Hi there i desperatly need help with my dog. She's a mixed breed dog, i think she has german shepard and collie in her, i got her when she was already a year and a half old... at home shes lovely and sweet and not remotely aggressive but when i take her to the park she starts biting me, juming on me and nipping my feet. This only started a few weeks ago before that she was fine.. it doesnt seem to be aggressive more playful but yesterday she punctured my skin. its incredibly embarrasing as well. I dont want to stop taking her to the park but im actaully afraid to take her. Ive tried shouting and holding her down etc.. but its just getting worse...PLEASE HELP! if you have any advice please let me know.. thank you!
please help! biting dog!
- Thread starter robynlynn
- Start date
Welcome to Chaz...You think she is German Shepherd and Collie - when I read your dogs behaviors I immediately thought "sounds like a herding dog" lol
I know a couple Collies (down the road from me, actually) that used to have the same exact behavior (sounds like it anyway). The nipping at the feet especially...
What kind of commands / obedience have you done with your dog??
My first suggestion would be to enroll her in a training class if she's never been. Not only can a trainer work with you and her, but its good for socialization as well
I would stop in your tracks and ignore her completely until she stops, and then praise her when she is not nipping at you. Sometimes we don't realize that we're encouraging the behavior by jerking away, flailing our arms and feet around, etc. Shouting and holding her down will NOT work - which I assume you already can tell. It has the potential to make her behavior worse, because you are getting physical with her, and she will probably get frustrated by you holding her down.
If she is leaving marks on you, then obviously I would try something else. Does she know "leave it" or a similar command? I would highly recommend teaching and reinforcing this command Article w/video as it will be useful on your walk
Meanwhile, when she starts nipping at you I would go "eh-eh!" sternly, to interrupt her behavior. Then I would ask for a more appropriate behavior, for example, asking for a sit. Or 'watch me' (I have yet to meet a dog who can watch your face and bite at your heels at the same time lol), a "heel" with a couple turns to keep her attention and keep her busy
With a mix of both of those breeds I think it is safe to assume that your dog has a lot of energy - make sure she is getting enough exercise. "A tired dog is a good dog" A bored dog, or one with pent-up energy is one who is going to find something to do, often something we consider inappropriate, or destructive.
I hope that helps a little. I know more Chazzers will join in with some good advice. Again, Welcome to Chazhound - Do you have any pics of your girl? What's her name, btw?
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Welcome to Chazhound.
What do you know about her background? Where did you get her from? What kind of training has she had?
What are your actions when she does this? Are you standing still? Running? Walking? Playing fetch? What are you doing directly before she displays this kind of behavior?
Has there been any changes whatsoever in the home? Anything... someone moved in.. someone moved out... a new family member.. new dog, cat, gerbil? Any stressors?
PLEASE do not yell at your dog or hold her down.
What we always do when any of our dogs exhibit a behavior we do not care for is completely ignore it. We get up (if we're sitting, etc) tuck our hands away and ignore the behavior. Once the behavior has stopped, reward her. Let her know what you WANT her to be doing.
Without knowing how much obedience she knows I can not offer much more help. I'm sure our trainers will be along shortly to give some advice as well.
What do you know about her background? Where did you get her from? What kind of training has she had?
What are your actions when she does this? Are you standing still? Running? Walking? Playing fetch? What are you doing directly before she displays this kind of behavior?
Has there been any changes whatsoever in the home? Anything... someone moved in.. someone moved out... a new family member.. new dog, cat, gerbil? Any stressors?
PLEASE do not yell at your dog or hold her down.
What we always do when any of our dogs exhibit a behavior we do not care for is completely ignore it. We get up (if we're sitting, etc) tuck our hands away and ignore the behavior. Once the behavior has stopped, reward her. Let her know what you WANT her to be doing.
Without knowing how much obedience she knows I can not offer much more help. I'm sure our trainers will be along shortly to give some advice as well.
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just wanted to say thank you so so much for all your help! feel like a total idiot because iv'e obviously been dealing with this completely wrong...been using 'sit' and treats and it seems to be working a charm! cant believe how easy and quickly she is learning.. shes an spca special so im not sure of her background but she's such a beautiful girl ... thank you again for replying!!!!!!!!!
