How to stop my 4-month Australian Cattle Dog puppy from nipping?

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.

That is normal behavior for a puppy. I would have lots of toys around to keep him occupied and play with him a lot in the yard to get rid of the excess energy. If you can teach him to fetch that is a good game. I wouldn’t punish him since that may make this worse. Be patient once he’s done teething and grows up this behavior should stop. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chicago.

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.

For a while when she is with your other dog or your kids you may want to keep her on a leash so when she does this you can correct her. This is a natural “herding” instinct of the healer, and may be hard to end all together. Warn the kids not to run in the house because this will most definitely excite that response. I would also encourage you to consider a lot of activity and a “job” for this heeler. Have the kids play hide and seek with her, teach her to “find” treats you hide in the house, maybe agility classes with her. These guys need lots of brain use ! Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

This type of behavior can be very concerning, especially when there are small children around. The good news is that your puppy is still very young and this is a good time to teach her good and appropriate behaviors. You are already doing a great job by exercising her regularly (a fast-paced 20-30 minute walk 2-3 times a day is best) and by redirecting her aggressive tendencies with chew toys. Another tactic you can use in training is to immediately stop play and ignore her if she starts becoming aggressive. This will teach her that that type of behavior does not get her what she wants (your attention). It is also a good idea to always use positive reinforcement when she is being well behaved. Puppies respond better and learn faster from positive reinforcement (like verbal praise and treats) than negative reinforcement (like yelling or hitting them). It would also be wise to start some initial training of basic commands as well, like sit, stay/wait, come, etc. This will help her focus and energy levels and will help establish your role the dominant one in the relationship. I hope this helps. Remember, persistence early on will help you raise a great puppy. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would assume she is doing this to get his attention to play. Bella is young and needs a lot of exercise and interaction. I would add more walks or play time. Consider enrolling her in doggie daycare a few times per week. Otherwise I would have a leash on her at all times and when she starts this behavior, pull her down, make her sit and remove her from the situation. Consider 5-10 mins in "time out" in another room or crate. Then exercise her. I hope this helps!

Mouthing and nipping can be an issue in puppies, and at ten months of age she likely has some or all of her adult teeth in, which can hurt! There are a few things you can do: One is to loudly yelp "OUCH!" and immediately stop play and walk away/ignore your dog. This mimics when your dog was playing with littermates and played too roughly. Your dog will also learn that when she is too energetic and nips play stops and attention is gone, which is boring! If she is calm and not nipping, offer lots of praise and treats to encourage that behavior instead. Next is the "airplane" game. Place your dog in a sitting position and put a treat in your hand. Raise it above your dog's head and begin to slowly bring it down toward your dog. If she gets up out of the sitting position, stop, place her back in a sit, and then start again. Once she can calmly sit still for the treat coming to her, offer it and praise! This can help teach her to sit calmly rather than jumping or nipping. You can also work on taking treats gently/mouthing inhibition by placing a treat in your hand and closing your fist. At first, your dog may attempt to gnaw on or chew on your hand to get the treat. A small "ouch!" can help, but you will have to wait a few minutes until she settles down. Once she is calm and not chewing on the hand, offer her the treat with a "gentle" command. It will take a few tries (and a sore hand at first), but it will help teach her to wait for treats and toys from your hand without nipping and chewing on them! Trading your hands and other objects for toys that are appropriate to chew on can also help. Offer an appropriate chew toy instead, and be sure to praise any time she is found chewing on the right objects instead!