[landivc]

I bought my 13 year old daughter a Skye Terrier puppy. She adores her and insisted on training her by herself. The puppy is six months old now but she is getting nippy when my daughter tries to groom her and this is causing my daughter to become a bit apprehensive of her. Can you give me any advice on how to stop this behaviour?

[cigwyllt]

Perhaps as the pup approaches adolescence she is pushing the boundaries and challenging your daughter and once your daughter starts to back off a bit the pup pushes that bit harder.

As a Skye grooming is going to be a big part of her life. How is she when you groom her or have you not tried? Perhaps she needs to be desensitised to the grooming tools. I have a long coated dog and he was very reluctant to let me trim him at first (his hair sprouts around his eyes and reduces his sight significantly) so I kept the scissors and the nail clippers near the chair where I would sit to watch tv. When he was relaxed on my lap I would pick them up and stroke him with them, playing with the hair round his eyes and playing with his paws. Then after a week or so I was able to clip his nails and trim his hair with out any problems. Now he will sit on the sofa and watch me as I trim his face.

It isn't a quick fix but it worked for us.

Does the dog have any matts or particularly tricky bits? It might be worth having a professional grooming session and then desensitising her with regular grooming.

[landivc]

I think it may be that she is trying to push her boundaries as she is extremely strong willed, whereas my daughter has a very soft heart and a bit of an introvert.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by landivc

I think it may be that she is trying to push her boundaries as she is extremely strong willed, whereas my daughter has a very soft heart and a bit of an introvert.

I could very well be. could it possible be that the brush is painful also? Could there be a bruise of cut on the dog and it hurts when the particular place is brushed? Does the dog bite at your daughtor or the brush itself. Does she go after the brush before being brushed or only once the brush hits a certain position?

If the issue is just that thwe dog is strong willed you will need to help your daughtor and yourself become the alpha members of the house hold over the dog. Here is some info on becoming alpha;

Establishing Yourself as Pack Leader

Being The Alpha Dog - Dogs & Dog Training

While brushing her when she snaps say "no" firmly maybe even hold her mouth shut gently but semi-firmly. You could also try spraying her with a spray bottle when she snaps. Here's some info on that;

Squirt Bottle Thoughts

When she complies give her treats and plenty of positive reinforcement as well to help her associate brushing with something positive.

Good luck!

[landivc]

Thanks for the advice!

I went through her coat again last night and it is definately not because of bruising or matting that she bites when brushed. It seems she just doesn't like being brushed.

[cigwyllt]

Perhaps it would be helpful for her to be desensitised to the brush, maybe if your daughter just strokes her with one hand and holds the brush in the other, lots of praise and treats for not responding, moving on to touching but not brushing and so forth.

[gambler-girl]

I have heard that Sky's are very bitie by nature, probaby not the right breed for a novice owner, I would look to a good professional trainer before this gets too out of hand.

GG

[landivc]

Thanks guys!

I will definately try both approaches, espcially including my daughter with both the professional trainer and by trying to get the puppy used to the brush. Since it is her puppy she wanted to do the training and everyting with her dog. I don't want it to get used to me as it's owner, especially because it might be more disciplined with an adult. Also I am at work the whole day and if she can be included in the training the puppy will behave with her and not only at night when I am there.

[DoggieVogue]

Those are all great ideas, sometimes smaller dogs can get snippy with things that are unfamiliar, it's just in their nature. The more she gets used to it I believe the more she'll calm down. It's a good idea to have your daughter train, make sure she asserts her authority over the dog, especially if she's more of an introvert as you said. It's important for the dog to know who's boss. There are softer rubber brushes you can use as well that the dog may feel more comfortable with. You can check some out at our website if you'd like!

[landivc]

I will definately give it a try. As I said it is only with my daughter that she is like that. When we get friends over she is totally the opposite and hides under the chairs and growls at them. I am almost 100% sure that it is because she hasn't been exposed to a lot of other people yet, and then my two cats who have let a fairly peaceful life so far also gets it. She doesn't even let them eat in peace, as soon as she sees them she goes for them!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by landivc

I will definately give it a try. As I said it is only with my daughter that she is like that. When we get friends over she is totally the opposite and hides under the chairs and growls at them. I am almost 100% sure that it is because she hasn't been exposed to a lot of other people yet, and then my two cats who have let a fairly peaceful life so far also gets it. She doesn't even let them eat in peace, as soon as she sees them she goes for them!

She needs to be socialized with humans and other dogs. When your daughtor has friends over have the friends be calm and gentle with her and give her treats. This should help. Get her out and about on errands with you and plenty of walks to get accustomed to other people and pets. Make every trip/experience as positive as possible for positive association. For example, if you take her for a walk give her plenty of treats along the way or praise her with a treat after meeting a new dog.

As for chasing the cat this is prey drive. Many dogs have issues with this. Not too much you can do because of instinct. Just try and say "leave it" forcefully in a low voice and hold her and have her sit. At this point a treat/priase/toy is warranted as positive reinforcement for the compliance.

BTW, 1 more tip...

Try laying the brush on the floor several times per day with a treat on it for the dog to eat off of and get more accustomed to it. Also consider brushing her a bit and more and more each day while she is eating if she is destracted enough. Start slow and then progress gradually until you r still brushing when she is done eating. Have your daughtor do this too.

[cigwyllt]

That's a great idea about leaving a treat on the brush Todd but I don't know about brushing her while she is eating. I always respect my dogs when they are eating - although our house is such that people have to walk past them and around them no one is allowed to disturb them while they eat. I think it would be dangerous to try and brush her while she eats.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

That's a great idea about leaving a treat on the brush Todd but I don't know about brushing her while she is eating. I always respect my dogs when they are eating - although our house is such that people have to walk past them and around them no one is allowed to disturb them while they eat. I think it would be dangerous to try and brush her while she eats.

What do you think about just a few strokes or so?

[cigwyllt]

I think it would be very dangerous. I probably wouldn't even pick up the brush while the dog was eating. When dogs are eating they are vulnerable. I don't stroke my dogs while they are eating, I tell the kids to keep out of the way and walk round them, not step over them. Sure the dogs are not aggressive and if they get bumped or knocked they are not going to snap but they know that at meal times they can eat peacefully and they are not going to be disturbed.

The OP's dog sees the brush as some sort of threat. I think it would be extremely foolhardy to try and brush her while she's eating. Not only is she being brushed which she dislikes but she is being distracted from her food!! Surely she would feel more than justified in telling the person with the brush to get away!

I can not see any circumstance where doing something that the dog finds unpleasant while it is eating would foster acceptance. I would think it would just double the irritation factor.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

I think it would be very dangerous. I probably wouldn't even pick up the brush while the dog was eating. When dogs are eating they are vulnerable. I don't stroke my dogs while they are eating, I tell the kids to keep out of the way and walk round them, not step over them. Sure the dogs are not aggressive and if they get bumped or knocked they are not going to snap but they know that at meal times they can eat peacefully and they are not going to be disturbed.

The OP's dog sees the brush as some sort of threat. I think it would be extremely foolhardy to try and brush her while she's eating. Not only is she being brushed which she dislikes but she is being distracted from her food!! Surely she would feel more than justified in telling the person with the brush to get away!

I can not see any circumstance where doing something that the dog finds unpleasant while it is eating would foster acceptance. I would think it would just double the irritation factor.

Guess you're right. Some dogs can get very aggressive and possessive over food...