[YouMeandPupMakes3]

My puppy Luna will be 9 weeks on Monday. She is an Aussie, so she loves to chase, bark, growl (seemingly in a playful tone, if that's possible) and nip in order to "herd" children and sometimes adults. Her nips are getting sort of hard and she pulls clothing as well. I am thinking of trying this rev up/cool down technique and I wonder if her age is appropriate to start this, and at what point should I be concerned that this could develop into a more serious problem. (i.e. agression, etc..) I read in a book to spray vinegar water over her head whenever she behaves this way, but I don't want her to associate something bad with my daughter or whenever she nips and mouths my hands. She is so young and I am doing my best to not create issues for her in the future. As we all know, bad training can mess up a good dog.
Any input is appreciated. I want to be sure I am doing the right thing.

 

[TooneyDogs]

You start the training from day one. The whole idea behind rev up and cool down is paying attention to the behaviors you want. Puppies crave attention but, they have no concept of good attention or bad attention...they will take either. Catching the pup doing some thing good like sitting politely, playing quietly with a toy, etc. must be reinforced.

Look around for a good puppy kindergarten class. One that will get you on the right foot for socialization and basic training. It's worth every penny!

 

[YouMeandPupMakes3]

I am forever the optimist and it seems that she's already sort of getting the idea of only calm puppies get petted, not nippy and mouthy ones. She is a quick study, though. She already has sit and shake learned, but at her age, she sometimes "forgets" the commands, or her attention is elsewhere. But, we're working in short increments a few times a day and she's really catching on well. I'm planning on putting her in a puppy class in September.