what to do about a nipping pup?
We try to hand her a toy when she does this, but sometimes I don't have a toy in my hands. ...like when I'm carrying her food out to her and my hands are full. I think she does it becuase she wants attention, but I'm not sure. It seems she is trying to get us to kneel down and hug and kiss her like a child would tug on our pant legs when he/she wants to be picked up and held. She's a really sweet dog and loves to be held and hugged and kissed. I really don't think it's problematic in the sense that she is being vicious or anything. She always stops when we then give her attention, but I'm afraid this will teach her that that's all she has to do to get attention. Any advice would be really appreciated! |
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They want to herd, and nipping is part of it. If they kids are moving fast they will try this. Sami did it and we did the toy in mouth, now she does it herself BUT now we got to watch everyones shoes. Blue who very easy going was also doing this also, mostly when the kids came in the house or going down the hall. We just have to firm voice and say NO nipping, Or a loud clap with our hands to stops him, but like I say he is our suck and we do not have to be hard on him, he has to learn right from wrong. As far as they are concerned nipping is good. Only once did he do it to me while I was going down the hall with laundry. I dropped the clothes stuck my head down between my legs said owww, stop, the shock on his face was funny  and he never bothered ME again. |
| Click the word "Search" above (under the title in the top center of the page) and use the word "Nipping" for your search terms. You'll get back hundreds of posts and tons of advice. |
| My puppy Dodger was doing this, and when we took him to the trainer on Saturday we were advised that it was a way to get attention, and to ignore him when he does it. We were told to "be like a tree", which meant planting our feet, crossing our arms and looking up at the sky. I guess I should also mention that when he jumped we were supposed to do a quarter turn and then be like a tree. We are to keep this up until he clams, and when he calms down, and ideally was sitting was when he got attention again, the hugging and petting that you were talking about. It seems to be working so far, but it did get worse before it started to get better!
I guess the idea is that even saying no is giving Dodger what he wants, attention, and we need to let him know that jumping and nipping are not the ways to get attention. (In case it's not painfully obvious, I'm not a trainer, just a first time sheepie parent trying to figure it all out!) |
| The nipping isn't to get attention. It's to herd you. Part of the instinct that is bred into an OES. But don't let the idea of instinct fool you: OES can and are successfully trained not to nip at anybody. It takes time and patience. But it is absolutely necessary to avoid unintentional injuries to people, especially small children.
I cannot stress enough that it is important to teach children, especially small ones, not to run from a dog, and indeed, how to behave around dogs. And to never, ever leave a small child unattended with any dog no matter how docile and well trained. |
| I will add to the last post about teaching your children how to behave with a dog. Children need to be taught NOT to run up to a dog, not to wave their arms and hands around, Not to use the high pitched voice that excites a dog...People tend to blame a dog but the dog is doing what a dog does normally. Children need to be taught how to behave with a dog and they should never be left alone with a puppy.
All puppies go through a "nipping" stage and its usually associated with teething, etc. OES go through a nipping stange and tehn it continues as they get older as a herding instinct...be careful with the kids. An OES can do some harm and they don't mean it. its up to you to watch carefully and control the situation. I ahve lots of black and blues from my puppy and he is only now, at 9 months old, getting the idea that nipping my ankles and legs is NOT acceptable! Good luck...it takes work but is worth it. |
Begin wearing an apron or a lab coat around house so you can always have a toy handy!  We are firm believers in the "stuff" method. When Bingley was going through this stage he was only allowed to play with us if he had a toy in his mouth - therefor the "stuff". |
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