Training a blue heeler puppy not to nip

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Nipping is a natural part of a cattle dog's behavior. These hardy dogs were bred to drive cattle and routinely nip to keep the cattle moving forward. Stopping unwanted biting behavior is necessary to prevent injuries and is simple to accomplish with a little training and positive reinforcement.

Step 1

Give the dog plenty of exercise. Cattle dogs are high-energy breeds, and under-stimulated dogs may turn to nipping as an outlet for excessive energy. Take the dog for frequent walks, let the dog run in the yard and throw her favorite toy for her to stimulate her mind and body.

Step 2

Ignore the dog when she bites your ankles. Many cattle dogs bite while playing, so stand still and look away from the dog. Ignoring her takes away the fun out of nipping, and she will direct her attention to another activity.

Step 3

Remove yourself from the room. Nipping is a fun game for many cattle dogs, and ignoring may not be enough for an extremely excited dog. Walk out of the room, close the door and leave the dog alone for a few minutes. This shows the dog that biting means no human contact.

Step 4

Teach the puppy a “leave it” command. Place a favorite toy on the ground near the dog, and allow the dog to approach the toy. When the dog reaches for the toy, tell her “leave it” in a stern voice and hold a treat in front of her nose. As soon as she turns away from the toy, reward her with the treat. When the dog attempts to bite your ankles, tell her to “leave it” and reward her when she stops biting your leg.

References

Warnings

• Never hit your dog for nipping. Biting is instinctual in cattle dogs, and smacking her will only lead to fearful behavior.

Writer Bio

Louise Lawson has been a published author and editor for more than 10 years. Lawson specializes in pet and food-related articles, utilizing her 15 years as a sous chef and as a dog breeder, handler and trainer to produce pieces for online and print publications.

Okay I know I already posted in this sub today but I'm just really excited to be owning a dog and I wanna make sure I do it right lol.

So I've known blue heelers have a tendency to bite since before I got my little guy (he's a heeler/Aussie mix) but I kinda assumed it was something he'd grow out of himself without much direct training needed. However I was browsing today and was reading a lot of horror stories about Heelers that werent trained right... So yeah it's clear I was wrong lol. Not a problem for me however I'm willing to put in however much time is needed to fix this.

He's still a baby so some biting is obviously expected but he does have a tendency to latch on clothing, nip at heels (...heeler...), and bite way too much while playing. I want to nip this in the bud early so it won't be a problem later.

I've been doing some research about how to stop this and I've seen the most common way is to simply ignore this behavior and use your correction word (his is just "no" and his reward word is just "good boy" but idk if I should use something else) and I was gonna try and teach him the "leave it" command but I had a few questions. Like what if when I ignore him he just keeps going for my hands and biting? Should I get a clicker and how do you go about using one of those? How would you go about fixing this?

Sorry if I'm being a little too intense about a 10 week puppy lol I know he might still be young but this is for future reference as well. Thanks y'all!

Pet advisor Cathy M. Rosenthal agrees with future grandma, the Australian blue heeler who nips needs to be controlled, and she advises on a household cat feud that seems unending.

Dear Cathy,

I am heartbroken for my daughter and her fiancé. About a year ago, they adopted a 7-week-old Australian blue heeler. The dog has always been a nipper. Very early on they got a trainer to help stop this bad behavior to no avail. They paid a small fortune to have the dog live with a trainer for five weeks. It helped a little, but the dog does not like a collar and will bite/nip when that is put on him. They recently had a dog walker quit because the dog had bitten him three times. He sent pictures of his bloody hand.

Is there any hope that this dog will stop doing this? I don’t think this dog should be anywhere near children and I worry about future grandchildren. What are their options? I have been nipped a few times as well.

– M.D. Amityville, New York

Dear M.D.

Nipping and biting are fairly common practices for Australian blue heelers. They are herding dogs, which means they nip and bite the flanks of other animals to “herd” them in a particular direction. Even so, you can’t have a dog who nips and bites people, so there are things your family can do to limit this behavior.

First, the dog should learn to control his bite pressure. They can teach him this by offering a treat between their fingers. If the dog gets too rough or mouthy, they need to hold onto the treat and not give it to him. The dog only receives the treat when he offers a soft mouth on their fingers. He will want the treat and will learn quickly what he has to do to get it.

Second, they can act like a hurt puppy whenever he nips them. During puppy play if a puppy gets hurt, he yelps, stops the play, and turns away. This is how puppies learn how to moderate the pressure of their nips and bites.

Your daughter and fiancé should also spend a lot of time training the dog, especially the “leave it” command. That way, if the dog looks like he is about to nip someone, they can tell him to “leave it,” and redirect his behavior to a toy or game.

Australian blue heelers also need a tremendous amount of exercise, so frequent and long walks or games that expend a lot of energy are a must.

Finally, look for triggers and work to reduce them. For example, if the dog nips when the collar is put on, leave the collar on him. (Unless it’s a training collar that must be removed.)

Because the dog is sometimes breaking skin, though, have your daughter consult an animal behaviorist who can determine his triggers and recommend specific behavior modifications that may help. Until the dog moderates his nips and eliminates his bites, he needs to be monitored around everyone, especially children.

Dog adoption: The tale of two heroes

We rescued a 5-year-old cat last year and named her Millie. We rescued another cat, Lexie, when she was just a year old. She is now nine. She was feral for nine months before she was caught and is very timid.

Lexie always got along with my other cat, who has since passed, but Lexie and Millie don’t get along. They chase each other and hiss and yell at each other. I have even seen them hitting each other with their paws. Lexie spends all day under a bed. We keep them separated with a baby gate when we aren’t home. Every evening and night, we give Lexie a chance to spend time outside of the bedroom.

We don’t want to give Millie back, but we can’t continue to have them not get along and have a baby gate up. They will use the same litterbox and eat out of each other’s dish. But when we tried feeding them on opposite sides of a door, Lexie refused to near her food if she hears Millie.

Do you have any suggestions?

– Arlene, Southington, Connecticut

Dear Arlene,

Cats can take weeks or months to establish their territories and learn to get along. If the baby gate helps, leave it up for now. They can still smell each other and can get used to each other that way over time. Feed them so they don’t see or hear each other and get some feline pheromone spray or plug-ins for the house and a feline pheromone collar for them to wear. Pheromones can relax cats and relaxing them can reduce the friction in the home.

More cat spats in the house

Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist, and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories, and tips to . Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.

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