My 18 month old GSD just received his CD title yesterday but today I showed him again in novice obedience. Just TODAY he started nipping at my shoes and pant legs while we were in the ring.....we were disqualified.....he has never done that before and did not do it outside of the ring...???? Not sure why he did this, but how do I correct if he only does it during the show??? I am a novice and any help would be appreciated....do not want this to be a serious problem. I plan on moving on for his CDX and am concerned....thank you...

Wow, it almost sounds like some sort of avoidance going on.

Wow, it almost sounds like some sort of avoidance going on. While he was doing this was he acting playful or did he seem frantic? (sorry for the double post)

He seems playful, was bounding toward me at recall at top speed, and stopped immediately with little happy pup face....just does the nipping and "herding" thing when we were in the ring???? I worked him this AM at home and heeling was perfect.....????
Any help would be appreciated....

Maybe he was nervous?

Has he shown before? Twice in a row?


Was there alot going on that could have stimulated him into wanting to play at all? Like other dogs barking, moving around and such?

My mal gets all amped when there is alot of people or other dogs.....not nervous or scared, but rather "I want a piece of that" type of excited....especially if there is something being thrown, a guy in a suit, a dog playing tug, a cat......

Did you feel more nervous on the 2nd day? You know nerves travel down the leash. It could just be an anomaly, one of those lovely "my dog never did that before" moments we have all come to know and love!

It certainly was one of those moments, It was "my dog does not do that":we had qualified the day before and earned our CD title, this show was just for the experience and I was pretty relaxed due to no pressure to qualify....maybe he "read" that and was just being a nut....when he was bounding toward me in the recall, I was thinking this fella is not going to stop and will knock me over....but he slid to a stop and sat....with a goofy turn to his head like " I am so cute" I just hope he does not do this again....am training for his CDX,so will do alot of working in the ring....will make sure he knows this is not allowed. Could not correct him in the ring at the obedience show, so he got away with being a stinker....thanks and any ideas would be appreciated....

It sounds like you are doing really good with the dog. Please be sure and let us know what happens next!

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Could not correct him in the ring at the obedience show, so he got away with being a stinker....thanks and any ideas would be appreciated....

Congrats on your CD. I am sure you will have many great adventures on your way up the obedience ladder.

I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to correct that one time in the ring. If you stay consistant in your training, and maybe do a bit of proofing outside rings, but near them you should be fine IMHO.

Though I have never competed, I often find ob to be two steps forward, one step back kinda thing. Never be afraid to back up in training every once and a while to ensure you are bang on and successful.

Has focus on you in the heel been heavily and timely rewarded, not just non focus being corrected?

Oh dear... I don't want to assume this is the same problem as you're having, but I have come across this before. Since I haven't seen you work your dog, I am only offering this as a possibility. Here goes...

A friend of mine's dog also started nipping at her during heeling, only in the show ring, and it began once she had earned her CD and was trying to get a CDX. It became so bad that she would have huge bruises on her butt from where the dog (a large one) bit and grabbed her. The dog was fine anywhere else.

My take on the cause: "Mary" drilled her dog, repeating the exercises over and over; gave commands in a harsh voice that sounded like a correction rather than a command, and always had food in her hand to reward / shape the heeling. So the dog was bored but put up with the routine as long as there was food handy. But in the ring, the dog eventually learned she wasn't going to get food and began demanding it by nipping. There was no other incentive for the dog to work because it wasn't enjoyable outside of the food. Mary never did get the CDX. Things just got worse and worse till she had to give up. Unfortunately, history looks like it might be repeating itself with Mary's new dog. This one hasn't started nipping, but is already shutting down in the ring.

What I would suggest:

First, examine how you talk to your dog. Be honest! Can you have someone videotape you training so you can hear what you sound like? Do you give commands in a happy, matter-of-fact voice or a harsh one? Do you smile and encourage the dog happily, or only talk to the dog when giving a command?

Second: Do you always have a treat or toy in your hand when training, or have you faded them out to where you can hide them and your dog will still work? Has your dog learned that even if he can't see the reward, it will, eventually, appear - he just doesn't know when?

Third: Go to as many practice trials as you can. Our local K9 obedience club puts on a lot of "Fun Matches" that look and feel just like a real trial to the dog, but you can enter Practice Only and correct, reward, do-over, and make it F-U-N for the dog. If you can't do that, get some training buddies together and go to a park and hold your own "Trial" - make it look as much like a real one as you can. Reward the dog sometimes in the "ring", sometimes outside it, so he doesn't learn rewards NEVER come in the ring.

Again, I can't tell you if you're having the same issue as "Mary", and also I may be totally off-base as to the cause of her problem. So if this helps you, I'm glad. If not, feel free to ignore. Incidentally, I was guilty of all of the above with my last dog - I was just fortunate she embarrassed me by ignoring me instead of nipping at me. I radically changed my training style when I got my current dog, and the difference is amazing.

Good luck!