>From:    "Reet ..." <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Scruffing, biting etc
>Well, I've started scruffing him... He *hates* it... If he even thinks
>I'm going to scruff him he gets really mean...
 
Try giving him a treat when he is being scruffed - like ferretone or
ferretvite (maybe not a rasin or the like as you may get bit in the
process) - so he knows that scruffing is not a bad thing.  Tell him he
is a good boy & stroke his body, give him treats, etc.
 
>I've even tried biting him back... Not too hard, but hard enough for him
>to feel... Same effect, he'll jump and stay hanging there, but as soon as
>I put him down he's out for blood...
 
I would not bite him back anymore.  Seems to just make him more frustrated.
I think he is fear biting you.  He may be thinking you are punishing him
all the time, so he is trying to "get you back" before you get him.  Or
you may be propmtly putting him down when he bites you - rewarding him for
biting by teaching him that is how to tell you he wants down.  Do not put
him down - divert his attention.  Pick him up, give him a treat right away
& then set him back down the whole time telling him he is good.  Try this
for a while.  When he bites, don't yell, bite him back or snap his nose.
Just tell him "NO BITE".  Sounds like you may have to gain his trust all
over.
 
Amy Flemming
Flemming Farms
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/ranch/9521
[Posted in FML issue 2434]