First, if I posted this in the wrong place, please move. I will be curious to see the responses.

As most know, I adopted Nadia when she was 16 months old. She did not display this behavior when I met her and brought her home, but she has done it ever since. No matter what I try to do to stop the behavior, she persistently nips at people. I know it likely has to do with her temperament, and feel it also can be credited to her first 16 months of life, whatever happened to her. She is now 3 years old and has been with me since June '09.

However, I still would LOVE to stop her from doing this and to make her a safer dog.

Here is an example:

The first time she did it: My son in law was standing in my doorway, looking outside, not moving. My grandkids had gone out, and the dogs had been in their crates. I let the dogs out to go out with the kids. When Nadia saw my son in law in the door way, she bolted towards him and grazed the calf of his leg. I can call her name and she will stop and come back to me, but I feel like when these events happen, they are 1) unpredictable and 2) dangerous. There have been several other cases like this, involving people, or little dogs.

Another behavior I have noticed is that she will not willingly give me a toy, will not bring it to me unless I have another of equal value(when we are playing fetch) and she is not a 'kissy' kind of dog. She avoids anyone getting in close to her face(turns away) although she has gotten better over the past 2 years with me.

I have learned to read her body language quite well and take preventative measures in all circumstances. Aside from this behavior, she seems to be full of anxiety and even more full of energy. She rarely tires. Paces, runs circles, difficult to focus at times.

In training, her OB is pretty darn good, IMO, and is improving all the time. In that arena, I feel that she is a biddable dog. (For what I am looking for)I would just like to find a way to settle her down more so she can enjoy life in a better way and we can feel safer. Now I know her behavior is probably ingrained into her pretty deep, but I want to know how others would handle this.

If she doesn't relinquish toys without a bribe, that could be because she feels she runs the show. I can take anything from Renji- toys, food bowl, bones, but for high value stuff I always trade because that is fair. If I want your bone, I do expect you to give it to me, but I will reward you in appreciation with something you love and rarely get, like some chocolate chip cookie (for those who argue the sugars and chocolate, it's a very rare occurrence and the extra sugar outweighs the possible bite, plus it's good incentive). But toys will always be released when requested. All this applies to me. BF cannot take things out of Renji's mouth, cannot approach him while eating, and cannot take toys unless Renji wants to play. Renji also guards the kitchen from him during food prep. Clearly Renji recognizes me as in charge and BF as playmate. It's possible that Nadia is not getting clear leadership indications in her eyes. You may feel you're doing well but if she thinks otherwise, things need to change.

I have tried to direct BF on what to do to improve the leadership realm. I try to have him prep and give meals. I instruct him to not let Renji go in and out of doors first. Unfortunately, there is a complete lack of consistency with these and many other behaviors so Renji has learned if BF gives an inch, he can take miles. I am way too stubborn to relent.

If son-in-law comes to the house often or lives there, can he be involved in more training and feeding? These do help to bolster the leadership role in dogs' eyes. You may have to control the situations at first just to make sure everyone is safe but it would be beneficial. During playtime, do not let Nadia set the rules. If she wants to play fetch but will not release the ball, everyone goes back inside for crate time for a few minutes before trying again. When finally she releases the ball and is rewarded with more play, that will send a clear message- If I'm a possessive jerk, Mom won't play and I go back in the crate. If I release the ball, we get to play fun games outside. Be sure to end the game before she is ready as you do not want to fight for the ball. When she releases the ball, keep it, but do more fun things, like maybe some light training for treats, or running around together, then go inside. Do not wait until Nadia is too tired to release the ball so it results in a possession fight before going inside in a huff. I have to watch out for this with Renji.

What is Nadia's exercise routine and what does she eat? When Renji hasn't had a hard run, he is more anxious and reactive and buttheaded. After a lot of exercise, he is chill for a couple days. Since we added Tranquil-Tabs to his diet (thanks, Val!), the edge has been taken off his anxiety. Food is also a big player. If the diet has a lot of carbs, that translates to simple sugars which means FUEL FOR THE FIRE! A lot of people who switch dogs to grain-free diets notice a calming effect on their dogs. The dogs still have the same energy, but it's controllable energy, not spastic, twitchy energy.

