How to stop a youngster nipping?

diamondgeezer

diamondgeezer

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Hiya
I am having a dilema at the moment. I have a 19 month old gelding who i cant stop from nipping. He seems to want everything in his mouth (like a teething child) He nips hands/arms when being lead (80% of time). I took him to a lady that does natural horsemanship about his leading and she taught me that if he goes past me or nipps at me to stop him turn t face his back end and back him up so he learns to respect my space. DIDN'T WORK!! we did this and some other excercises for 40 mins and he was still nipping!! does any one have and ideas and need to cap this sooner rather than later.
 
I don't know if you ever feed anything by hand, if you do, stop it now. (sorry if i am telling the converted) From there on it is about making him respect you, and doing it quite firmly - mine at the same age knows that he can only come as close to me as I metre away, any closer is by invitation only and I tend to walk into his space, not the other way around. Of course sometimes he pushes the boundaries - but he knows he is misbehaving when he does it!

Make your self big and dominant and don't be afraid to give him a good shove!
 
I lead him in a monty roberts dually as he is unpradictable to lead 9/10 he is good as gold but on odd occasion he is a git so lomatter where my hand is if he wants to he gets me, if cant get hand he will grab hold of arm.

Mother-hen
If he gets a treat from me its from in a bucket. I keep him on a livery yard and have seen others in the past treat him which i have asked for everyone to stop (about 2/3 months previous to now) doing due to him nipping. He used to be very respectful of my space but just lately he is testing the bounderies and not sure how to get past this behaviour. He is 3/4 ID, just over 15hh and built like a tank. Have shoved him back away from me but he paws at me wi front leg and occasionally spins his bum round. Have stood my ground before and he booted me right in the side. Upon saying that, that incedent was about a year ago. Standing square and making myself big is no deterant to him (tried this when went for natural horsemanship lesson wi him) and growling at him doesnt have much effect either.
 
sounds similar to a gelding we bred who would have been rising two when he went through a similar stage.
Could be a teething issue but obviously won't want it to become habit.
Firm but fair handling worked for us and by the end of the year it all stopped.
 
Oh good luck because we seem to have tried everything with our now rising 4yo. He mouths everything, his lead rope, anything on ledges, you cant leave rugs in the stable (unlike the 3yo who leaves things alone). He nibbles us but its quiet rare & it is more a nibble then an out & out bite. It is a bloody pain because we just cant leave anything within reach of him as he will mouth at it. I now just ignore him though growling does work because he is such a senstive soul!
 
When handling nippy youngsters, I try to keep one hand near the neck/crest or whithers. When he turns his head to nip me I press my thumb into his neck/crest or whithers (hard!). As long as you are quick and press everytime he moves to nip (or thinks about it) he learns very quickly that it is a bad idea.
 
Is definatly good to know that other people have/had naughty youngsters too. I am hoping that he does grow out of it.

Magic104 - He sounds just like yours everything has to go in his mouth. he tends to start off by licking then he tries a little nibble but its then that if he has got no reaction he will have a bite!! Think i'll go back to trying to ignore and a firm NO! and moving him out of my space. Will post an update in a few weeks so please keep look out might be needing more help!!

Thanx guys!!
 
Someone gave the advice on here to poke you finger at the side of the mouth when they go for you. I have done this with my bitey monster and it works! He was the biggest pain in the ass as he is next to the feed room and goes for everyone that goes in. I have poked his cheek so he bites his own mouth, he has nearly stopped. I just need to train everyone else to do the same and I'm on to a winner! He still grabs the head coler or rope but has stopped going for me. I don't think it was ever in malice but its annoying when you are picking feet with your bum being nibbled!!!
 
my 22 month old filly has bit twice this week both times the YO and his partner. She does like to have the lead rope and sucks her rug if its over the door, but has never bit me.
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It sounds like you are doing the right thing already, but you just need to stick with it
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it takes time for a behaviour to be totally extinguished.

Keep going with the backing up; it needs to be really consistant and your response needs to really quick.

Have you tried using a rattle? You can make one out of a little plastic bottle with a couple of stones inside- then everytime he goes to nip you shake it at him. Again, timing is everything, but hopefully it'll give him a shock and be an unplesent stimulus! I've had really good results using this method
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I also have a 19month old who loves to bite, mine is a colt though so i put some of it down to that. I also have a dually halter for him (which i love and wouldnt be without now).

