hello, i am new member, and have not long bought a border collie puppy, have to say he has been a darling so?

Question

far, we have had him for 4 week, making a real dent in house training, but one problem we have come accross, is that we are finding him very snappy with us mainly the kids (3 of them), we feel comfortable with the fact that we know he is only playing, but it actually hurts, have done the obvious thing and told him NO, but does not seem to make any difference, can anyone give me any advice on this, and also advise if this is something he will grow out of, would appreciate any advise given.

Answer 1

check to see if you have a local kennel club and in-roll him in puppy kindergarten. I did and learned a lot . I have had adult dogs before but this was my first puppy. Believe me it makes a difference

Answer 2

I too have a border collie. They are very intelligent as I'm sure you know. Young dogs can get snappy if they're overstimulated For example, imagine two young children playing happily, then the play gets more intense it usually ends up with one of them crying. Same for puppies : Is there a lot of noise, excitement or too much stimulation at the point he nips? If so then as soon as u notice things getting a little 'high' leave the pup to calm down.

Also, if it is living in a very active noisy environment this could also contribute to snapping.

When you say no to him, do you shout? This doesn't help.

If he snaps, calmly put your hand over the top of his nose (though not covering his nose) and firmly but calmly say "No"
Then walk away. As collies are so intelligent it won't take him long to realise that snapping makes you leave the room. Don't leave them room for too long though. When you come back stroke him calmly.

Don't punish.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

One of your answers suggests that you bite the pup's ear (gently). DON'T! Dogs are much quicker than we are and if he realises what is happening he might bite for real and the obvious place is your face because it is so near.

He probably is just playing but with three children and a Border Collie you need to be shown how to deal with this. You could try looking through the resolved questions because most pups playbite and myself and other dog trainers have answered this question many times.

I own three Border Collies and have owned several guard dog breeds and have never had to resort to either biting them or using any form of restraint or physical punishment in dealing with play biting or any other area of their training.

If people learned to understand why dogs do what they do and then manage the problems correctly there is absolutely no need for punishment and no need for dogs to bite aggressively.

Sorry for ranting on but some of these weirdos who go on about 'dominance' really irritate me. My dogs are my companions - they are properly trained - do what I ask - and we all have a great time together but I see no need to 'dominate' them and wouldn't want to.

I do agree that you should take him to training classes.

Have a look at the web site for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). They use kind, effective reward based training and you should be able to find your nearest APDT trainer on their web site.

Answer 4

oh dear oh dear. Whoever told you that border collies are good around children? They are one of the breeds NOT recommended for children because they are snappy. I mean, did you not wonder where they originated from? They are very active, bred to chase and snap at the heels of sheep to herd them. I take it that you took no advice, did no research into the breed and went to a dog dealer and bought a dog you liked the look of but knew nothing about? I adore border collies, they are one of my favourite breeds and I am presently on the look out for another one. However, they are simply NOT suited to homes with children because they tend to snap, they have sensitive ears and cannot cope with childrens high pitched shrieking. I hope none of your kids ends up badly bitten by a dog which you should never have got. Why on earth didn't you do a bit more research into breeds more suited to life with children? Spaniels or retrievers or labradors for example. Collies also need to be kept busy with lots of training and off the lead excersize if they are not to go mad with boredom and ending up biting someone.Hundreds of them end up in rescue every year because people buy them without having a true idea of their activity levels or suitability.

Answer 5

how old is he? we havea bordr collie and shes a doll. Very smart. He is only a puppy so he doesnt know any better. But if he gets to aggresive then you should give him a time out. Like make a little corner for him and everytime he does that then tell him no and then give him a time out.

Good luck.
They have a lot of energy but they r very loyal and smart.
Oh FYI not all but some border collies have seizures. My dog does. Not to be alarm....just an FYI he might not have it. And you wont see it till he is about 2.

Good luck on the training

Answer 6

Make sure the dog is allowed some quiet time, rather than being on his case all the time with the training. You have to be very strict about the snapping though - he is sorting out where he lies in the pecking order of his new pack, and you have to make sure he knows he is at the bottom. When he snaps, he is NOT NOT NOT playing. This is for real. DO not ever leave him alone and unsupervised with your kids - even for a moment. Check to see if there is a professional dog trainer locally and get advice from them.

Answer 7

Border Collie pups are bundles of energy ... spend as much time as possible with him outdoors where he can run run run run run.

EVERY time he snaps at a child, say NO very firmly, gently push him to the ground so he knows you are dominant, and, if necessary, give him a "time out." The best thing to do is to distract him with something positive.

Water squirt bottles work very well, too.

Answer 8

Border Collies are notorious for "herding" kids, which can be a huge problem. If you do not nip this in the bud right now, he will grow thinking it's OK to "herd" your kids and he can potentially harm them. Border Collies are dogs that need large amounts of space, usually farms where they can herd whatever they please. Kids are not good with them and i'm sorry that someone didn't tell you when you were deciding to purchase one. It's a hard problem to get rid of since herding is in their blood. Goodluck!

Answer 9

Remember that this is his herding instincts coming into play with your children. Borders are among the most intelligent and trainable dogs in the world - if you use their instincts to advantage. I would recommend taking him to puppy obedience classes, and keeping him properly exercised and occupied with chewable toys that are ONLY his, not socks or shoes. Also, make your children aware that he WILL bite when they play with him, they need to be responsible enough to not incite the bite-response in him.
Borders are great family dogs, and wonderful pets, but NOT good around small children, for just these reasons.

Answer 10

I do have a Border Collie (10 yrs old), but I have no children, so therefore I don't remember having this problem. You may want to check on these sites.

www.bordercollie.ca/informat.htm
www.bcrescue.org/bcinfo.html

Good Luck to you all!

Answer 11

First off, you never tell a dog No. It becomes just like any other word. When he snaps, you should grab his bottom jaw and press his tongue into his teeth. If you do this every time and make some other noise (like scheeetk) then he will get the idea that when he bites someone, it hurts him, and you won't have to say NO. Good Luck.

Bill Matney can tell you a lot about training.