Will the gripping Stop?

[HansenRanch]

I'm in the process of training my first Border Collie. And I'm loving it. But the problem I have is my dog(shelby) wants to grip allot of the time. She is very aggressive with livestock. And I was wondering if that is something she will grow out of, or something I really need to deal with. She is really good at herding the sheep in the direction I want her too, but often persuades with a grip or two.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help.

 

BJ Hansen

[cgt]

I am not qualified to give advice, so let me ask questions instead. It seems to me that dogs can grip for a number of reasons, so one has to get a more detailed picture.

 

How exactly does she "persuade" the sheep? Are the grips happening before the dog lifts the sheep? After the lift? Randomly during a fetch or flank? Is she taking cheap shots? Or is just very excited? Does she hang on and go for a ride? Or is it just a quick shot? To the nose? To the heel? Elsewhere?

 

You get the idea.

 

charlie torre

[G_Davis]

I think Charlie's questions are GREAT, and I look forward to hearing the answers. I would like to add one -- what is your eventual goal or use for your dog? Trialing? Cattle ranch? Goats? The answer to this might affect how you deal with it along the way.

 

I'm guessing that as your dog gains confidence, and you become more & more a part of the field equation, the problem will take care of itself.

[Bill Fosher]

Here's my only piece of advice. Don't train that grip out. I did with my first dog and it took years for her to learn that it could be okay to grip sometimes.

 

In a young dog (which I presume Shelby is) the grip is a means of building confidence. As the dog matures, it uses it less and less because it is confident that it can move the sheep without it. But I think if you teach a dog that it may not grip, it loses the confidence that comes from having that ace in the hole.

 

Unless your dog is slashing sheep or simply taking cheap shots for fun, I wouldn't even correct a grip at the early stages of training. A puppy that grips and holds on might get a "Hey now!" or the like, but I'd just let it go for the most part.

 

A dog that's harming stock is another matter, but I presume that you would have mentioned it if that were the case.

[Pipedream Farm]

I second Bill's comment on not taking out the grip; as Bill said use "Hey" (or some other word/phrase) to distract your dog into letting go and then go on with your work. Unless your dog is bent on really hurting the stock; that attitude should be addressed. Knowing why your dog is gripping will help you plan your training strategy to deal with the underlying cause. It could simply be immaturity, or it could be other issues that you'll want to deal with in your training.

 

Mark