Reptile & Amphibian Forums

An update on Maia. She is now three months old and doing really good in the crate when I have to leave the house for appointments. As far as housebreaking we are at 50/50. Half the time she will run to the door and other times she will hide. She knows she is not suppose to go in the house though due to she puts her ears down if she has done something in the house and then runs to the door. I take her out when she wakes up, 15 mins after eating or drinking, after chewing and after playing. Eventually we'll get it worked out I'm sure.

The one problem I am having now is the nipping on clothing you are wearing. She is so excited when I get home she will bark, cry and nip me everywhere her little teeth can grab. She is going through my pantyhose and clothing pretty quick with tears and pulls. Is there a trick to getting her out of this habit? I try to pick her up immediately and put her outside as she was in the crate while I was gone. But then she jumps me out there too.
She is so cute and really good sleeping through the night but wondering what is most effective in stopping the nipping.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I personally love that my dogs are excited to see me when I get home, but it's not very healthy for them to be so excited they loose their manners or get anxious over it. Now that my dogs are older, they know that jumping on me doesn't get them what they want so they plant their rears to the ground and wiggle their tails and whine a bit. Then I let them out to do their business and they can run off some penned up energy out there. Again though they are older and a 3 month old puppy doesn't have this self control.

So, for a puppy, I'd casually put a leash on the puppy the moment she was taken out of the crate and walk her outsie. I would not pick her up. That's a reward for many dogs and not the message I want to send. The leash controls her behavior and will allow you to prvent her from jumping or nipping at you. Once pottied, you can keep her on leash until you change clothes and her emotions can be settled down. Lavishing attention on dogs when they are in an excited state validated the crazy excited state. If you want her to calm down, you calm things down yourself. Be deliberate with your movements and calm. Speak in a soothing calm voice. Dogs mirror their owners actions. It takes a bit of time, but they get the hint.
-----
Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thank you for your advice! I do pick her up when I first get home and then put her back down to follow me to the door. This is when she begins the nipping. I will do the leash trick with her and see if this way I can calm her down some. Also I will play it low when arriving home. I can't wait to see her when I am gone so I am sure she senses the excitement in me when I return. Thanks again and hopefully this will control some of the nipping and save some of my clothes. lol