I've tried several methods of stopping this. The vet recommended tapping him on the muzzle and saying loud and in a deep voice No, but that doesn't stop him! He runs around the house in circles, and 'spazs' out!! He barks at me at pulls and nips on my arms, never hurting me but it's a behavior I want to stop since we have children in the house. He's an Austalian Shepherd, 3 yrs. old, and neutered. Most the time he's very calm and is well trained otherwise! We rescued him from a horrible shelter, and we take plenty of walks, he's got lots of toys and things to chew on, gets lots of attention. I've also tried ignoring him. Any ideas on what I can do to stop this or why he does it? Thanks!!
Answers:
I would advise you not to follow Melon's suggestions, for a few reasons: he is already aroused - shaking him and yelling at him are going to arouse him further; yes, it is a method mom dogs use on their pups - you are not a dog, and your dog is not a pup. This is not an appropriate correction for an adult dog.
We teach "Settle" in our classes. You must initially teach this when the dog is calm - don't try it when he is already racing around like a madman. Put a leash on him if you need the extra control. Start to play with him as you normally would; however, after about five seconds, stand still and unemotionally tell him "Settle." Ignore everything that he does (provided its nothing dangerous) until he calms down. Praise him, then repeat. Do this five or six times. You should find that he is calming down more quickly each time. After doing this for several days he should understand what the cue means. You can begin to play a bit longer with him before asking him to settle. After a few more days you should be able to use it when not in a controlled training situation but when he is actually spazzing. You need to be aware of your dog's body language so that you give the cue before he is beyond the point of no return.
If he does get to that point, it's time for a time out. Put him in another room or in his crate for one or two minutes to calm down. This is not necessarily meant to be punishment; think of it as what you probably went through when your kids were tired and restless - you knew it was time for a nap!
We're in training classes for our 5 month old Border Collie puppy. I know what you're going thru, cuz the herding breeds are known for the "nipping" as it's part of the instinct in them.
Our trainer tells us to grab the dog by the scruff, gentle, yet firm, shake lightly while saying, in a low growel sounding tone "No Bite". When the puppy/dog relaxes, this is a sign of being submissive and you then can let go of the scruff. This is how momma dog disciplines her puppies and it's a language your dog understands. It's also a way to assert your position as pack leader to your dog, which is another benefit. You also then praise when the dog stops the biting and gets your message so that he will understand that this is a more appealing behavior than biting.
You have to be consistent with this and never let the "play biting" go unadressed. I can say, from having a herding dog myself, that it will take some time to work this instictual behavior out, but be persistent, and you will get there.
Good Luck!
my 2year old border collie does this while doing agility.
its a working dog thing just overexcited when he does it next time screach really loudly as if he really has hurt you and say NO and really mean it.
My boarder collie use to do that all the time when he was a puppy. He just needs some training, what your vet recommended sounds like a good step towards the right direction, but you might want to get him into training seeing that he is an older dog. This is probably based on the fact that he is a hearding dog, but still it is a behavior that you do not like so get him into training and work with him. Good Luck.
Try not to play so rough with him. That will make them aggressive (which is what he is doing when he nips at your arm) If he gets to out of control, get him by his collar and very firmly say no EASY. It worked with my rescue Boxer.
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