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BC Pup biting


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Hello all, new here so hi! :)

 

My question is, the biting with puppies, does it end?! Snapping at ankles etc, he's only 8 weeks old so I'm wondering if there's anything we can do to stop it? Or do they grow out of it?

 

Many thanks!

 

Mike

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Hi LokiBC

 

I am new to the wonderful world of BC's also. Our darling girl Lilli is now 12 months old and when we first brought here home, I spent a lot of time on these forums. The advice you will get from these fantastic, experienced people is very valuable.

 

In my experience, yes they do grow out of it and Lilli has. Lilli was constantly nipping/puppy biting our hands feeds, anything she could get grip on. One thing that did work for us is to yell "OUCH" in a very high pitched voice which would startle her. Always have a chew toy handy like a rope twist and when she pulls away startled, replace your body part with the rope twist. This really does work a treat.

 

Even now when she gets a little excited whilst we're playing, she will still try to mouth me but all I need to do now is say "AH" short and sharp and she stops immediately and then licks my hand as if to say sorry mum forgot I shouldn't do that ;)

 

This type of behaviour is normal for all puppies but BC's being herding dogs have it a little more than others I believe.

 

Good luck with your new puppy - they are such a joy and challenge - but worth every bit of it. :)

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Welcome to the Boards!

 

You will find a lot of good advice here for many issues (including biting puppies) by using the 'Search' function towards the top right hand portion of the page.

 

With regard to biting at ankles, he is having great fun playing. Border Collies are motion-activated so when you walk around, he thinks your ankles (the only thing he can reach) are awesome toys. The first thing I would do is STOP. Now your ankles are much less fun. Carry a toy with you and after you stop and he (hopefully) stops biting at your ankles for a second, distract with the toy. (wiggle the toy and play with him and the toy for a few seconds.) That will help him learn that toys are more appropriate. If he continues to ankle-bite, he may be over-tired and needs to be put in a crate for a time-out or short nap.

 

I know you will get many other good answers.

 

Good Luck with your new pup.

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I'll second what Jovi says. It's all about play and this little guy is far too young to understand corrections. So, distract and displace are my rules at that age! :)

If he attacks your feet, stop moving and give him a toy - jiggle it and make it fun, get him engaged with it. If he goes after your feet again - pick him up! Carry him a little ways - which is a brief end to his fun - then put him down and again engage him with his toy.

Have LOTS of toys, toys all over the place, rope toys and tug toys and chewie toys. Just make it a habit that whenever he goes after something he should not have, whether feet or whatever, immediately stop and get him to tackle a toy, instead.

After all, what's more fun than playing with a puppy? :D

Sure, it will be kind of tedious for a while, but so is any baby. You just have to make time to deal with his needs and behaviors. Best of luck - and please feel free to share photos!

~ Gloria

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Thanks all! The little terror is in my picture, he is our first BC, and I absolutely love him to bits! While he may bite us now, it's so rewarding when someone walks in, suchas mum when she's been out for like, 20 minutes, the love he shows is amazing!

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My 8 week old jaws--err BC pup- is all teeth, I love it, we are working hard on bite inhibition. We cannot walk without her grabbing pants legs, shoes or any body part she can reach! This is the fun (and painful) part of raising a pup. dogstardaily.com has some great info on teaching bite inhibition to pups.

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