Fila pup nipping kids

[Tubarao'smom]

Tubarao is almost 5 months. Ever since we got him around 3 months old he has nipped my 2 year old son a couple times. Not enough to leave a mark or draw blood but enough to scare him. He lets out a semi bark and then the nipping happens. It is normally over something that is really simple such as trying to pull the blanket he is laying on or when I am loading the dishwasher and my son is standing next to him, tubarao gets a little protective over the dishwasher because it contains dirty dishes that he thinks he will get a lick at.

He has done various forms of nipping my other kids as well. I have 4 in total and the oldest is 7 while the youngest is my 2 year old.

Question is how do I happen this. I have been removing him (the dog) from the situation and kenneling him is this the right move?

 

[DennasMom]

Sounds like he may be using his teeth to get what he wants... and at some level, it must be working for him (or he's still just testing to see where the boundaries are).

We taught Denna that if she sits and waits for things, she normally will get what she wants (but not always).

So, for the dishwasher... I would have him leave the kitchen (but be where he can see you, and you an see him), then have him sit and wait... after a few seconds (the first time), give him a reward - probably an approved treat versus a dirty dish... but something that he wants to work for, in any case.

Make him sit and wait longer and longer for the reward over time, but make sure that he knows if he waits long enough, good things will eventually come.
He should start getting in the habit of just sitting and waiting for good things, instead of being pushy about taking things and possessing things.
If you can involve the kids in the activity, that might help, too... so he sits and waits for the child to deliver the reward. You might have to work on Tubarao's treat-taking first, to make sure he knows to be gentle - he can only take a treat for your hand if he does it nicely... otherwise, the hand shuts and the treat goes away!

Removing him to his crate is effective at stopping the guarding... for that one time... but he's not learning what you want him to do instead. I'd work on giving him something to DO, so you can reward him for doing a good thing.

Hopefully someone else will chime in with some ideas on what to do around kids, as we don't have any here.

If you're consistent in letting him know nipping is not going to get him any rewards, he should give it up... for Denna that was around the 5-6 month age, so hopefully you're just about there!

 

[tojvan]

Removing him from the situation and kennelling him does not solve the problem your only avoiding it. Now this depends on the situation my fila loves to chew on hands and paws like you wouldn't believe he could be a professional boxer of he tried lol. After he eats or when he wants to play he becomes super bratty chewing and running away pawing and running away but all it takes is one look or yelp for him to come to his senses
Now If your pup is defending the spot and boxing your kids out. Giving them warning etc. that is not acceptable especially in a fila it's only going to escalate. The good thing is that filas are sensitive it can easily be corrected.
As soon as he does this take the tips of your four fingers and thumb quickly poke him by the shoulder or ribs and sternly say NO! The nudge is to only redirect his attention. Do not do it hard just enough to correct him a gentle nudge is more than enough but it needs to be done quickly. Repeat the process if he tends to run away from you and bark at you since he's still young and probably bratty follow through box him into a corner until he submit or goes in a sit position. Do not let him get away CONSISTENCY IS KEY!!!
I do not like giving treats because as he grows up and does not want the treats anymore he is going to tell you to F**k off.
You need be the leader and tell him kids are off limits he needs rules, regulation and limits with LOVE.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

This is not Fila specific, it is all puppies as a rule. Puppies bite an bark and nip to get what they want until they learn that it is unacceptable. I disagree with boxing him into a corner until he sits but that is just my opinion. I handle things calmly and say No! you can treat for positive behaviors or don't, that is a personal decision but the end result is consistency is the key always. The idea of treats is that they are used to begin to get the behaviors you want and then weaned away at some point when the pup has the full concept of your expectation. It will get worse regardless of the type of dog if it is left without correction. My advice would be to leash him and keep him with you so that you are always there to correct when it happens. Be consistent and he will learn. I wish you luck!

 

[Tubarao'smom]

He is not bratty in the typical puppy manner. He is the only puppy that i've ever had that does not chew everything in sight. Give him a bone and he would spend 5 mins with it and walk away, food is another story. I remove him from the situation in hopes that he will see that if he is bad he does not get to spend time with the family. This does not really seem to matter to him though because he just lays in the kennel and goes to sleep. He does have some manners, he will take treats easy from me and sit when I tell him but he does not take the kids seriously. I do not think he intends to harm them because he could easily break skin, etc. IMO he is just telling them to back off but again I know this is not acceptable behavior.

 

[tojvan]

My point was that you cannot let your dog avoid the situation by running away you have to follow through so that he knows you mean business. When he submits ( most dogs go into a sitting position or lay down to show submission) you walk away. The next time if he lets the children near hand them a treat and let him feed tubarao. Repeat this couple more time and the issue is resolved. It might surface again since he's a pup but repeat again and it'll be resolved.
I like your concept of leashing but to some dogs the really persistent ones it means that means that when the leash is on I have to behave when it's off I can easily run away if a misbehave, so it is still not sure win; it'll work with some dogs and it won't with others depends on the personality. That's why I don't leash dogs no matter what the personality if you direct and follow through and the dog learns that running away doesn't mean anything he's just going to follow me and not stop until I submit. He only has one option to listen. The treat is bonus.
When I said following and boxing I didn't mean to run after the dog extending your arms side to side and herding him. It has to be done calmly or the dog will turn it into a game and your getting nowhere.

