# dog herd nipping how do I stop...



## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

My dog is from DDR bloodlines and has a VERY strong herding drive. He will play ball till he can't move,will try to herd everything. The problem I'm having is that ,well let me give you an example. The other day we were over are friends house and he was playing with 5 other dogs. He's great with that. Well one of the dogs owners grabbed a ball and ran with it so all the dogs took chase,well my dog, Cole,was right on his trail and when he stopped he nipped his ankle. It wasn't a bad bite but a small nip. I say no as soon as I see this and he put his head down but he has done this a few times now. How do I correct this? If I correct after it happens its to late.


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## GSDOwner2008 (Jan 19, 2008)

To me, it doesn't sound like the dog's fault. Herding is what German Shepherds do. The owner ran around and the dog went up and tried to herd him/her. It's the other owner's lack of knowledge about working dogs that got him/her nipped. Just explain what happened, and why they got nipped. Any reasonible dog lover/owner would understand. However, if you want to keep the dog from a situation like this, and prevent this from happening, you could teach a "leave It" or a "Stop" or "Halt" command. Or you could build a strong enough recall that you dog would always come back to you.


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## lizziebo (Jun 26, 2008)

Maybe you'll have to find a flock of sheep for him to herd?!

My dog used to try to herd the dogs at the dog park. She'd get really frustrated because they generally didn't like being herded. So I signed her up for sheep herding classes. She's a much happier dog.

When, we train, I need to watch my dog so that she doesn't "grip" the sheep needlessly. If I let her get too close, that's when it's more likely to happen. The prey drive really kicks in, and I don't think she's even aware of me in the moment. So I need to keep an eye on her, and when she starts getting too close, I'll chase her off and tell her to "get back." Now she knows what the command means. Don't know if that's helpful at all. But I would definitely try to "nip" it in the bud ... (sorry, I couldn't help myself!)


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...true#Post760541

This thread deals with almost the same issue. You might find it useful.


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