Herding, nipping and biting

[gordonlvr]

Good morning,

My husband and I lost our sweet 12 year old BC Trixi a while back. We have two cats and she used to protect my female cat from the male cat. She would guard her when he tried to jump on her or fight with her. We just rescued a one year old BC named Bree and we love her to death. She's a typical BC and hadn't really been around cats. Our male cat is scared of her and just hisses and gets away from her. My female thinks she can still do as she pleases. Of course, Bree thinks she should do what she wants her to do. She is constantly trying to herd her, which is fine, but she nips at her all the time. Yesterday I saw her open her mouth like she was actually going to bite her on the rear. Of course, I told her no and she stopped. I'm afraid she might actually bite her and hurt her. The cat is declawed, but tries to take up for herself by looking her in the eye and smacking her a time or two. Of course Bree just looks at her likes she's crazy. How do I get her to stop nipping and biting at her?

 

We are going to begin obedience school in a few weeks, but I need her to stop now before she hurts my cat.

 

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[Black Watch Debatable]

Welcome, gordonlvr!

 

Bree sounds like a great little dog, and you'll have to share photos of her in the gallery.

 

The Ask an Expert section is specifically for questions about training and handling stockdogs on sheep and cattle. For advice on how to manage Bree's behavior, I suggest you post your question in the General Border Collie Discussion section of the forum.

 

The BC Boards are a terrific resource --- you've come to the right place for border collie info, and I'm sure people in the General Discussion Forum will have lots of helpful suggestions. See you there!

 

ETA: I just saw Bree's photos. She's beautiful!!!