Hi
Whats the best way to tell a 15 week puppy of when you are out walking him or visiting people.
At home when he gets excited and starts nipping ect, you can put him in another room or put him in he's cage for a time out. But what do you do when your out or visiting you can'nt just ignore him.
Daren

Hi There

It is difficult when they are so young and havent yet got used to the tone of voice which they will later understand as being the voice of authority.

If you are out walking and he starts nipping, I would stop and take him to one side, out of the way of excitement and make him sit down. Refuse to walk until he calms down slightly. Give him a firm no and then ignore him until he stops nipping.

If you are visiting someone I would take the same course of action but also take something along which he really likes and try distracting him. Give a firm no when he nips you and then give him something else to chew on. Try a kong. Not only can he chew it but you can put some treats inside which will keep him occupied while you enjoy your cuppa with friends.

Other than this you could try not taking him visiting for a few more weeks, until hes a little calmer. This may not be an option for you but if it is it may take the stress out of visiting for you. Its really important to be consistent where ever you are. I know its hard when you are out and about but many people that you will meet when on walks will be dog owners themselves and will understand that youre not crackers when you stop and have a conversation with your dog :) On the positive side, if he is nipping when out walking then hes clearly confident when out. It took about 5 months for mine to enjoy walking, he used to crawl on his belly where he was frightened.

Good Luck xxx

Hi
Thanks for the advice. In response to your note i would leave him at home but i just like tacking him out even though he can be a pain, Also i think its good for him to meet all these people.

I agree. Its a great opportunity for him to meet people and learn manners. Im sure he will calm down. Sox did and is now very well behaved when out and about. I find distraction is the best medicine for him. Also, teach a good SIT. You can always use that as an initial instruction to controlling him when somethign exciting comes his way.

Best of Luck

I don't think there is any point in telling a dog off, as they have no understanding of 'right' and 'wrong'.  Your approached should be consistant, and not depend on where you are or who you are with, as this is the quickest way to teach your pup that sometimes you can be taken advantage of.  It will also lessen the effect of any other training you may be doing with him, as he will never be able to predict your response.

IF the dog is doing something you don't like, then ask him to do something else that you do like - preferbly use it as a teaching opportunity, or use a command he already knows, such as 'sit', then praise him for doing the right thing.  BTW - sitting is incompatible with jumping up, so you've solved two things in one stroke - he's learning what you do want, and he's stopped doing what you don't.......  If you are out visiting, I hope you have him on a lead -then when he starts to get over excited, simply step on the lead to restrict his movement, and then ignore him (he'll probably start all sorts of high jinks to get your attention initially, but he'll quickly learn it doesn' work, then, as soon as he settles down, you can reward him with some quite words of praise and some gentle fuss.)

HTH