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New Aussie Pup Jumping, Grabbing, Mouthing

by Kate
(PA)

I have a 9/10 week blue merle Aussie we just adopted. Sometimes when my 7 year old daughter walks by our pup jumps on her, grabs her leg with his paws and snaps/mouths her leg. Or he grabs her skirt with his mouth. I keep him on a drag leash so that when it happens I pull him off her. We have tried having her yelp loudly like a pup when our Aussie does this and stand like a statue (as advised on some web sites) but this seems to excite him more. When our pup jumps/grabs/mouths her they are usually not in a middle of a game. He appears to view her as a litter mate and one of a lower pecking order at that. We've only had him 4 days but want to nip this in the bud. We are working on sit, starting clicker training and have him enrolled in obedience school though it hasn't started yet. Any ideas on how to stop this and also to shape him into viewing her as a "higher ranking" dog?

Aussie Behavior Problems? Australian Shepherd Lover's Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

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nipping
by: Gayle-- Big Run Aussies

You could try having your daughter feed the pup her meal by hand. She could hold the food in her lap and hand it to the pup. You should also have your daughter train the pup to sit, down, etc. She should be the primary trainer right now. Not that the rest of your family shouldn't participate, but it is more important to have the pup realize your daughter is not a littermate. Hope this helps!

Thanks Gayle
by: kate

Thanks for your advice. I'm showing her how to use the clicker too.

When I mentioned this problem to a friend, he thought the puppy might be trying to herd my kids. The dog has know done this grabbing/biting/growling thing with all 3 kids. It seems rough for herding behavior but I've never seen an aussie herd. When the puppy is grabbing , he is on his hounches(sp?), so he's really up there on my kids bodies.

Does this sound like herding behavior? If so, how can I curtail it?

Children and Aussie
by: Anonymous

Hi Kate, what was the outcome of the behavior? Looking for suggestions. Thanks!

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