Lakeland Terrier nipping

[O2.0]

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Let’s see, the last time, she was on the porch in her bed watching the world go by and I reached down to….what, I don’t remember, pick her up? and she gave me the side eye and a punch with her snoot and when I continued on, a grumble. Following was a quiet conversation about her behavior, I pick her up and take her to the zone. I use a baby gate so she can see what’s going on but not be part of it. My thought is that she wanted to be left alone on her porch. I don’t think it’s an invite to play. This protocol was suggested here I think.

Okay in this sort of situation, I would approach it differently.
One, why did you need to pick her up? Was there a specific reason, or you just wanted to or?
If it wasn't a necessity, I would simply respect the dog's wishes, she did politely tell you she didn't want to be picked up, and you ignored her, continued, so she felt the need to escalate.
Now, I know sometimes you really do have to pick a dog up, I get it. But if you default to respecting the dog's cues most of the time, the few times you do have to insist, it's far less likely to cause an issue because it's the anomaly, not the rule.
Especially if you're picking her up from a place she's comfortable and happy watching the world go by, to take her to a place that's essentially the time-out zone. Of course she wouldn't want to be picked up!

As much as you can, if you need to move her, use cues and rewards. As instructed on here, teach her off by tossing a treat where she has to jump off the sofa to go get it, then reward with another treat. Make compliance really worth her while.
Basically you're making deposits into her "trust" bank account. The more deposits you make the less likely you'll overdraw on the few times you have to insist.

 

[Lurcherlad2]

This is useful. We need often miss the subtle signals that dogs give out.

Canine communication: recognising stress in your dog​

Our dogs tend to tell us how they are feeling through their body language, but sometimes it can be easy to miss the signs. We’re looking at how Kendal Shepherd’s ladder of communication can help owners.​

Dogs can find a lot of different situations stressful for lots of reasons. Some owners often don’t realise their dog is unhappy until they growl or snap, but most of the time they actually give us a lot of warning signs long before this.
Check out our info below to help you recognise unhappiness and stress in your dog.

What is the ladder of communication?​

How a dog reacts to something they find stressful can be thought of as a series of steps on a ladder. This idea of a ladder of communication was developed by leading dog behaviourist Kendal Shepherd based on her experience working with dogs and is widely used by others in the animal welfare world.
Each step covers different signals dogs show through their body language to communicate with people and other animals they’re feeling uncomfortable or stressed. As a dog gets more upset, their body language may change according to the steps on the ladder.
The sooner we can pick up on the earlier steps, we can stop whatever the dog is finding stressful which means they won’t move ‘up’ the ladder. The lower signs are really common and if you start to look out for them, you’ll see them often when a dog is challenged. Spotting these early signs is a good way to understand how your dog is feeling in different situations.
If the early signals are not being listened to, your dog might start to go ‘up’ the ladder to try and get the situation to stop. If it doesn’t, then they feel like they need to use more and more obvious body language, right up to what we see as aggression (growling, snapping and even biting).
Sometimes, if a dog has learned over time that their more mild signals (lower on the ladder) aren’t listened to, they might skip some steps on the ladder and jump straight to higher levels. This is why it’s always better to pay attention to what dogs are trying to tell you and help them get out of stressful situations, so that they don’t feel like they have to jump higher on the ladder to get people to listen.
Not every dog will show every behaviour on the ladder and might not follow the specific order.

What are the steps?​

Yawning, blinking, nose licking​

• Yawns can indicate tiredness, but are more often a way to relieve tension from the dog’s jaw. This can be the first sign that a dog feels uncomfortable.
• Licking their own nose can act as a self-comforting behaviour, like when children suck their thumbs, so if you see this in a dog then they might be stressed and trying to calm themselves. Sometimes they will also lick the nose or face of person or animal they want to leave them alone, to show that they are not returning a threat.
• Dogs might also lift a paw to try and calm the situation.
• Blinking and closing both eyes are also signs that they are trying to show they're not a threat.

Looking away​

• People face each another when we speak and turn our heads away when the conversation has finished. Dogs have a similar way of telling us that they are ready to finish with a social situation.
• Sometimes they won't turn their head but they’ll look away with their eyes and you’ll see the white of their eyes. This is a clear sign the dog is feeling uncomfortable.

Turning body away, sitting, pawing​

• If your dog is looking away from something, especially if they turn their whole body away or sit down but keep pawing someone away, then they are asking for space. Help them get out of the situation to reduce their stress.

Walking away​

• Dogs may try and be clear that they don’t like a situation by walking away.
• This is their way of taking themselves out of situation that’s making them uncomfortable. Allow them to do this as blocking their escape can send them up the ladder.

Creeping, ears back​

• Creeping is a more expressive way of showing they are worried or want space.
• When creeping, a dog will usually look more nervous and you may be able to see the whites of their eyes when walking away. They may also raise a paw up or lick their lips.
• Often, they will slink low to the ground as they try to move away slowly.

