Hi,
I have a Border Collie that is from a farm and did not get socialised with people so when we take him on a walk he tries to nip people. We have worked on him and he seems okay when it is just one person walking by him- or herself but if it is more than one he tries to nip them.
He is our first dog so we do not have much experience in traing him. Please could we have some tips to stop this happening?
Tamsin (age 11), by email
My son and his wife have a six-month-old Labrador-Collie cross called). (Mother Labrador, father Collie, farm dog). She is quite well behaved on the whole, affectionate and seems intelligent. She has just completed a six-week course of dog training, which she got through okay and came first in a dog competition for Best Trick, jumping through a hoop. The one problem is that she will jump up at people, gets excited and is inclined to ‘nip’. It’s her way of greeting, not aggressive, but whereas this may be acceptable from a small puppy, it will not be so as she gets older and is now getting her second teeth! And there is the chance that she may jump at a small child or elderly person. I myself have had three dogs without any problems but must admit I have never trained a small puppy. They were rescued and older. She has not yet been spayed, I know as they get older, they tend to calm down. She gets on well with other dogs and is okay with children. What do you suggest? Further training classes? I think she would be brilliant at agility, she has so much energy. We all want to get the best from our dogs, for them to have a happy fulfilled life, which is all too short, and I’d much rather people said, “what a lovely well behaved dog!” Your comments please. Valerie Denton, Sanderstead, Surrey
