Do you have a puppy that thinks your kids are the best chase toys in the world?

Are your kids getting concerned and fearful about interacting with your nipping puppy?

Do you know the steps to go through over a few weeks to prevent all of these issues?

In episode 44, I give you a game plan to help your puppy learn to NOT chase your kids around the house or yard.  A listener from Australia sent in a question about their Lab puppy chasing, tackling and nipping at their three kids.

OUR INAGURAL SPONSORS!

People United for Pets (P.U.P. Dog Rescue)

http://www.pupdogrescue.org/

Rescue Dog of the Week:

Here’s Lucy’s page:

http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/14720553-issaquah-washington-poodle-miniature-mix

Samantha’s chasing puppy situation:

THEORETICAL STRUCTURE THAT WE’RE USING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM:

Freedom Responsibility quotient

• No playing with the kids by himself for sure
• On leash work to start
• Leash dragging

Natural learning process

• Set up scenarios in the areas where they often occur
• Begin to teach “leave it” then transition to your puppy having to “leave it” while dragging a leash or a long line and then eventually with you further away from your kids and puppy.

Kid training

• Teach your older two kids to ignore excited behavior and only pay attention to him when he’s calm or playing the right games
• Handling exercises (for puppy and kids) session 41

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Start with “leave it” in basic non-moving, set up scenarios
• Then begin to challenge that leave it by gradually having the kids become higher level distractions (distance movement and surprise (and number)
• Recall that you need to train for all the scenarios that the chasing and nipping occurs in. (i.e. Running around the backyard, swinging on the swing set, jumping on the trampoline etc.)
• Begin to play the “invisible puppy game with the kids” – you have to coach them through this a lot but you have to start defining for the kids what behavior the puppy does that makes him “disappear” – so they pay no attention to him what so ever (then of course you have to coach Your puppy about big violations like nipping and jumping
• Handling exercises are useful too

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If we use your voicemail in the show, we’ll send you a free video training series! OR if you don’t like free stuff … Email your questions to me: sean@thedogsway.com

Let me know how your puppy training experiments go!

All the Best,