 

[tojvan]

Tubarao filas are extremely sensitive if you follow the advice and show your displeasure he will catch in I had similar issue but my fila was doing it to my shepherd during feeding. He would box him out growl snap never breaking skin to tell him to back off. Took 5 minute and the situation resolved quickly with one correction. Now they eat side by side no problem. Your situation is easily resolved, so don't fret.

 

[Tubarao'smom]

Thank you tojvan. He does the same thing with the food and our other dog an 8 year old staffie who has always been an alpha female but she doesn't even bother with him. I know its best to get it under control now and I also know he is not trying to hurt them because he has not let a mark just scares them but again I know it needs to be resolved. I will try allowing the kids to give him treats he needs to know that although they may pester him sometimes that he cannot behave in this manner.

 

[tojvan]

Just be consistent and everything would wall into place. On a side note any form of aggression towards its "Human Family" is highly undesirable and unwanted behaviour in a fila especially with kids. If you go to itanhandu website I believe he is maddie's breeder, He goes to great length to explain how tolerable and submissive filas are towards family and children. It is what makes them unique. You or any member of your family should be able to put their hand in his bowl or take it away while him eating without him even batting an eye. Growling with a dog over food is understandable but never a family member.
I am a skeptic I never believe something just because somebody said it. There might be some hype about filas being vicious man eaters but its loyalty to its family is not one of them. I can attest to that. I'm sure most fila owners would agree.

 

[Tubarao'smom]

Well, it happened again today this time he nipped a little harder and left a mark. It has happened now both times when he is laying on the couch. I know that fila are not supposed to act out towards their family, this is what factored into my decision to get one. Since he is my first fila I am learning as I go along. He is maddie's grandson and he does come from Itanhandu lines. He is a great dog otherwise, I just don't know what can be contributed to as puppy behavior or not. I will be consistent but I do not know how to get through to him (the dog) that he cannot do this.

 

[mountainfila]

He needs to learn whos the boss, your the boss and he needs to learn that the hard way i guess. He needs to be met with the same force that he gives. As soon as he nipped, i would have grabbed him by the neck skin and give him a shake and drag him off the couch and tell him NO!! Set him up in situations were he may nip and have a choke collar on and a leash and watch for the signs that he is about to go for a nip and give him a short quick correction and say NO! Do it again to see if he learned anything if not same correction, do it again, if he gets it , GOOD BOY!!! give a high value treat right away. Do the same thing were ever he is doing this behavior, so he learns its not acceptable. If he keeps doing it on the couch , he doesnt get to go on the couch until he learns thats your couch etc. Filas dont take much to get the point across, they dont like being in doo doo lol.

 

[Tubarao'smom]

Thanks mountainfila. When he did it today I did just what you said (which is also what his breeder told me). When I let him go he went to the backdoor and laid down and looks very sad lol. He has not done this in my presence, it has happened both times when I am in the other room doing housework.

 

[tojvan]

He needs to learn whos the boss, your the boss and he needs to learn that the hard way i guess. He needs to be met with the same force that he gives. As soon as he nipped, i would have grabbed him by the neck skin and give him a shake and drag him off the couch and tell him NO!! Set him up in situations were he may nip and have a choke collar on and a leash and watch for the signs that he is about to go for a nip and give him a short quick correction and say NO! Do it again to see if he learned anything if not same correction, do it again, if he gets it , GOOD BOY!!! give a high value treat right away. Do the same thing were ever he is doing this behavior, so he learns its not acceptable. If he keeps doing it on the couch , he doesnt get to go on the couch until he learns thats your couch etc. Filas dont take much to get the point across, they dont like being in doo doo lol.

I agree with everything you said i love grabbing the back of the neck as that's what the mother does as well; works like a charm. i never had the same problem but sometimes trigger gets extremely excited, running around like a maniac, jumping of the couch, jumping here jumping there. The bloody dog is built like a fortress so the easiest thing to do is to grab him by the back of the neck. As soon as i grab the neck he sits down and calms right away.

 

[Hector]

I don't know how much training you have done with the pup. Training should start right off the bat. He needs to learn the rules of the house and what's acceptable and what's not. He's not going to know if you don't teach him. Start with NIFIL (nothing in life is free). Here is a site explaining NIFIL. I would keep him tethered to you in order to catch him in the act and be able to correct him since you stated that this happens when you are not in the same room. The pup should also be crate trained if not already. It is also a good place to keep him separated from your kid when you can't keep an eye on both. You should always make your kid's safety first and the next bite might actually do damage. No one knows and it's best to not put the dog or your son in that situation. My mongrel of a fila is sensitive to correction so it is not hard to remind him of the rules and what is expected of him. I reserve corrections for situations I feel that if he doesn't listen, people or animals could get hurt. We practice a lot of focus on walks where corrections are sometimes needed.

 

[thelady_v2010]

I wojuld also say he doesn't get on the couch until he earns it. By not nipping. The couch belongs to you and your children.

 

[Hector]

Sorry, here's just one link
http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm

 

[dogman#1]

I agree with what has been said so far... get this under control ASAP.

 

[Tubarao'smom]

Just wanted to update we have not had any issues thus far. He is not allowed up on the couch now unless I invite him. I also have been doing exercises with the kids and him, I have been allowing the kids to feed him treats and tell him easy when taking them. Thankfully no more run in's of this type of behavior.

 

[fila4me]

that is great news!!

 

[tojvan]

Just wanted to update we have not had any issues thus far. He is not allowed up on the couch now unless I invite him. I also have been doing exercises with the kids and him, I have been allowing the kids to feed him treats and tell him easy when taking them. Thankfully no more run in's of this type of behavior.

good job, hard work pays off!!