Nipping, mouthing and biting

[lynn 01]

Help

Bubbles is nipping at me everytime we go a walk. Yesterday it was very bad and although I honestly don`t think it was in anger it was very nearly a bite. She is going for my arms and the front of my body (boobies!!!!!!) in particular. I have tried to dominate her by growling no but that only made her much worse today. I was actually quite scared. I put the lead back on her and she seemed to settle but it`s very worrying as I`m scared she will do it to a child. She has already nipped Kirsty (sorry again )

I love her dearly and there are lots of times that she is the perfect angel and gives me more happiness that I knew was possible so please do not tell me to get rid of her.
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My life belongs to a Collie

[Janice]

Is there something particular happening when she does this? Dale used to be quite bad at certain times but he hasn't nipped for ages now so I'm sure Bubbles will learn too. Don't begin to think of having to get rid of her. She's young and needs to learn.

When Dale nipped and it was when he was excited or not getting his own way. The way that worked for me was to stop and stand quite still and fold my arms and not even look at him. Then once he was a bit calmer I'd get him to do some basic exercises, like sit, down stay,and come. He could take a bit of time but it worked in the end.
A lot of people say you should squeal and turn away and end any game. Unfortunately Dale got more excited when we squealed, but it seems to work for most other dogs.

My other suggestion is to keep him focused on a toy when he's off lead, if he's occupied he'll be less likely to get into trouble. It might be worthwhile avoiding tug games for a while or at least making sure he lets go the instant you say 'leave'.
You'll get lots of help from John and others at the club. It worried me when dale did it but you'll get there in the end.
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Janice and Dale

[Janis]

good advice from Janice! especially the stand still and ignore her! remember the rule praise the good and ignore the bad behavior!

however you must still maintain top dog and dominance! a fine balancing act i know but with patience you'll get there!

as Janice says john will help you and bubbles will turn a corner in time! no need to consider re-homing her!

in my opinion she is just doing what comes natural to her! she would do this in a field while herding sheep!

[Suzanne H]

I would let out a loud yelp and turf Otto into the kitchen for 5 minutes. He never got this for anything else so saw it as the ultimate punishment ie not being in the same room as us and soon stopped it.

And as said, keep the dominance thing up ie I think puppies do it in the litter to test their mettle and they soon learn who to push about and who not to.

He does it a bit if he's over excited - total attention seeking. He gets a sharp no these days.

[Lindy]

Lynn

all good advice from everyone so i would say follow what they have all said and also try and stay very calm as this can be key to a dog getting one over on you. If you get excited, upset or worried they will pick up on this beofre you even realise thats how you feel, now I relaise some people find it easier than others to stay calm I for one used to get so angry and upset with Dora when she chased rabbits that i had no chance of her comeing back to me as the signals i gave off were horrible she in no way wanted to come back to someone who was angry and upset so she would completly ignore me, now I have learned that it's just not worth getting like that and I stay calm and it's much easier to work out how to get her back and she now sees me as a strong calm dominante leader and has much more respect for me now. The trick is at the start of the walk tell yourself whatever she does i am not going to react or get upset take lots of deep breaths and keep your posture nice and strong i.e. head up and looking straight ahead, back straight and shoulders back, this kind of strong body language gives of great signals to your dog as dogs are brilliant at reading body language much better than us so not only can they sense our frustration they can see it in our body language, also eye contact keep it to a minimum as that will also give the message that you will instigate eye contact when you need to. Give commands (short sharp one word commands, not lots of talking as then the command gets lots in all the words)in a strong and upbeat tone with this posture and very little eye conact. alot to remember but you will get there in time.

lindy

[kirsty]

I dont know about the loud yelp - I have read this advice before, as in the pack when puppies yelp the other knows he has crossed the boundary and actually hurt the other dog. But in observing some of our pack - they seem to pick on the yelpers and squealers - sensing their weakness.

Try not to show your fear lynn, I know this is hard - from my own experience I need to dominate Dodge at times and have to forceably put him down. He can sit with a raised lip and growl at me, but I know once I have started on a course of action, I cannot give in and have to work through my fear that he might snap at me and physically push him to the ground..

You could try this each time bubbles nips, put her forceably into a down position and hold her down or stand right over her. Each time you do this you are asserting your dominance over the dog and reinforcing that you have the strength and will to do this and are the pact leader.

Try to cut back on the affection, I know this is really hard - but remember she is a dog, not a human, dont get down to her level to kiss and cuddle her. try not to do the kissing things as when a wolf returns to the pack all the other dogs are up trying to lick its face - so when you are kissing her she is getting the message that you are fawning over her because she is the alpha.

I had to do this with Dodge to try and curb his dominance, you may not kiss your dog but I was always putting my face down to mine.

Try to be consistent - this is the hardest part of all. Your dog will still love you but also respect you as well. I don't doubt for a second you are the centre of bubble's universe and she loves you dearly - but she also has to respect you - and if she is nipping you, she clearly for the moment does not have a great deal of respect for you. This is hard to hear, I had to hear it myself from John a year ago. Dogs live in the today and you can turn this around - honestly.

Have a look at some of the pack behavior info - if you stick to the pack rules, the dog will change very quickly. ie what we were talking about, never do anything on your dogs terms, even giving affection, ignore your dog if she nudges you, then call her back and give her affection on your terms. Make sure you own your own front door and you go in and out first- after all you are the pack leader leading the hunt (which is what a walk is in dog terms). Ignore her when you come in (this is a really hard one when she is bouncing up and down wanting to shower her love all over you). Then again call her over a short time later for affection when YOU are ready to give it. The alpha wolf would never allow the others to jump all over him when they greet. Bubbles does not understand our language, you need to try to find a way to communicate in hers and if you follow the information and advice on pack behaviour you will be going a good way towards communicating in a way your dog understands.

Lynn - my dogs still have a long way to go, I dont want you to think that I am preaching, cause I have no right to do that with the way my pair behave. The thing to realise is that once its sorted, reinforcement of the rules has to be a daily thing. Dodge is needing to go back to training, not because he does not know what he should be doing, but because he is choosing to ignore me at the moment and I need that half hour a week on my being in control and there being no doubt about that. Somewhere I must be letting things slip in my regime with him cause he should not feel he can ignore - so it is my fault not the dogs.

No one said it is easy owning a dominant dog - but it is worth it as they can be some of the smartest, most stimulating challenges - and well worth the effort. Bubbles will be fine xx

[lynn 01]

Hi

Just a huge big thank you to everyone for their advice and especially the help and support from John and Marcella.

I really appreciated our time today and have already put some of the tips into practice

Lynn and Bubbles
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My life belongs to a Collie

[marcella]

Lynn ........... anytime!!!! Bubbles is a happy, clever, affectionate and exhuberant wee dog! She'll get there ............ so will you

[John Thomson]

Lynn,

Bubbles it simply a teenage Border Collie pushing her luck and displaying typical breed characteristics......sometimes not easy I know but very typical.....the key is to tempt her to display the traits you want to stop when you are in a position to correct her instantly..on your terms not hers.....hope that made some sense?
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk