# my dog is herding nipping....



## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

My dog,Cole, is just about 2 now. He has just started in the last 6 months or so nipping people,but when they are running etc. Its a herding bite,front teeth,rarely leaves a mark. mostly slobber.The problem I'm having is he did it to a 5 year old and some poeple don't understand what a herding bite to a bite bite is. He listens well but is there a way I can break him of this? He will play for hours with kids and then out of no where he bites.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Are these kids your kids and their buddies or just neighborhood kids? Either way, for one, you can limit his time with kids so it isn't "hours" but is shorter time stopping before it becomes too much for him. If they are neighborhood kids, you should supervise the interaction carefully (probably with your own too) and limit it. 

Parents/other people are not going to distinguish a herding bite from what you consider a bite. Cole's free reign with kids has got to end before it ends tragically for Cole.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

When a group of pups/dogs play together, they bite and nip. It's normal.

When a pup/dog runs and plays with kids they may play EXACTLY the same way with the biting and nipping. Only we humans have no fur so it hurts. And kids faces are a bit too low for my liking.

For me, management would be best in this situation. No more playing exciting run and chase games with the kids for the next year or so. Just stop the game to prevent a possible problem entirely. Leash the dog or put him in the house if he feels he has to join in the fun games (and who would blame him?).


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I agree with MRL. To me, a bite is a bite. Some parents won't care, but some will, and you want to err on the side of caution. Also, while a little nip or mouthiness is not inherently rough, often what makes a dog bite go bad is the person pulling away. So even if the dog is just giving a little nip, if the child panics and pulls away, the little nip turns into a big laceration and the dog now has a bite history.

I would work with the kids and the dog on appropriate interaction. Have the kids come gently pet the dog for a minute or so, then put the dog away so the kids can run around and play and the dog doesn't get all worked up. My dogs play pretty rough with each other, but their doggy play style is not appropriate for humans. I am teaching them how to interact with humans. Even games like tug and fetch I reserve for only other humans I trust and have proven themselves dog-savvy enough to interact with my dogs. If the dogs cannot sit quietly while humans play with each other, than I will remove them so they aren't being taunted by all the running around.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

> Quote: he did it to a 5 year old and some poeple don't understand what a herding bite to a bite bite is.


I'll bet the 5 year old didn't either... 

I agree - a bite is a bite and not ok, herding or not.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

limit the time your dog plays with the children and make sure you're there to supervise. correct him immediately and let him play with the children for few more minutes and then end the play on a good note. it's cute and natural that they herd-bite but it can hurt. our dog herds our Grey Hound and he's made her yelp a few times. when it's time to go out he'll herd us sometimes. when he bites the ankle area it can hurt plus you can trip. isn't ironic that we want them to herd but when they do it we don't want them to do it or we don't want them to do it to us.


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## matt1970lemans (Mar 1, 2007)

I will limit him,its hard to fight an instict I'm not sure if you could. He has been around kids all of his life,my kids are 2 and 5 and can climb on him,lay on him,pull his ears etc. He is trained well and good with all dogs almost to a fault.He thinks all dogs want to meet. I will have the kids play ball with him and tire him out that way. then I will make him lay with me on the porch as they play. That way he thinks when he sees the kids they will play ball with him and at the same time they are tiring him out so he won't run and herd him. I think that would be positive for the dog and the kids.


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## Trista (Jul 9, 2008)

Merlin has the same problem with nipping. He nips at people's heels and clothes and I simply don't know how to stop this. I've heard that mother dogs place their mouth over their baby's mussel to inform them that their behaviour is not acceptable so I'm trying to place my hand over his mussel whenever he does this, he lets out a little whimper despite the fact that I'm not hurting him so I think he gets the idea that it's not apporiate behaviour. However it's hand to do this everytime because it's hard to catch his mouth, especially when he's off his lead. But I would strongly recommend doing this. A friend of mine said that she put an elastic band over her dog's mussel and he hasn't done anything naughty since... I'm not sure if this is too drastic of a correction or not. I myself haven't used the eslastic band method, but I might if he gets too out of hand in the future.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've used that hand over the muzzle technique. when i do that i try to make him look at me and i raise my voice. my favorite correction technique is i hold him in the scruff of the neck and raise my voice. it's easier to grab some neck fur plus i think they're mom used this technique also. not sure if she raised her voice. i've heard you need different corrections for different situations and the amount of correction. i mainly use the scruff of the neck hold. sometimes when i use the hand over the muzzle i start to laugh when he looks up at me especially when he gives me that " i'm just a cute puppy and i'm not responsible for my actions look".


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