[ValtheAussie]

the biting and the nipping of this puppy who is going to be six months old at the end of the month.....he jumps up and bites my back when I turn to ignore his biting.....the ripped flesh on my arms and hands, and the ripped clothing today.....I just can't stand it much more......I've had Aussie before, but nothing this vicious.....I am fearful of this dog now......I am fearful of this puppy dog, I really am......I am almost ready to send him back to his breeder, but I feel so bad.

 

[Dakota Spirit]

Have you worked with a behaviorist at all? Puppies tend to be extremely nippy and if it isn't curbed at an early age then it does get harder as the dog is bigger, bites harder, etc. Sound more like he's just a big nippy puppy rather then 'vicious' or anything along that line. It's not unfixable though - you may just need some extra help.

If that doesn't work out though for whatever reason, don't keep him just because you feel bad. Better he get into an environment with someone who IS comfortable working with the problem rather then stay in one (and probably get worse) that isn't ideal.

 

[pamperedpups]

http://www.iaabc.org

http://www.animalbehavior.org

 

[ValtheAussie]

http://www.iaabc.org

http://www.animalbehavior.org

Thank you .... I have gotten in touch with a behaviorist and she called and will call me back tonite.

I thank you for the link because I couldn't find someone close to me when I googled dog behaviorist.

I will keep ya all informed!!

 

[Junior]

I think it's just what herding breed puppies do. It's instinctive... try contacting your breeder on ways to re-direct nipping/heeling. I'm sure they'd have ideas and training techniques and or refer you to someone that can help you.

Don't be afaid of him he's not trying to hurt he just doesn't know better.

 

[Inga]

Do you have this puppy in an obedience class? If not, then I suggest you get into one ASAP. When puppy is nipping what do you do? Are you not able to redirect or does he just keep coming back or what?

Sorry, we were posting at the same time. I am so happy to hear that you are going to find a behaviorist. Good for you. Can't wait to hear good news.

 

[ValtheAussie]

You ought to see what this dog has done to my arm; then you'd be scared of him, too, unfortunately,a

He's nipped me for the last time....

Do you have this puppy in an obedience class? If not, then I suggest you get into one ASAP. When puppy is nipping what do you do? Are you not able to redirect or does he just keep coming back or what?

He's been in class; his teacher could hardly do a thing with him. I am consulting with a behaviorist now.

His dog trainer said I should have picked a different puppy!!!

Someone at a dog supply store the other day, actually called him, monster!!!

Our certified dog behaviorist had a cancellation tomorrow morning, so she will be visiting our home tomorrow morning!!

 

[pamperedpups]

You're very welcome. Best of luck to you all!

 

[FilleBelle]

My last dog, Cammy, was a pound puppy. She seemed so scared and sweet in the shelter. Turns out she was evil. I was about ten or eleven when we got her and I couldn't go outside that entire summer because her teeth and claws were so dangerous. None of us were new to dogs, but she was like nothing we'd ever seen. She would tear holes in the skin of my mother's arm until my mother could get her calm and under control, at which point my mother would turn away and the dog would sink her teeth into my mother's rear end.

Funny in retrospect. Not funny at the time.

For weeks we had an evening routine of crying before bed because we were going to take her back to the shelter in the morning, but we could never bring ourselves to do it.

She outgrew it. She was never a perfect dog, by ANY means, but she did stop with the terrible biting and jumping. I don't think it was anything we did. I think she just stopped doing it.

I'm not sure if this story is meant to be encouraging or discouraging. Take from it what you will.

 

[sillylilykitty]

Oh, please keep us updated! I really hope things works out for you and Val. I'm very interested in what your behaviorist says. Our 6 1/2 month old puppy Luna (also a herding breed) is starting to nip a lot, I hope we can stop it!

 

[ValtheAussie]

We sure are hoping for a miracle! This pup has gotten into a load of bad habits real fast.

Even if he doesn't get walked twice, he can't go sinking his choppers into someone's arm or legs.

He isn't allowed to start snapping at my husband and jumping on the leash as they get towards home, either.

I will never allow a male dog into my home again. I've had nothing but bad luck with them.

 

[TD111]

Val, not that it helps your situation at all, but my female lab/border collie is doing a lot of the same REAL quick and she is only about 14-15 weeks old so I really think you could have these problems with any sex, especially a herding breed as ours.

 

[Dakota Spirit]

Even if he doesn't get walked twice, he can't go sinking his choppers into someone's arm or legs.

That's definitely true. However, I did want to point out that energy and exercise can play a role with these things. Especially with young pups. You've got a high energy breed - he's gonna need A LOT of exercise. And if you can only get him out one time a day then it needs to be a long walk with a lot of hard play to supplement the missed outing. There's a reason people say herding/working breeds need a job. They can be great house pets but they definitely need a lot of work and exercise. Otherwise that energy has to go somewhere...and it's usually into behaviors we don't find desirable.

Val, not that it helps your situation at all, but my female lab/border collie is doing a lot of the same REAL quick and she is only about 14-15 weeks old so I really think you could have these problems with any sex, especially a herding breed as ours.

