I have a dog problem

We adopted an Australian Shepherd from a shelter about 6 weeks ago. He's about a year old--they didn't know for sure because he was a stray. He was at the shelter for four months before we got him. They gave him the snip and his shots. He looked healthy and was very friendly and happy to come home with us.

Most of the time, he's a great dog. But we do have one problem. He's a nipper and a jumper. Neither of those are that big a deal seperately, but when we take him outside, usually he jumps and nips at the same time. He dodges around and growls and then jumps and latches on to my arm. He doesn't do it hard (doesn't pierce the skin or anything) but obviously this is something we need to fix.

We thought we had it taken care of for a while. We tried a bunch of things, but what finally did it was when I gave him a quick spray in the face with the hose. He quit for a couple of weeks. But now he's doing it again and if you pick up the hose, he freaks out like you're going to beat him with it. In case there is any doubt out there, we do not beat the dog. But somebody else might have before.

So, anybody have any suggestions? The nearest obedience classes are an hour away, and that's not really an option right now.

We have a JRT that is a jumper and now if he even sees the bottle, he stops (doesn't have that panic reaction yours does - maybe a spritz instead of a squirt will reduce his reaction).

That's my brilliant idea for now - best of luck with him.

PS: No kids around, I hope? He could unintentionally hurt a child if he's too boisterous.

He doesn't freak out as much at the squirt bottle, but he barks at us.

We don't have any kids at the moment, but we will in about seven and a half months. So we need to get this under control ASAP. He's a sweet dog and he's not vicious about it, he's just playing. But in a not-fun-for-people way.

Our petsmart here has them .. or ask your vet.. sometimes the park & rec offers them/

You may have to muzzle him when you take a walk..

Heaven help you, if he "nips" a stranger :(

I've checked, the nearest class is an hour away and only on weeknights.

there are just a few simple steps that anyone can do to train their dogs...read the books....it's really simple to train dogs...both you and your dog will live happily ever after with a bit of training...

...in that they are always in the moment: often their memory association is poor or unfocused.

Unwanted behavior needs to be corrected immediately; not even several seconds after the behavior, but right away. The squirt bottle trick is good, but you'll need to have it hanging off your belt all the time (even when he's being good and you're playing).

I got great results doing what the dog's mother did when she got annoyed -- right when puppy does something unwanted, gently but firmly grab the snout, give a little (but pointed) single side-to-side shake, and growl "No." Doesn't have to be loud, but the voice has to be low. High voice is fun voice, low voice is "You'll recall I'm the boss of you" voice.

Remember dogs are looking for the alpha of the pack; it's not established once, but all the time. Dogs will test you from time to time to make sure you're still in charge. Biting of any kind is unacceptable; you need to start working on this before it escalates (and it will). Try the nose shake.

PM me if you'd like a reading list; good luck!

a lot of dogs take it the wrong way. works great for cats though.

This product was pretty much invented for you:

http://www.allourpets.com/htmls/halticollar.shtml

(or "Gentle Leader", depending on brand name)

These are often great, and I've seen them work miracles, but if you're going to use it you must, MUST go to an obedience class where they're focusing on using them properly. MUST, I say! Using them wrong will only confuse and frustrate both you and your dog -- and can injure him as well.

get the attention of the animal they are hearding--- in this case, YOU. This is very natural inbred behavior, so you probably need to consult an Aussie breeder to discuss behavioral interventions. You can modify this kind of behavior, but need to understand it first. It is not aggressive, in all likelihood.

He may only have ever played with dogs before we got him, and dogs play using their mouths. He doesn't know a different way to play. We're trying to work that out.

I've read that you shouldn't play tug-of-war with a nipper because it encourages aggression, but maybe it would be a good thing for him. For one thing, he'd have something in his mouth other than my arm.

... of mine with "pound puppies" is that they tend to have problems, or they wouldn't be there in the first place. I had adopted a male english setter at 11 months old. He loved birds, especially pheasants, grouse, quail and duck hunting, as he had grandparents in the Field Dog Stud Book Hall of Fame (proven field trial winners). But boy was he HYPER!! I took him to a retriever kennel to get control of him, which worked, but had to watch him like a hawk when he wasn't in the backyard, or he would go out on a five mile "run" (I lived on the edge of Sioux Falls), I had to get him out of the pound several times. The original owner paid $175 for him as a pup in the early 1990's.

And then there was "J.J.", the lhasa apso, had a bad back and flinched and hid whenever there was a baseball bat around. The veterinarian found he had a "slipped disk" in his back, so that probably explains why he didn't like baseball bats, as I am sure the former owner's beat him with a bat.

