View Full Version : Do all herding breeds do this?
Gempress
11-04-2006, 01:37 PM
Like I've said before, this is my first experience with a herding breed. Voodoo was a VERY mouthy dog when we first got him. I understand it's a catahoula trait--they're "grippy" herding dogs, as oppossed to dogs that use a lot of eye or stalk.
We've long since taught him that it's unacceptable to nip or mouth. But it's like the desire hasn't gone away. He's always walking around clicking and chomping his teeth when excited. :rolleyes: For example, he'll shove his head under my hand and start happily chomping the air while I pet him.
Weirdo. :lol-sign:
I've never had a dog do this before. Is this a herding breed thing? Or is it a uniquely Voodoo quirk?
Melissa_W
11-04-2006, 01:52 PM
Like I've said before, this is my first experience with a herding breed. Voodoo was a VERY mouthy dog when we first got him. I understand it's a catahoula trait--they're "grippy" herding dogs, as oppossed to dogs that use a lot of eye or stalk.
We've long since taught him that it's unacceptable to nip or mouth. But it's like the desire hasn't gone away. He's always walking around clicking and chomping his teeth when excited. :rolleyes: For example, he'll shove his head under my hand and start happily chomping the air while I pet him.
Weirdo. :lol-sign:
I've never had a dog do this before. Is this a herding breed thing? Or is it a uniquely Voodoo quirk?
haha, that's cute.
Kai is a bit mouthy, especially when he's excited. He kind of "air mouths" things he's not supposed to chew. He'll put his mouth right by it and open and close it. :p So I guess it's kind of similar to what Voodoo does. Shelties also have a "loose-eyed" herding style, so maybe that does have something to do with it. I never thought about it before.
moonchild1970
11-04-2006, 01:58 PM
My two border collies do that too. Usually only when they get too excited in play.
I've trained them that biting a human is not allowed, so during play when they do get too wound up, and accidently try to grab the ball before it leaves my hand I just reprimind them and they about fall apart they look so sad.
Brattina88
11-04-2006, 02:52 PM
The Sheltie we had did it when she was young, but she grew out of it ^ ^
It's a german shepherd thing as well ;)
Purdue#1
11-04-2006, 03:18 PM
aussies do it too. They were bred to nip the heels of cattle. I think that has a little bit to do with them being mouthy.
Purdue#1
11-04-2006, 03:18 PM
other herding dogs, too.
juliefurry
11-04-2006, 03:50 PM
Well Holly is a very mouthy puppy. She is a herding breeding as well. She doesn't have quite an urge to nip people though so I don't know. I know Maverick (who was part collie or sheltie or something like that) would nip your heels and try to get you where he thought you should be.
Renee750il
11-04-2006, 04:34 PM
Mine have all been mouthy - soft mouths, but mouthy all the same.
rabbitsarebetter
11-04-2006, 06:46 PM
Ruckus is mouthy at air.
sometimes he will get wild and chew on my arm.
he snaps his teeth at the air too, and all you hear is a loud
"CHOMP, chomp"
SummerRiot
11-04-2006, 06:55 PM
HAHA Jada does the chomp chomp thing too!!
Riot is just mouthy in general.. mostly on peoples arms - he has a soft mouth but still mouthy and scares the poop out of "new" people lol
Red_ACD_for_me
11-04-2006, 08:10 PM
My ACD does the excited mouthy "love nibbles" as I call them. It doesn't bother me and he does it gently enough for it to not concern me :)
Renee750il
11-04-2006, 08:14 PM
Well, so far we have Collies, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, German Shepherds, Belgians, Australian Shepherds, Shelties, Filas - and Voodoo . . . have I missed anyone?. . . all mouthy :)
Gempress
11-04-2006, 08:24 PM
have I missed anyone?
I'd sure love to see Nedim post about the midget demon. We've been deprived for far too long!
*nods* Very common. :)
Dakota isn't mouthy, but as a substitute he's licky. I can't give him attention without getting at least one lick, and if he *wants* attention, I get a few dozen more. :rolleyes:
Renee750il
11-04-2006, 08:28 PM
I'd sure love to see Nedim post about the midget demon. We've been deprived for far too long!
Yeah . . . Nedim and Peanut need to get their happy little butts back here . . .
jess2416
11-04-2006, 09:12 PM
nvr mind
colliewog
11-05-2006, 01:37 PM
Mine have all been mouthy - soft mouths, but mouthy all the same.
Perfect description. Yes, mine are mouthy, but have never left a mark or broken skin. Dora prefers to nibble fingertips, but she is a little odd.