Standing crouched, tail tucked under​

• This shows the dog is feeling very unsure, but trying to calm the situation and make themselves seem smaller and less threatening.
• It usually means that they are very nervous so giving them some space is the best thing to do.

Lying down, exposed belly​

• The dog is showing they are very worried and is trying to make peace with whoever is threatening to them.
• This position is different to a playful roll and the dog may also seem frozen in place compared to the wiggliness that is seen with a playful roll.
• Not to be confused with a relaxed dog after playing or stroking who flops back for belly rubs.

Stiffening up, staring​

• At this point, the dog is stressed enough that their fight-flight-or-freeze response is kicking in, they may stay very still until the perceived threat has gone away.
• If the threat doesn't go away or they can't escape, they might progress up the communication ladder by fighting to try to finally sort out the stressful situation.

Growl​

• Growling is a clear sign that the dog is feeling distressed or afraid and is asking for space. With this they are giving an obvious and loud indication that they are not happy if other steps on the ladder have been ignored.
• You should never punish a dog for growling because you are more likely to just ‘train’ this step out of them and then dogs feel like they need to jump from lower down the ladder straight to a bite or a snap.

Snap​

• Snapping is a clear warning to stay away and the dog is showing that they will act if they need to.

Bite​

• If the other communication signals on the ladder have not stopped the threat (which might be a real threat or just something the dog thinks is scary), then the dog may have to resort to biting.
• This action is used to defend themselves and get rid of the threat.

 

[JudyN]

Had a good conversation with her breeder today where we worked out that, indeed, she does think that I might need some discipline now and then in the form of a muzzle tap

Ah, I see, I (and others) thought 'she' referred to the breeder, not the dog!

I agree that it would be best not to pick her up if she doesn't like it. Although it's useful to be able to pick a dog up, you can manage without - imagine if you had a wolfhound! Rather than disciplining you, I suggest that she is trying to control you - or rather control her environment to stop it being scary/stressful. In which case the best approach is managements and workarounds so she doesn't find it stressful in the first place. This doesn't mean 'giving in' to her foibles, but making sure that you don't ask more of her than she's comfortable with. Then her trust in you will increase, and she'll be able to be a lot calmer.

 

[alaska]

I’m not sure we’re on the right track here. She actually initiates attention/affection by jumping into my arms ( standing with a group of people, coming home after a trip….), asking for up when I’m in the studio, leaning/pushing up against us, sleeping with us on the berth on the boat, contact is a way of life here. We live in a small place and we’re in close contact. Right now she is sitting on the ottoman with her body pressed to my legs and her head draped over my feet.

I am hearing from you that if I want her to move, it should be by command. Got it.

I hear that she is trying to control me; that seems right.

It doesn’t feel like a trust issue ( she leaps into my arms from the bow of the boat and we have a few gymnastic moves in the forest when she runs up a fallen log, gets to the top and leaps into my arms without hesitation).

Could the nipping be protective also? (My husband lost his third child to suicide recently. ). And how do you deal with that?

 

[JudyN]

Oh, how awful for your husband, and for you of course - I'm so sorry.

I think there's many aspects of trust. Maybe she doesn't quite 'trust' that you will be 'safe' in these encounters with others. I'm wondering, has there been a lot of sad, tearful hugging going on with all you and your family have been through? No need to answer that, but she migiht associate people hugging with more negative, stressful emotions.

That could be completely wrong. It might be simply that she's fed off all the sadness and stress in the household, which has raised her anxiety and this is her way of showing it. As said earlier, I think I'd rely on management, avoiding all the situations where she might feel the need to nip or grumble, and see if things settle down in time. Which could happen because you as a family become more settled, and/or because she can relax as she's not being put into situations that she sees as stressful. Many unwanted behaviours disappear if they aren't practised for a length of time. If things don't improve, you can rethink.

 

[BKayHol2]

I’m not sure we’re on the right track here. She actually initiates attention/affection by jumping into my arms ( standing with a group of people, coming home after a trip….), asking for up when I’m in the studio, leaning/pushing up against us, sleeping with us on the berth on the boat, contact is a way of life here. We live in a small place and we’re in close contact. Right now she is sitting on the ottoman with her body pressed to my legs and her head draped over my feet.

Even though she often/usually will initiate physical contact, and usually enjoys picking up/holding, etc... your previous example mentioned that she was laying on her bed & (in that immediate moment) she *wasn't* the one initiating the physical contact. Some dogs absolutely *love* physical touching/affection but (and here's the thing) ONLY when they want it or 'ask' for it. If they're not saying "pick me up, please" then they absolutely do NOT want to be picked up, and will 'grumble' about it if you try to do so.

 

[alaska]

Wow, you folks are great!