Nipping - how do you stop it?

nicolenlolly

nicolenlolly

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Fishing for advice please. One of my section A's is slightly nippy, he is not vicious or trying to sink his teeth into you, it is almost as though he doesnt know where his teeth are. We think that he may have been taken from his mum a little early, the vet agrees that his behaviour could well indicate this. Now I dont know whether this is therefore something that he should have learnt from his mum or what. It is often when we feed them treats although if you stroke him on the face, he starts licking and then the teeth follow! He doesnt nip when you tack up or because he is objecting as I say it is more accidental or when he wants to get your attention.

Just wondering whether any one else has experienced this problem and how you train it out of them. If you say no, he knows he has done wrong but this has been over a year now and he is still doing it. (he is 3 by the way)

Choccy hobnobs just arrived via home delivery and pot of tea by way of thank you :) xx
 
Do you hand feed the treats?
If so this is probably the cause of the nipping.
I sure someone on here will be able to offer better advice,but I can only think that somthing like clicker traning might help. He gets the treat/reward when he is NOT mugging you for it, and the treat appears on the floor,not on your hand.
 
If he does it when fed treats the first thing to do is to stop treats,as a small,presumably childs pony, I think that you need to be very clear on this and maybe the very occasional treat for good behaviour and avoid the face stroking it seems that he gives warning signs that are ignored and then nips.
With firm, fair handling he should grow out of it.
 
He sounds just like my 2year old, never nips to hurt or because he is in pain just nips because he's been fed treats out of my hand and thinks it's acceptable behaviour (he was taken away from his mum quite early too).

I've found that the old school smacking does nothing but worsen the problem to a more aggressive dominant bite but have had success with playing around in the mouth whenever he goes to nip. Handle his head regularly and if he goes to nip you stick a couple of fingers in the side of his mouth and play about a bit to make him mouth/chew, if he wants fingers in his mouth then he can have them at your control and you play around until he gets bored/fed up of his mouth being played with and turns his head away. It won't work straight away as he has to learn the process but it does work. Your youngster is teething, he wants to mouth and chew things, help him along a bit :) he'll soon learn that he's given an uncomfortable response whenever he goes to nip.
 
Do not feed treats from your hand EVER. If you want to reward good behaviour stick it in a bucket. Youngsters will always try it on and I have found a nip back on the neck with a squeal from you might get a message across. If another horse bit him he would probably get a nip back. But not on his head or muzzle you dont want him head shy.
Worth a try.
 
I've got a biter. He was bottle reared and thinks that human hands are food providers.
I've had him now for over two years and have always fed him either in a bucket or if I want to treat him for some good behaviour, the treat goes on the floor for him. He is getting better but will still have a nibble if he gets the chance. Even though he knows it is wrong! I suspect that his behaviour is qutie ingrained so it will take a long time to get away from it. With yours only being 3 it may not take so long.
My other pony used to nip a bit when he was 3 - could have been down to teething so I just used to make a big loud fuss if he did it so that he would know it was wrong. He hasn't nipped for years now so they can learn not to do it.
 
Start by not giving him any food from your hand - at all . . . feed all treats from either the floor of his stable or his bucket/manger. Don't, whatever you do, smack him around the head (or anywhere else) - you'll just make him headshy. Instead, make a really big fuss the next time he does it - jump up and down/squeal/wave your arms around . . . and then just calmly go back to what you were were doing. It works - honest.

My boy isn't particularly young but he is quite mouthy (another possible case of being taken from his Mum too young) and I have learned the hard way not to feed him from my hand and to be quite firm about where he puts his teeth. His favourite trick is waiting until I'm picking out his feet and then twanging my jods . . . got to admit that it makes me laugh, but I shouldn't let him do it - how does he know the difference between that and actually putting his teeth on "me"?

P
 
Yes no treats here either. But some idiots at our yard used to feed apples over the door. Make sure other people arent feeding your pony treats.
 
Firstly stop feeding him treats.

With my baby when she goes to nip I poke her to the side of nose with my finger nail which seems to stop it. Unfortunately as she is young she will go through phases off it. With my wee lady (2 yo) it will be a playful nip and I don't make a big fuss about it. If it is a viscious bite then my approach would be totally different.

When I got my TB he was hell for nipping (he was 4). I was working on it but he stopped when he was out in the field with my grumpy aged gelding :)
 
Kaylum said:
Yes no treats here either. But some idiots at our yard used to feed apples over the door. Make sure other people arent feeding your pony treats.
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This. At our previous yard there was a livery who went round giving all the horses/ponies treats . . . we had to have a word with the YO to get it stopped.