~Dixie's_Mom~
11-05-2006, 01:44 PM
My GSD crash did that also, when we had him. ;)
shadowfacedanes
11-05-2006, 02:36 PM
I've had three ACD fosters and one australian shep foster....all four were nibblers. The one red ACD was the worst - he had been previously worked whereas the others had not. He would do the flea bite thing but if he could get a grip of anything (flesh, clothing, etc) he would hold on and it HURT!! He destroyed plenty of my pants! :mad:
The shepherd was just mouthy period. He nipped me, the other dogs, and chewed on EVERYTHING under the sun. When I say everything, I mean everything - concrete, chain link, tin, trees....:rolleyes:
mrose_s
11-05-2006, 06:47 PM
harry mouths A LOT. he is so sweet but he's nipped me a bit hard a few times.
Purdue#1
11-05-2006, 08:32 PM
mine chews on bark and rocks. i keep trying to keep pebbles out of his mouth before he chokes on one or swallows one. I try to keep sticks away from him so he need a visit to the vet, but sometimes i not so fast and he expects me to chase him around the yard. Uh, no i think not. He's weird. he chases, or rather herds our cats, one just runs away and the other one chases sly around the yard. Keep in mind these are cats with claws. ernie is the calm relaxed one and tino chases sly. Sly aggs it on. Then he runs away like a chicken when tino chases him. They were making such progress befor the cats got neutered.
Gig 'Em Ags
11-07-2006, 09:04 AM
Howdy Renee!!! You forgot Australian Kelpies. All of my "herders" are mouthy but are quite gentle when doing so.
Well, so far we have Collies, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, German Shepherds, Belgians, Australian Shepherds, Shelties, Filas - and Voodoo . . . have I missed anyone?. . . all mouthy :)
I'm looking at your siggy trying to figure out what herding breed could be in Voodoo-- I don't see any herding dog in there. What is he?
Oh and to the question- my bc doesn't clack teeth and is not mouthy with people. He's a soft dog, sensitive and polite and hardly bites sheep either.
My aussie will bite if she is over the top excited and is chasing something that moves fast--but she'll never get your heels . In typical aussie form, if she's excited enough to nip, she's bouncing and she'll either get your cheek, the side of your boob or your shoulder.:yikes: Luckily it's more likely to be an open mouth bop than a nip. If she's excited she might also bounce straight up in the air and bop your nose if you're standing still :)
casablanca1
11-07-2006, 11:17 AM
I've had a cat, two collies and one terrier, and I'm starting to think maybe I should branch out into animals that don't find it amusing to gnaw on your body parts. The current herding dog is mouthy as all get out. Not usually when being petted, though, mostly to get my attention or in play.
Gempress
11-07-2006, 09:30 PM
I'm looking at your siggy trying to figure out what herding breed could be in Voodoo-- I don't see any herding dog in there. What is he?
He's a catahoula leopard dog. Quite the rambunctious little terror, too. :rolleyes: But that's ok, we love him anyway. :D
Gempress
11-07-2006, 09:34 PM
I've had a cat, two collies and one terrier, and I'm starting to think maybe I should branch out into animals that don't find it amusing to gnaw on your body parts.
LOL Casa! You gave me a good chuckle on that one. :lol-sign:
Our GSD does it too. He herds the other dogs. If our old dog is outside and isn't coming in, he'll take it upon himself to go round her up. I have to tell my sister's kids not to run around him as he'll try to herd them back, and he'll nip at them. He had the incident at OB a couple weeks ago where he herded the stray pit bull who had broken off back to the owner. I just keep an eye on him especially around kids. He loves kids and is very tolerant with them laying on him pulling on him, all the stuff that kids do, but he doesn't like them running.
IliamnasQuest
11-08-2006, 12:39 AM
I've had three shepherds and an Aussie too, and only the Aussie and one of the shepherds have been truly mouthy. The Aussie had to be taught not to nip - she came to me at a year old as a rescue and had pretty much run the household before then. Biting was not something she had a lot of inhibition about. But I taught her to only grab something on command. She LOVED grabbing the pant leg and tugging, and I could actually drag her around the room that way .. *LOL* .. but by putting it on cue, it gave her much more control and she would wait (eagerly) for the cue/command. I could send her to someone else to do it, too. She was the dog we used in herding if we needed to move a recalcitrant sheep. Lady (SUCH a misnomer!) had no problems going in and using a full bite on a sheep that wouldn't move.
My current shepherd, Trick, has to have something in her mouth if she gets excited. Her half-brother (owned by my Mom) is the same exact way, and I think it must be genetic. Both get excited and then they want to use their mouths and have learned to grab up a toy before they greet someone. It keeps them safe!
