Howdy all!! My wee tyke George is coming along fine, sort of...
He has started (at 7 mo.) handler nipping after a correction.

Why again does this happen? my old work dog.. (george appears in looks and temperment, to be almost a clone to rocky!) only did it once and immediatly got the ears-down-uh-oh look.. so other than a phooey, i just put him up and got a band-aid (if ya didnt get stitches... ya didnt get bit)
unfortunately, my bride doth not view it in such a manner.. george did same to me when i phooey'd him with a small correction for lunging at a strange dog (the uh-oh look) but the other day when she walked him, my Wife said (in more or less same situation) that he turned and bit under her arm (only a bruise) and did NOT have that look. well, I am leaveing for ten days on the 12th.. and prepping for same until, with no time to give... and as dog doesnt leave home, no kids.. i said leave him be (he still plays and is submissive, so not an emergency) but she didnt and last night snapped at a trainer we know..
any ideas?

It sounds like the pup is redirecting his aggression at the other dog, onto you, following a correction.

The corrections are probably being timed poorly (too late), and probably are being perceived as a nagging/egging on than they are an actual correction.

Ultimately, why are you correcting such a young dog?

Why not focus on obedience, and have the dog sit or down when a strange dog is nearby?

Lure the pup with treats, a ball, a tug... something to distract it.

Patrick,
How do you like Mal's so far?
You were talking about SAR training when you first got him.
What kind of OB training have you been doing? And when did you decide compulsion was in order? (big note here; I am not against compulsion at the right time) Any marker training at all?
If you have been going light on the OB because of the SAR and tracking work the dog may feel you're correcting unfairly as you've never asked for it before.
In any case, I understand Mal's can be handler aggressive without the proper ground work, and even then can be expected to come back up the leash once and awhile.
It'll be interesting to hear what the seasoned BS owners have to say.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

PS.
Oh yeah, was the trainer he went after, does the dog know them? Or was it a stanger trying to handle your dog?

"DUH MOMENT" ALERT!! (slaps forehead) thank you Randy and Mellissa! (feels sheepish) I TOLD you I was missing something!! LOOL you both kindly pointed it out. I am in you debt (bows deeply)

My first Mali was a 4 yr old, fully trained and rarein to go... and this is the first pup I have had. Fortunately, he is veeeery forgiving!
Melissa, to answer you ? about why correcting so young... uuumm... I dont know??? again, Rocky was an adult, and so thats what I learned on.
Mayhaps I should quickly invest in the Basic Ob. DVD...
your right, of course about the redirecting, I just am not sure with him at what age to start what.
He minds quite well actually.. sit/down/come etc.. and I havent been (at least not since he treed a cat last month at light speed because I let him go out front with me off lead. quite fun to see that your dog can achieve light speed w/o aid of jet fuel... until reality kicks in.. cars/people etc) letting him out of the house/back yard off lead lately until I can devote more time to this. Except that my wife and the trainer both act as if something MUST be done TODAY or it is the end of the world!!

Randy, yes, I have the marker DVD, and does "like a duck to water" mean anything??? he is great with it, it has just been that I have had little time and so because they dont see me doing something with him 24/7 it's as if am doing nothing... not true.. just a bit at a time..
I must clarify here though.. Malissa is correct I am quite certain.. it is more of the "stop naggin me, dang it!! cant you see I have a challege here??" type of nip... not a "fine! I shall happily gnaw on you instead" type of bite... if that makes sense..
Well.. I HAVE rambled on quite long enough! time to go play with my beasties!! (12 yr old cattledog and George) by the way... is there a thread on how to post pics... and can I use Picasa?
Thanks!! you guys are AWESOME!!!

Commercial breaks are great training opportunities.

In fact, most dogs do better with short marker sessions several times a day, vs one big training session.

In the meantime, if you don't put the pup in a situation where a correction will be necessary... problem solved, right?

yup, thats my theory anyway.. I am responsible in every way for his safety and well being. If he gets hurt, and i put him in that situation... tis my fault. even when we play, BECAUSE he is a Mali.. he has tunnel-vision focus, so I have to be cognicent of where I throw the toy/when I throw the toy. already ran into that when first got him.. threw the kong.. it took a goofy hop, at he hooked to grab it.. POW!! slammed his nose into the block wall, and does this twitching thing!! im thinkin "great..! had him for 2 weeks and now hes gonna die, and its my fault!"

fortunately, no.. he is quite healthy and non the worse for wear. now, if it even LOOKS like it might go goofy, I yell watch the wall! and he does..

so yes, I do my best to set him up for success.

Once again, Maddam.. a great post!

nevermind about "the picture in my sig" part.. I just read the how-to on that in my settings... I clearly have waaaay too many moving parts below my neck to do all that. not to mention the fact that I dont have a website to load it from... ssooooo...

like this?