P
 
Certainly agree with the no feeding from your hand. I think it is pretty common for youngsters to be nippy and, if you stick to not giving them treats they often just grow out of it. However, I have found a rattle bottle (ie small plastic bottle with stones in) can help as, whenever he/she goes to nip, rattle the bottle and the noise will shock them a bit and (hopefully) will put them off trying it again. It can take a while, but a noisy deterrent like this often does the trick.
 
hmm interesting reading. I was feeding from hand as I was using clicker training for other aspects of his teaching eg taking him down the byway which we ride down. So far my little one does not ride him as much as he is a little more immature than his brother. As people seem to use it as a fly tip area, it is great for desensitising as to start with they would jump sideways at the sight of it. And also silly things like he got an eye infection so we had to put eye drops in. Since then he wont let you go near his eyes so I was using clicker training for that as well. maybe I could still do clicker and make the treat appear in the bucket. He is teething as well though, his caps are causing him grief, had to get the vet to knock the last one off as he was off his food so maybe the next one is playing him up too?!

Thank you everyone for your advice xx
 
frozzy said:
Do not feed treats from your hand EVER. If you want to reward good behaviour stick it in a bucket.
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Quite! ESPECIALLY youngsters. All babies nip until they learn what's acceptable, from day one I teach my youngsters that if they nip i nip back, by giving a little pinch on their nose (don't smack, it makes them head shy) and at the same time say a clear "no". They soon get used to it and the "no" is useful for all sorts of further training!
 
No treats at all and if you are doing clicker training perhaps do it with some hay so it is longer and away from your hand. I have a nipper, he was quite a savage biter, but gradually getting out of it. His owner always fed him treats and he always had food when she was doing stuff with him. He then got very funny over his feed and would bite if you didn't have treats. It took 6 months to get him almost cured and he would get nipped (pinched) back if he did get contact, in fact even if he didn't and just threatened.

Unfortunately it is a vicious circle and they relearn extremely quickly, it took less than a few hours for him to become nippy again when someone on the yard decided to give him polos when they were feeding theirs. It took me 3 attempts to stop them doing it and once they realised that when he actually wasn't given the treats he would bite them, they kept a wide berth. Any treats he gets now go in his bucket and if we do carrot stretches it is done with haylage.
 
Since experincing being asked to look for a finger in a bed (no im not joking and yes i found it ) I have had a strict rule - no titbits by hand for last 30 yrs( gee im old lol) - I worked for a charity that allowed visitors to feed the horses/ponies. Old lady offers a mare with foal at foot a bit of carrot, foal goes to sniff hand mare snatches at food and takes finger as well - it was a little finger with a perfectly manicured nail. I can still see moment I found it - dropped fork and ran out screaming lol There came a total ban of titbits at charity after that. But seriously since that day I feed no titbits. A scratch on withers a hug or turned back out in field before coming in to bed after riding thats my rewards. I have a notice saying no titbits as we have a livery that goes around feeding sugar lumpss - ummmm hello my mare as low sugar diet - and another that quiet happily will feed anyones horse a packet - yes a packet - of polos.(she actually fed the horse she looks after a packet when he was recuperating from a bad bout of colic and guess what came down with colic again that night!!!!) My mare gets a couple of carrots mixed with her hay but other than that no titbits - some think im silly/over the top but my horse my rules is what I say. I certainly dont want to be finger hunting again lol :)
 
I have a 2 year old Welsh D was weaned early and was hand fed treats..consequently he is prone to be both nippy and food dominant - hence he rarely ever has food treats and on the odd occasion has them from the ground or out of a bowl. If and when he tries to nip I 'bump' his muzzle with my elbow. That way he doesn't see it coming from me (or an open hand which would make him more hand-shy), it interrupts his train of thought and gives him an immediate consequence of unwanted behaviour that he doesn't neccesarily associate as coming from me. I bump him swiftly, so he can feel it but not harshly, just firmly. Usually he tries to do it when I'm holding him on a lead rope or actually leading so it's just a short sharp bump upwards with the elbow nearest to him.
Consistency with this and is seeing a reduction in his behaviour. Have had too many painful horse bites over the years to put up with this in my youngster!
 
