Collie that nips - any suggestions?

[peapod]

We recently got given a Border Collie. She is about 16 months old, and has basically spent her life in a barn - when we got her she was extremely thin and extremely scared of everything. We have gradually fed her up - we kept her on her own initially until she started wagging her tail when she saw me, came up to me to be fed, and generally started acting like a happier, more confident dog. We then introduced her to our other three dogs - after a bit of a struggle (mainly with our JRT) she found her place in the hierarchy.

She is now at the stage where she is happy to be in the kitchen when it's noisy, happy to go and play with the other dogs (they have about half an acre of orchard to run about in all day) - she is a happy, loving dog, who is a joy to own....except....

At times of great excitement - ie when the dogs are getting their leads on to go for a walk/when a new person walks in/when the dogs have a new toy etc etc - she "herds" - she gets extremely excited, barks her head off, and, nips. It is NOT a malicious bite in any way - she acts exactly how you would expect a sheepdog to act - she dives in, nips, and then backs off. However - this is obviously NOT something that is acceptable!!

Today she bit my father - she was on a choke chain, so I was immediately able to pull her back, make her lie down, and reprimand her (NOT by hitting her - a loud voice is enough to punish her). It IS difficult generally to reprimand her - as, firstly the dogs are all kicking off barking their heads off - so it's difficult to make my voice heard; secondly she is most of the time simply too excited to listen to me to get her to back off.

Any suggestions? I don't want to go down the muzzling route - I'd rather find the cure than a preventative! It's got to stop - we simply cannot run the risk of a delivery man/child etc getting nipped.

 

[JAK]

I currently have two trials-bred Border Collies & neither of them nip.....ever! Flying in & nipping is often a sign of weakness & cowardice in a Border Collie (unless required on a really awkward "I'm not shifting for anybody!" ewe! lol) & is completely intolerable IMO!

I suggest you start giving her a bit more work, as she sounds rather lacking in direction etc. A few training sessions a day, then insisting she 'go & settle' should help! Try not to 'interact' with her too much in between times & never play 'exciting' tug-of-war type ganes with her - a gentle game of throw & fetch is far better!

As for the nipping itself, (and the barking!), keep a few Jif lemons handy & really go for it if she does nip (or start yapping, which I can't stand in collies either!) - very off-putting for the dog but you don't need to raise your voice or get 'hands on' with her in any way, both of which would only fuel her insecurities & confusion & make the problem worse!

And STOP treating her like a 'poor little rescue' (be honest now, I bet you do make excuses for her sometimes, eh?) & start treating her as the dog you would lkije her to be!
The past is the past, she's your dog now, so teach her the house rules! Keep it all very low-key & 'quietly authorative' & you should soon start to see an improvement in her general behaviour!

 

[peapod]

Thanks JAK - that's extremely helpful!!

We assumed it was just "instinct" - BUT, it stands to reason that she will still be insecure - especially when new people come in, I suppose it could be a "Right, I'm getting in first before they get me!" sort of thing?

We don't play tug-of-war with her - she's JUST learnt what a ball is, and how to fetch it etc - so that's the main game she plays!

Yes, we do still think of her as "poor little rescue" LOL. She is SO thin still, the reaction is a bit "Poor little Evie, she can't help it" LOL! We are trying to sort it out though, and I will suggest training sessions (unfortunately I'm at Uni, so won't be able to do them myself!)

The Jif idea sounds great - and I will definitely try that with her (question though - will it not hurt her if it goes in her eyes?) - she is a VERY quick learner; she's clever, but doesn't really know the boundaries yet I suppose - she also chases the cats if she gets the opportunity - another faux pas, which we are trying to sort out!

 

[emmablatch]

Plus this might be helpful - but instead of reprimanding her in a loud voice (which will just sound like you are joining in the barking) take her immediately for time out. Put her in a room where she has no interaction with anyone for two minutes. Once the two minutes is up let her out again without talking to her and act as if nothing happened. This will sound like a pain if you are going out somewhere but it is easier to be a pain doing it in the beginning rather than the long term consequences.

We did the poor little rescue thing and made a cross for our own backs lol But it is easy to do, you feel very sorry for them but it is best in the long term not to make excuses for them but sort things out.

Good luck

Emma

 

[JAK]

Jif lemon - yes, it will hurt her if it goes in her eyes, so be careful here - down her gullet is where you want it!

Of all the years I have spent instructing etc., if I had a pound for every time anyone said "Oh, yes, he pulls on the lead / bites small children / wrecks the house etc.........but he's a rescue......!", I would be a very rich woman by now!
People make dreadful allowances for their dog 'being a rescue' quite often & all too frequently, end up with a right little toad because of it!
Basically, you have done an almost too good job of 'settling her in'! LOL She now needs to learn some manners, her real place in the hierarchy & what is acceptable & what's not!

Re. the nipping, she probably does this when she gets over-excited etc. because she doesn't know what else to do - I don't think she's 'afraid' of visitors as such, more confused & suffering a case of 'brains dropping out'! LOL
If she does seem afraid, then the same rules apply anyway!
A calm, confident, good-tempered collie rarely nips, either during work or otherwise, as it is a sure sign of confusion, uncertainty & panic, either due to fear, impatience or hesitancy, almost always down to lack of training & direction! Let her know what she should be doing instead & you should see a rapid improvement!

Don't allow her free access to visitors - shut her away & fetch her in for a brief hello (on the lead if you're worried) once they're settled.
Same with going out - insist she lies down or sits quietly whilst you get her ready - any nipping, barking etc. results in her being totally ignored & left til last!
She has learnt she is loved but she now needs to learn she is not quite as important as she thinks she is & that she needs to behave in a certain way in most situations, so she has to pay attention to you & what she ought to be doing!

Hope that makes sense?