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Ideas to cure puppy from nipping at my other dogs


Donna Smith
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Help! I have a wonderful, high-drive 10 month old puppy being trained on sheep. Make no mistake, I love this puppy and she is extremely talented. However, I have run into a snag with our other dogs, not with her herding training. She has started to scare my other dogs by chasing them when they trot around the yard, and flying in to nip their back legs. She badly bruised my (rough) collie's foot. I am trying to use herding commands and a stock stick with her in the yard now (lie down) and it works, but that scares my other dogs who are now cringing around me. I know her behaviour is just "bad" and not really herding behaviour, though it is rooted in herding instinct. I just want some tips to stop it, even if it means separation for awhile, or putting her on a leash when I am in the yard with the other dogs. I have tried to discipline her various ways but yelling is no good, scares the other dogs (collie and German Shepherd) and excites her, plus I don't want to yell when she can run away (it is a big yard). Throwing something at her also scares the other dogs. I feel like the other dogs are confused or terrified of me more than her as I try to break her of this new behaviour. My poor GSD just cringes against the side of the house. In the house, this puppy is fine and the dogs get along. She is most apt to run in at pressure points - dogs gather at door, dogs head into their own runs. This has just started and I want to nip it in the bud (sorry, didn't mean to say nip! haha!). Ideas would be so appreciated. Any ideas. She is my first BC and I admire her tenacity and determination, but need to outsmart her. Thanks.

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I think I'd keep her leashed out in the yard when everyone else is there and/or let her out by herself. If you put her on a long line (very light clothes line or parachute cord, knotted so it can be stepped on and attached to her collar with a swivel snap), you can let her with the others and everytime she goes after them, give her a correction like "Aht, Aht" and then stop her short and haul her up with the line. Your correction needn't be loud enough to scare the other dogs, just matter of fact. She'll soon learn that every time she goes after the others, she's hauled up and it won't be fun anymore and she'll stop. I wouldn't let her out in the yard with the others without a line on her, and if you can't be watching her every second while she's with the other dogs so you can apply your correction *every* time she goes after them, then don't let her out with them.

 

J.

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Thanks Julie

 

Last night I kept her on a leash and it worked well. She was very distracted by the other dogs moving around us, and for the first time I noticed her keying in on my other bitch in particular, even eyeing on to her. Could it be less herding drive, and more of a desire to more up the ladder, and she is using her herding moves to intimidate?

 

So, I corrected for this, and she seemed a little confused and even started with some nervous panting, which I took to be her reaction to my interference with this behaviour. I assume this won't carry over into her livestock lessons, if I correct her for herding behaviour with my dogs.

 

I walked her to her run on a leash this morning and was able to get in a good correction when she took a run at the collie, which surprised her, but didn't get the same nervous reaction.

 

Many thanks for the response. If others have had this situation I would be happy to hear your solutions. Thanks again. I will keep plugging away at this!

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