My point is, "all that glitters is not gold". Don't expect a perfect dog from a dog pound, especially a "purebred"; or even a AKC registered pup from a breeder, as I had another lhasa apso that was a walking insurance claim and had to be put to sleep before he was a year old, for charging passerby(especially kids) and "BITING IT'S OWNER" down to the bone in my right hand, when trying to get him away from a pigeon coop he followed the english setter to. And yes, it was done humanely, as we buried him on a veterinarian friends's farm with a marked grave. He was so cute, but oh so lethal (killing baby birds that the setter would find and bring to me ALIVE).

Now on to your problem with nipping and jumping. Look at the breed of the dog, this is a "working dog" and that is part of what they do. I have experience with Australian Blue Heeler's, also, from a former college roomate's family ranch, and what your Australian Shepard does sounds exactly what "Blue" would do when herding cattle. Just a point to ponder.

Good luck and I hope everything works out for you AND the dog!

There was a little yellow book, I thought it was called Super Puppy, that our puppy class got. Can't find the book or the title at Amazon. It was great, and talked very simply about the permanent quest of pack animals (dogs, wolves) to always have a leader. And, even when the leader is established, the members of the pack are always gently vying to become the next leader.

To establish that you're alpha:

don't let the dog sleep in your bed or sit in your chair.

do go through doors first.

don't let the dog tell you what to do and when to do it, by whining, pawing or being a nuisance.

eat your meal first, then feed the dog.

don't hand out treats willy-nilly. Ask for performance of something, whether it's sit, stay, or some action.

Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent.

All the humans in the family should take priority over the dog. It's not about being mean, or punishing the dog at all. Just establishing you are number one.

Punishment should be very very sparing. I used a 16-oz plastic screw-on pop bottle -- put some coins in an empty one, and screw on the top. Shake it right when a dog does bad behavior. It makes a noise my puppy absolutely HATED.

Another thing is to put them in time out. My puppy (different breed) chewed on the fringe of the carpet. I told him no. He did it again. I told him no. He did it again. I told him no and put him in the bathroom for 5 minutes. (And don't let them out early if they whine.) Or, say NO and immediately bring them inside if they were enjoying the outdoors. After 5 minutes, take him back out until he jumps or nips, then back in, immediately. By the scruff of the neck is good too (but not rough), because that's one way mama dogs exert dominance.

After months of this leadership bit, you can relent a bit, but you need to take control in the beginning. (I know, this can be hard, but think about the importance of having the dog behave in a critical situation, like with traffic, or babies.)

The breed is very active and smart. Googling on the breed and "advice" or something might give you more breed-specific pointers.

P.S. In case you think I'm blowing steam, when we travel, my dog has impressed motel clerks well enough to get into some motels that don't take dogs. "Well," they say, "he can stay!"

That I got from the local animal shelter. They are *great* dogs, and very smart (almost *too* smart!) but as with any dog you need to keep in mind first and foremost what they were bred for. Aussies are herding dogs, which means they have a strong "nipping" behavior and a very high energy level.

When I got my puppy, I got a book from Amazon called "Mother Knows Best". It is a very good dog-training book which goes into the psychology and instinct of dogs, and looks at dog training from the perspective of how mother dogs keep their pups in line. The most important thing to do when dog training is to keep the dog on a leash; the leash is your symbol of authority, the thing you use to keep them in line. Play with your dog, and when he nips, give him a leash correction (tug on the leash to get his attention) and give him a strong, low "NO." At that point, you must give him a command so that he feels that he can do something to get back in your good graces...If you immediately follow that "NO" with a command like "Sit", and praise him (and treat him) when he does it, he'll get the lesson that nipping is bad but you're not mad at him (some dogs get nervous and insecure, and this can lead to more bad behavior). A successfully followed command also reinforces your alpha status with him, which may become an issue since he is a male dog.

The most important things are consistency and practice. I had my puppy broken of her worst nipping habits in a month; Aussies (and Border Collies, which have some of the same characteristics) are very smart and if they know what to do to make you happy, they'll generally do it.

Good luck!

I found the "Woof" series very helpful in training our dog...

I used to have *fun* dogs (Cocker Spaniels) who LOVED to fetch ball and DIVE into water and chaw cig-ends.

Now i've got Lhasa. They don't *do* shit, no fetching, no chawing. However, (and I don't know when or why), the little dog SUDDENLY DIVES into this plant patch. I never know when it's going to happen. Usually a couple of months apart. But, hey, I'll take this as a trick.

Funny part, when Camille PAGLIA was on C-Span yesterday, I almost JOINED THE DOG in DIVING into the umbrella plants.

Oh, I suppose this post will be moved into the Lounge.