Dont feed anything from your hand - mine gets a small feed in his bowl but no treats. When he goes to nip me or manages to nip me i pinch his nose - not so that its really hard, but hard enough for him to feel it. This seems to be working as i can see him starting to *think* about biting me as apposed to just going for my arm!!
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Mine also mouths the rope when i lead him so ive started using a chain instead, he got a bit of a shock when he went to bite it and it was metal
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hes not done it since
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My 2 year old gelding is going through the same phase at the moment - he is definately teething as he currently has a gap at the front! I too lead him in a Dually but I found that he is much worse for nipping in that than a normal headcollar with a rope over the nose as the ring in the end of the rope bit on the Dually tends to rattle near his mouth and prove too much of a temptation so nine times out of ten he is trying to get that in his mouth rather than biting me, which he often does by accident...

Squaring up to mine works but with some of them you have to be less subtle... the rattle idea is a tried and tested method that works...
 
[ QUOTE ]
sounds similar to a gelding we bred who would have been rising two when he went through a similar stage.
Could be a teething issue but obviously won't want it to become habit.
Firm but fair handling worked for us and by the end of the year it all stopped.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have to agree with that. Rin was always a bit of a chewer (which we put down to him being entire) but not nasty bitey just rather mouthey. However, we discovered last autumn that he had some (really tiny) semi-errupted wolf teeth that did not seem to be growing on and once the vet took them out -- something I normally agree to only in exceptional circumstances like this -- then he was perfectly OK and his head end manners (can't think of anither way to describe it) immediately became as exemplary as all his other behaviour is.

Majic -- Perhaps you should have a wolf teeth check on your boy as it might well help.
 
Our boy who is the sweetest natured creature as an uncut colt could not help himself from biting when he was a yearling and two year old causing quite severe damage to my arm on one occasion. He was shown in hand and was better with a bridle on but the mouthiness and boisterousness and nipping apart from being painful could be dangerous as he would paw and strike and turn himself inside out being led. IN the end when walking out in hand for his walks we put him in a roller with a side rein on the opposite side to the leader and he could not turn his head in for a nip. Ironically, when he could not nip me he would nip at his own chest so it was compulsive for him at the time. It is colt play for the most part pure and simple (watch two colts playing - it is quite a sight). IN the end he was gelded at three and within a couple of weeks not a single nip. I realise this is not helpful if your colt is gelded, in which case tips I used and bear in mind they worked for me were - if he nipped in the stable and caught me I would have a hissy fit jumping up and down and shouting which managed the situation and thereafter any sign of nipping I would do the same and he would look at me oddly but refrain from nipping. The only other thing I tried with a little success was to lead him and let him have something in his mouth I used an extra old headcollar rope and invited him to carry it and that kept him quiet sometimes. He will grow out of it eventually and at 19 months he will be testing you and I know it is very hard to be strong and confident but colts do need firmer handling (Thank goodness I have all fillies this year!!!) Good luck
 
Majic -- Perhaps you should have a wolf teeth check on your boy as it might well help - Hi Ciss he sees the dentist every 6mths & nothing untoward there. He drives me nuts with his mouthing, but he is not nasty so just try to ignore him now.
 
Thank you all so much for your help!!
I went to the yard this morning with all intentions to poke him in the mouth if he came to nip as henners sugested yesterday but he was a really good lad and didn't try a thing (typical). I do think the reason for that was that he must have spent half the night pulling all his bankings down so he was probably worn out as they were solid!!!
Deffinatly going to try the rattle. I have an empty bottle that will be perfect for the job.
I also have the dentist to check his teeth every 6 months think he's back in may so will get him to look out for any wolf teeth that may be making there way through.
Thanks again everyone! Your help is invaluable!! I'll keepyou posted to how its going!!!
 
Ah.. my 18 month old is exactly the same at the moment, his, im sure is partly him going through a phase, and partly because he hates being stabled and is stressy as hell!
Hes now living out and ive not had a bite off him yet! Im fairly certain he'll grow out of it x
 
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