My blue heeler nips ankles. How to manage this herding instinct?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, heelers are highly driven to herd- that’s what the breed is made for. Your new heeler will need plenty of mental and physical stimulation or she will likely continue to herd whatever she can - in this case your Pyrenees. I highly recommend daily training sessions, agility training, long runs, trips to the dog park, or some combination thereof. You will have to make this a priority for the next several years most likely. Best of luck to you and your pups!

Sounds like you have a rambunctious little puppy!. Australian Cattle Dogs have been bred for many years and made to think that biting at or herding together animals was their job. Part of what you are seeing, therefore, is instinctual. This is not to say that you will not eventually have a dog that stops biting at you. Just like any undesirable behavior, obedience training with significant repetition will be required in order to make Daisy understand what is appropriate and what is not. The mainstay of most training regimens nowadays is positive reinforcement. By this, I mean that anytime Daisy does something that you like, Whenever she takes the alternative, she needs to be rewarded accordingly. You may also want to consider obedience training courses with a reputable trainer. Hope your training goes well. Don't give up! It can be frustrating but things will come around.

This behavior is to be expected. It is a cattle dog which is bred to nip cattle when they are herding. I would teach her to play catch so you can wear her out and give her an appropriate outlet for her energy and a toy to chew on. Taking her for long walks and hikes are good also. This breed is headstrong so a group obedience class would be fun and helpful. She is a puppy so this behavior should improve as she ages. Punishment will not be effective, I recommend finding another outlet for her mouthing and wearing her out every day. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rain.

Aggression toward people is unfortunately a very complex issue and outside the scope of the answer length I can provide here. I highly recommend speaking with a trainer or behaviorist in your area that can help you by observing the issue in person (or over video) and tailoring a more specific plan to Ellie and your needs. That said, it is possible Ellie is feeling fearful of people in the house, and that the roommates walking away (while she nips at them) are inadvertently rewarding her because they go away when she nips. You have her listed as a mixed breed, but some herding breeds will also nip or bite at ankles too when they want more attention, are trying to get attention, or are trying to control the situation. Simply yelling at her when she nips is probably making her stress levels higher, and may be encouraging her to ramp up the behavior. Working on positive reinforcement techniques, such as having Ellie on a leash while the roommates toss her a treat, but not get close enough to approach/pet her, and then backing away without turning while you give more treats and praise her if she is calm and interested in the treats instead of the people may help her start to form a positive association with them (IE she gets her favorite snack whenever they are around) rather than a fearful one, while still keeping enough distance that no one gets hurt. If you're interested in learning more about animal behaviorists, or finding one in your area, this link can also help: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

It could be that Littleboy is nipping at people's ankles out of fear or frustration, and this type of biting can indicate problems with aggression. If he's looking stiff, pulling back his mouth to show his teeth, and has tension in his face, then Littleboy's biting is aggressive and not playful. In that case, I'd recommend having him seen by a professional behavioral expert. Aggression is a difficult and dangerous behavior to train, and that's best left to a professional for safety reasons. I'd speak to your vet about a referral to one. If Littleboy's body and face is relaxed and there's no tension in his body, then he is playing. This behavior you can work with him at home. I will give you a link to the ASPCA's page that gives details on how to train a dog with play biting: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/mouthing-nipping-and-play-biting-adult-dogs

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is adorable! Red heelers can be very energetic and challenging at times in terms of behavior. I highly recommend you seek help from a dog trainer or behaviorist as these behaviors can be modified. It just requires the right training. There are behavior modification medications your veterinarian could prescribe though in most cases are unnecessary as training is all that is needed. Sometimes both training and medications are combined. Good luck and have a good evening!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Welcome to having a young Australian Shepherd. This is very typical of the breed. The best advice I can give is exercise, training, and more exercise. When you walk in the door, ask Sofia to come to a certain spot, sit (or some other trick), and then reward her with a treat. If you do this every time, she will quickly learn to go to that spot every time you walk in (rather than jump and nip at you). And then take her out to run at least once daily- three times is even better. Best of luck to you and Sofia.