Ditto. These issues really aren't gender specific.

 

[ValtheAussie]

I have tried to get this guy outside in the backyard for frisbee and/or catch. Our last dog did loads of exercising that way, and I have the time to exercise him as much as he would need to.

What does he do? He sits there looking at the ball and/or frisbee like it was from outer space. This is unheard of in dogs like Aussies for they love to play with frisbees and balls and go fetch.

My last dog, Cammy, was a pound puppy. She seemed so scared and sweet in the shelter. Turns out she was evil. I was about ten or eleven when we got her and I couldn't go outside that entire summer because her teeth and claws were so dangerous. None of us were new to dogs, but she was like nothing we'd ever seen. She would tear holes in the skin of my mother's arm until my mother could get her calm and under control, at which point my mother would turn away and the dog would sink her teeth into my mother's rear end.

Funny in retrospect. Not funny at the time.

For weeks we had an evening routine of crying before bed because we were going to take her back to the shelter in the morning, but we could never bring ourselves to do it.

She outgrew it. She was never a perfect dog, by ANY means, but she did stop with the terrible biting and jumping. I don't think it was anything we did. I think she just stopped doing it.

I'm not sure if this story is meant to be encouraging or discouraging. Take from it what you will.

Well, this guy was no pound puppy but a breeder's quite high priced devil-boy!!! I could have gotten loads of dysfunction for FREE-LOL-I kid. I hope that with the help we get, he gets his act together real quick and knocks off the biting.

 

[Dogstar]

Um, have you TAUGHT him to play ball or frisbee? Because frankly, I've known LOTS of high energy dogs that think it's the dumbest game ever. Why should they go chase something that doesn't squeak and isn't made of food, and which YOU obviously don't want?

Throw the ball, chase it yourself. Praise ihm when he chases YOU (and the toy) and throw it again.

He does NOT sound vicious. He sounds TERRIBLY underexercised.

 

[emka]

You've got a high energy breed - he's gonna need A LOT of exercise.

Yes, a Aussie require much exercise but not forgetting, they need to use their brain as well. Just exercise is not enough for an Aussie, it is an active working dog that needs to get mental activation also to feel as good as possible. For example tracking, obedience exercises, tricks or whatever. You can practice short moments each day, let the dog search for candy, for example, just let the dog to use the head every now and then

 

[Dakota Spirit]

Yes, a Aussie require much exercise but not forgetting, they need to use their brain as well. Just exercise is not enough for an Aussie, it is an active working dog that needs to get mental activation also to feel as good as possible. For example tracking, obedience exercises, tricks or whatever. You can practice short moments each day, let the dog search for candy, for example, just let the dog to use the head every now and then

That's more or less what I meant - but yeah, you're right A lot of the higher energy breeds (there are exceptions, of course) need more then the same games/tricks/etc. over and over to keep them stimulated. I was just using exercise as a broad term lol

 

[Cracker]

This sounds like a real difficult thing for you to deal with. I do hope the behaviourist can help you with it.

Many high energy herding breeds have issues with impulse control and overexcitement in certain situations and become nipping jumping maniacs (just ask the young GSD I work with...lol).

If the NIP comes AFTER the jump, the jump is where you need to stop the behaviour. I just read this on another board as a suggestion for dogs that do not respond to the typical turn and ignore:

When the dog is calm (after walk or when he's just laying around..I know this doesn't happen much, so you have to pick your opportunities), walk gently but firmly into the dog's side (just a slight bump) as soon as the dog moves away from your bump, reward him. Repeat. Eventually, when you see him start to move away from you (not running away, just shifting his space in relation to you) add the cue "excuse me" and continue. Practice this, eventually just using the cue and a slight move towards the dog, so no contact is necessary.

The idea being, when the "launch" looks imminent for the "problem moments", all you will have to do is face him and say excuse me. He's then learned to give you space.

I also highly recommend working on drop it/leave it and teaching him to play tug. Then during appropriate times he can get his jumpy nippiness out. This, along with hand targeting, worked wonders with the GSD.

I can't wait to hear what the behaviorist tells you. Please keep us updated.

 

[ValtheAussie]

The behaviorist gave us loads of information and help and I highly recommend them to anyone having serious problems with their dog(s).

That being said, we learned all kinds of mental and physical exercises to use on our puppy as well as the types of toys and activities that are best for our puppy, along with herbal remedies for calming a puppy and advice on how to talk to the dog, how to keep him calmer and what to do for this dog, for specific problems.

For instance, for this particular dog ONLY, not for the general dog population, she suggested to use adult dog food because the high protein in puppy food for THIS dog was ramping him up too much. We will go out this afternoon and get some adult version of his puppy food.

Like I said, most of what we learned was specific for our dog's problems and his breed and every dog has their own agenda's, so don't hesitate to use a behaviorist should your dog need the help such a person.

Thanks for the link to the behaviorists, again.

 

[Keechak]

If we lived close I would definatly be willing to help you out. I could enroll the little rascal in my aussie bootcamp lol. Hawk has always been a biter and we are managing it, he is very good now except for nipping me while we play.