My puppy won't focus, air nips during training. How to help?

Question

Hi! I have a three week old American Pitbull Puppy. We are working on the look at me command, as she is struggling to respond to her name too. When I make eye contact, she tends to air nip because she wants the treat. Does this defeat the purpose? She’s adorable and a bal of energy, but I’m struggling to find the right time between play and training. Thanks! Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 29 days old | 12 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

You mentioned that Ryder was 3 weeks old, but she is listed as 3 months old in the description, so I am going to presume that she is 3 months old. Pit puppies are generally very food motivated and eager to please, so you do not need or want her to be overly hungry or energetic before trying to do a training session. Take her on a walk first and let her get her energy out before a training session. And keep her training sessions short. Puppies have VERY short attention spans. When you are working with her, make sure you are not bending over or putting the treat too close to her that she is air nipping. You want to be able to stand up and give her a command and have her pay attention. Another trick you may want to use is to use a clicker or squeaky toy to get her attention when using her name, then treat reward her. There are a number of good training techniques. You may want to look into clicker training or working with a trainer for a puppy class to get you started. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My puppy won't focus, air nips during training. How to help?

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