Nadia's nips from behind does sound like herding behavior.... maybe she wanted son-in-law to go outside as well and tried to herd him that way? This is natural behavior when dealing with sheep but obviously herding humans is not quite as accepted.

So, besides calling her back to you, what have you done to discourage the nipping?

First to respond to Diana...excellent info and food for thought there! Thank you :)I have worked on most of all that you have mentioned, in regards to getting the toys in exchange for a higher value item/treat. The only time it works is if we are playing fetch. She will not relinquish a toy for a treat. She gets less exercise in the spring & summer than the fall & winter, because I work in the good months. So our exercise routine is some OB, some fetch, and some serious tug. They also get to go run loose at my friends house once a week for hours on end. But the time of year and the amount of exercise has not helped change any of this either. Both dogs eat raw in the am, and TOTW in the pm. Changing their diets only changes their poops.

As for my response to Zyp-Normally she gets leash corrections. After that first episode with my son in law, she does not get to meet other people without a leash, as I tend to air on the side of caution. She has also been immediately crated, but that does not drive the point thru at all. I have yet to try an E-collar. I have been working with my trainer on this for nearly a year now with Nadia and she still does the same thing to him, or to anyone else that she sees as intrusive(that is the only word I know how to describe it as)She used to do it to me very mildly but she quit when I never reacted at all. I just kept on doing what I was doing, like getting the ball to throw, etc. Can't remember when she last nipped at me. We are now at a point that she does not get toys unless she is engaging with me. Either we are playing, tugging, training. I have just recently implemented this, about a week ago.

My son in law rarely visits, as does anyone else, other than my buddy John, who just isn't the type to 'work' on this type of thing. His philosophy is 'let her just be a dog' which will NOT work in this case because of the potential for disaster. Anyone who does visit, calls from the driveway or knocks on my living room window so I have a chance to either crate her or leash her. Once they are in the house and sitting, she comes out as does Zisso. Everyone knows not to look at her, talk to her, pet her, etc. She goes to them and only then are they allowed to speak to her. I have had visitors give her treats-she won't take them. Or if she does take them, she spits them out generally. At this point, once a visitor is in and seated Nadia is fine with them. She will sniff them, lick their hands, and then she comes to lay at my feet. If they get up to go to the restroom, she will attempt to nip at the calf of their leg, unless I tell her as they get up to leave it, in a very strong tone.

Nadia is what I would call a high strung dog. Hence the pacing, etc. I can get them out in an open field and she will play and run hard, chasing Z, playing tug with me, swimming any and all of that, but after a brief rest, she is back to being her neurotic self.

One thing I haven't done is have her thyroid tested. Maybe that could be something to check out.

The only thing I can think of is repetition, repetition.

Instead of avoiding the situation, set her up for repeated infractions and corrections.

ok thanks zyp

I am excited and nervous all at once. My daughter invited the dogs and I to go on a hiking trip in a couple of weeks. It is in the Peninsula National Forest, is supposed to be a popular hike, so I imagine a lot of dogs will be there. It will no doubt prove to be a long day. I will have to handle Nadia all day(because she is too strong and because she nips), but look forward to the opportunity to work on her nipping. I know both dogs will enjoy the trip without a doubt.

In our planning for the trip, we were talking about playing 'hide and seek' where the kids (ages 10 & 12) can go hide and the dogs can find them, and the adults can also take turns hiding for the dogs to find. There is a lake there so hopefully the dogs can have a chance to swim too. My youngest granddaughters name is Lena, and they just found out the name of the lake is Lena Lake! How cool is that!

The dogs have packs, but it has been a year now since we have had the chance to use them so we will have to start them out light again. I know that by the time we get home, I will have LOTS of pics and two extremely tired puppers It should prove to be an interesting trip!!

I would implement strict NILIF, not because I think the dog is overly pushy, but because dogs like this with nerves close to the surface like to have a predictable routine. Establish consistency and routine as much as possible, with everything from training to your daily schedule.

As for the nipping itself, some dogs are just sharper and/or have weak nerves and will always have to be managed.

She may be a dog that takes a longer time to come around and bond. Keep working the OB since that is going well. In the mean time, I would manage her environment by not letting anyone else pet her or be near enough to create a situation where she could nip.