I was at a herding seminar once and was fascinated by a border collie who had to have something in his mouth as he herded. His focus was so strong on the sheep, but he would grab up a stick or a bunch of grass or even a mouthful of dirt .. the handler said he did that in order to prevent himself from biting at the sheep! It's amazing how our dogs learn coping mechanisms to stop themselves from behaviors we humans deem "wrong".
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
You know what Mel, Gunnar does that too, now that I think about it. Whenever we go out back he runs and grabs his basketball and he'll carry it around while we're out there, like if I'm working in the garden or something. He's expecting that at some point I'm going to play with him and he's all amped up.
Tracer Tong
11-13-2006, 01:25 AM
My mutt mouths. Must mullify mouthing. Mouthing makes me mad.
ToscasMom
11-13-2006, 01:39 AM
Tosca clacks mid air a lot. I think it's hugely amusing. The first time I saw her do it I was laughing hysterically. I had read that Collies did that but had never seen it before. She also tries to herd the cats but not so she hurts them. Most of the time they just turn around when they've had it, and get the better of her. She is also mouthy but not so she hurts me at all. She has however mastered the art of the butt nip when I least expect it. Ah well, keeps me moving! I just think she's a Collie and that's their nature.
ToscasMom
11-13-2006, 01:46 AM
Now that you mention it, Tosca OFTEN has a toy in her mouth when she ambles up to me. I thought it was just because she always wants to play. She mouths the heck out of the toy, squeeks it, carries on. She shoves her toys at me all the time and she also does it with my cats. I keep thinking I feel sorry for her because the cats won't play with her and her toy. Daaahhhhhhh.
Is the reason she does this so often her own self control mechanism so that she doesn't nip?
Dulce Pit Bull
11-13-2006, 03:21 AM
Catahoula's are HOUNDS aren't they? They're not herding dogs...
Or do I need to get my facts straight?? Someone please update me
Gig 'Em Ags
11-13-2006, 05:52 PM
Howdy Dulce!!! I've got two Catahoulas (Austin & Crocket) and they're splendid herding dogs. On my South Texas ranch, the brush/scrub is quite thick, but the Catahoulas don't hesitate to go through it to move cattle---they're tough as nails!!! Catahoula's are HOUNDS aren't they? They're not herding dogs...
Or do I need to get my facts straight?? Someone please update me
Gempress
11-13-2006, 05:57 PM
Catahoulas are dual-purpose: both herding and hunting. You see them doing both. If you try looking them up on Google, you can find a lot of neat pictures of working catahoulas.
RN2007
11-13-2006, 07:56 PM
Corgis are known to do this as well...with our 2 corgis we knew ahead of time about this behavior and it was something we didn't want them to do since we'd have children running around some day so we made sure to enforce that any playful nipping etc was prohibited...and we haven't had any problems...however they seem to take it out on eachother when they're outside and herd eachother around the field LOL and oh boy do they love to bark
Dulce Pit Bull
11-13-2006, 08:42 PM
Corgis ARE herding dogs, right? I knew that..
I looove Catahoula's. I've been studying about them for about 10 years now. Did not know they herded too! That's awesome!
The Bluedawg does that when playing with Verde. When he starts making noise the playing has gone to far. Verde and Bailey are both very vocal when playing.
ACDsandAussies4me
11-16-2006, 03:27 PM
I have 2 ACDs and 2 Aussies...None of my dogs nip people but boy do they give the cattle heck when they don't listen to them :) lol
Denaluvscorgis
11-17-2006, 01:32 PM
Chloe, my Corgi is a definite nipper.
cariboodogs
12-02-2006, 08:36 PM
My collies not only butt nip they will also poke you with their nose to move you around,and my male will grab my leg with his leg to move me as well,especially if playing.The "silent,got you before you know it" butt poke is the favourite around this house!cariboodogs(BC,Canada)
neapolitanpitbull
12-02-2006, 09:12 PM
I had an Australian Cattle Dog X Pit Bull named Buddy and he did all of those things, so I guess it is a herding breed thing ;)
JFrick
12-11-2006, 02:39 PM
My aussie will bite if she is over the top excited and is chasing something that moves fast--but she'll never get your heels . In typical aussie form, if she's excited enough to nip, she's bouncing and she'll either get your cheek, the side of your boob or your shoulder.:yikes: Luckily it's more likely to be an open mouth bop than a nip. If she's excited she might also bounce straight up in the air and bop your nose if you're standing still :)
My Aussie, Khaki, does the same thing.....gets excited, starts jumping, teeth catch's the side of my face or my nose.