My australian shephard pup is always biting my other dog, is it the pup in her or the herder?

Answer 1

From one aussie owner to another: I'm gonna go with it being the pup AND the herder in her. When we play with out dog (1.5 yrs), she can sometimes get very spastic. She will lunge in to bite, and stop right when her mouth hits our hands, clothes, etc. Then she just licks. When the cats are running around the house, she nips at their tails to herd them along. The "biting" part will go away with socialization, but the herding part will not. It may die down, but will never entirely go away. That's when a 4 wheeler and a large yard comes in handy ... :)

I would suggest an obedience class (just for your basic manners, etc) and then enroll her in an agility class. As I'm sure you know, they didn't get the nickname "Bossy Aussie" for nothing, and obedience class will definetly help with the day-to-day things. The agility class will give her an outlet to expend her energy and use her intelligence, and she will probably be too tired to herd when you get home! :)

Answer 2

Probably both. Does she tend to bite in the head area or the rear area of the other dog? That would be the herder. But pups do bite and when the other dog gets fed up and teaches her who is alpha she will learn to contain herself.

Answer 3

Go here and there is a link near the bottom left where you can ask your question to Cesar Milan (Dog Whisperer on NGTV). This guy knows dog behavior better than anyone alive and can give you proper guidance. Because of his knowledge and understanding of dogs, I'm convinced he's just wearing a human costume.

http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 4

Its just the pup in her. She will grow out of it.

Answer 5

Assuming she is a pup,its the pup in her.

Answer 6

Both.

Answer 7

both