I disagree with poster who feels a smack makes the problem worse .
If they nip when im at the side of them, they'd get an elbow in the chops, if im in front then a sharp smack on the nose has stopped any horse nipping very quickly. Its a behaviour that needs sorted out sharpish.
Ive had horses over 30 yrs and its always worked for me
 
have to disagree marydoll and please this is only my opion hun :) i dont agree with smacking at all for any reason - a horse acts as they do for a reason - bitiing rearing kicking woteva and usually its because they are un educated in manners(not thier fault) or are in pain or fear(not thier fault) - smack on nose will demonstrate and reinforce what ever reason they have acted as they have - with regards a nipper a horse should be shown how to respect your space as a horse does in a herd - push head away then invite them in to your space when you want to as a horse would do in a herd. but like said hun only my opioion as i believe two wrongs dont make a right and if a bite hurt you a smack hurt horse to so who is right? we dont expect a horse to hurt us so should we them ? :) x
 
babymare said:
Since experincing being asked to look for a finger in a bed (no im not joking and yes i found it ) I have had a strict rule - no titbits by hand for last 30 yrs( gee im old lol) - I worked for a charity that allowed visitors to feed the horses/ponies. Old lady offers a mare with foal at foot a bit of carrot, foal goes to sniff hand mare snatches at food and takes finger as well - it was a little finger with a perfectly manicured nail. I can still see moment I found it - dropped fork and ran out screaming lol There came a total ban of titbits at charity after that. But seriously since that day I feed no titbits. A scratch on withers a hug or turned back out in field before coming in to bed after riding thats my rewards. I have a notice saying no titbits as we have a livery that goes around feeding sugar lumpss - ummmm hello my mare as low sugar diet - and another that quiet happily will feed anyones horse a packet - yes a packet - of polos.(she actually fed the horse she looks after a packet when he was recuperating from a bad bout of colic and guess what came down with colic again that night!!!!) My mare gets a couple of carrots mixed with her hay but other than that no titbits - some think im silly/over the top but my horse my rules is what I say. I certainly dont want to be finger hunting again lol :)
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omgggggg poor you:eek: i sort of seen that in my head as i was reading:eek::eek: did she have it put back on?
 
lol binky after a night in a ****** bed no she didnt and we buried it in the bare paddock (hospital didnt ask for it either how strange)- always had this feeling it would dig self back up - but was eye opener as was like something from a horror movie :( was in front right corner of stable shook straw and it dropped out - its a memory thats stayed with me as all joking aside was not nie hence no titbits - imagine turning up for work " ummmmmmm when you muck tanya and little un can you look for a finger please" wtf lol :)
 
babymare said:
lol binky after a night in a ****** bed no she didnt and we buried it in the bare paddock (hospital didnt ask for it either how strange)- always had this feeling it would dig self back up - but was eye opener as was like something from a horror movie :( was in front right corner of stable shook straw and it dropped out - its a memory thats stayed with me as all joking aside was not nie hence no titbits - imagine turning up for work " ummmmmmm when you muck tanya and little un can you look for a finger please" wtf lol :)
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That is a bloody ( literally ) scary story, no titbits to keep yer digits :D
 
We never feed treats apart from at a show after a jumping round for example but D used to be very cheeky when you led him and would nip. The first time he would get NO the second time a smack on the nose -not beating him but an Oi stop it and it works, he'll still try it every so often but he's not too bad now

eta: I don't smack him to hurt him but one time when he bit me he nearly broke my four fingers on one hand as he clamped shut and yanked his head up nearly lifting me off the floor - he is much stronger than I am so I would rather instill a bit of basic discipline, not sure a smack enough to make them stop is going to put them in pain?
 
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babymare said:
have to disagree marydoll and please this is only my opion hun :) i dont agree with smacking at all for any reason - a horse acts as they do for a reason - bitiing rearing kicking woteva and usually its because they are un educated in manners(not thier fault) or are in pain or fear(not thier fault) - smack on nose will demonstrate and reinforce what ever reason they have acted as they have - with regards a nipper a horse should be shown how to respect your space as a horse does in a herd - push head away then invite them in to your space when you want to as a horse would do in a herd. but like said hun only my opioion as i believe two wrongs dont make a right and if a bite hurt you a smack hurt horse to so who is right? we dont expect a horse to hurt us so should we them ? :) x
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I would say that you have had little dealings with young horses or have studied herd dynamics.

Watch a mare with a foal at foot. Frequently when the foal is only a few days old and the mare is eating her hard feed, she will make the udder inaccessible by not resting a leg and will say "no" to the foal feeding whilst she is eating by swishing her tail. If the foal persists then she will push t away with her hind leg and is that is ignored she will punch it with her teeth.
The foal learns not from gently being 'told' but by punishment if it doesn't obey.

You make the mistake of saying that a horse only misbehaves through lack of education, fear or pain - this is not always so. A young horse will misbehave just because it is feeling well and is trying things to see how far they can go.

Sorry but being nice to an obstreperous 2 year old colt that decides that rearing and pawing out at the handler is fun, is never going to work. I treat them as a boss mare would, firm, fair and hard correction.

Does this make them nervous or afraid of me? No way! In fact it gives them a very good reason to respect me and it is doubtful anything other than a voice correction is needed again.

Softly, softly is the ideal way but there are always exceptions to the rule and punishment, carried out correctly, is never going to make a horse nervous or frightened.
 
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