also works for me when my Husky gets too amped up to listen to anything, and I’m in the middle of something that can’t be put down. He gets bored real quick when he realizes no matter how much he nips or whines or begs, he’s getting zero reaction from me.

I’m sure you’ll get better advice than I can give, just thought I’d throw my hat into crowd.

Thanks for the advice, I wouldn't say I 'grab' his collar though. I hold it so as to lead him outside - in as unemotional way as I can. My logic was he bites he's removed from the situation hoping he'd learn if he wants to be in our company he needs to be calm and polite but maybe this had been the wrong course. I might stop touching his collar/body totally and just give verbal command to go out like you said and see how that goes. Redirection works to a point but he LOVES tug so often even with a toy in his mouth he's nipping to get me to pull at it and play with him. He's also at an age now where he's a bit too big to just ignore if he's amped up.

 

[Jchrest]

My Husky is an adult, taller than me when standing. His weigh in at the vet was 62lbs. So when I say when my Husky gets amped up and starts mouthing or nipping, I mean 62lbs of dog pulling my clothing. He can jump over my head (we’ve actually done this in agility, he’s naturally graceful, but we always make sure he has a soft landing pad) from a sitting position. He is go go go from the moment we wake up, to the moment we go to sleep, with a few naps here and there. So yeah, the back to him ignoring him is actually the fasted way to get him to stop, even at the risk of my shirt being ripped to shreds. It’s not often he does this, but its often enough that I’ve tried every other method and this one just clicked.

Grabbing their collar is exactly like you described. Putting a hand on his collar and leading him to whatever area you’ve chosen to put him. Which normally entails a slight dragging at some point if they put up a resistance. Again, I’m not an expert, and I’m sure plenty of people use the collar grab; it’s just not something I’m comfortable with, so I was giving you other options that have worked for me without physically touching the dog.

I’ve given plenty of physical corrections when out walking, or in public when they turn into brats, but again, never with my hands. I haven’t needed to. Knees and feet and body bumps work fine. And I don’t mean kicking or kneeing them, but if they are laying in my way napping, I’ll push them along the tile with my foot. I raise my knee when anyone gets jumpy. They bump into my knee with their chest, and stop. When I’m walking them, I’ll body bump them if they start crowding me, or if we are working on non verbal commands.

My hands are for petting, grooming, and playing, when I say it’s time. Hyper jumpy nippy dogs get the cold shoulder.