You can take the dog out of the farm...

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

Grumpy young dog

I have recently rehomed a beautiful Chinese Crested dog who is 11 months old; he is a lovely dog, well put-together with a good gait, but he really dislikes people! He is fine at home with us, but growls and snaps when people approach him, I am unsure whether this is due to poor socialisation or how he will always be? We would love to show him in the future, but as no one can touch him without him really growling or screaming, he is unlikely to show.

I have been taking things very slowly with him, introducing him to dog friendly people, with introductions on his terms etc. I have also booked a Tellington TTouch course next month to see if that helps.

Any ideas would be gratefully received. I will stress though that showing him would be a bonus, and certainly not the be all and end all; he is, and always will be, a very treasured pet, whatever the outcome!

Hope you and the readers can help.

Donna Davis, Strood, Kent

First class

I have a 12-week-old German Shepherd puppy. I know how important it is to socialise her so I have been taking her out to familarise her with all the sights and sounds of the modern world. However, as soon as she sees another dog she starts to bark and jump about on her lead and it's very hard to calm her down. I would like to take her to puppy classes, but am afraid how she will react to a class full of strange dogs.
Mark Williams


It sounds to me as if your puppy is desperate to be allowed to play with other dogs! Has she been able to unteract with other dogs since you have had her? This is so important especially whilst she is under 14 weeks of age - a critical socialising time. Have you any friends who could bring their dog to visit you - or whom you could visit - in order to let your pup have some off-lead contact with another dog?
I have been running puppy classes for many years and have had many owners at class who were really concerned about letting their puppy loose when it seemed to be over-excited. The trainer running your local class will have seen this before as well. You will be amazed that when the lead is taken off the chances are that your pup will stop all the leaping and barking nonsense and start to greet the other pups calmly and probably quite tentatively. Being on the lead restricts the natural greeting behaviour of dogs and often results in what you are describing.
You do have a GSD, which is one of the noisiest breeds in my experience. They like to 'have the last word' and 'talk' back to you, which is part of the charm of the breed! But we do not want her barking constantly. Start to work on a 'Quietly' command. When she barks, decide how many barks are to be allowed - perhaps three woofs - and then hold a smelly food treat in front of her nose and say 'Quietly' whilst she sniffs the treat. Dogs can not bark and sniff at the same time, so sniffing interrupts the unwanted behaviour and gives you something to praise. I have found that it can help to make the point about being quiet by running your other hand gently down her throat whilst she is sniffing the treat. After about eight seconds let her have the treat. The eight second sniff means that she will associate the treat with being quiet rather then being rewarded for barking. Also start work on 'Sit' and practice it any time, any place, anywhere - in the lounge, in the kitchen, on the front path, on the pavement, at the gate of the park, on the grass in the park etc. Asking for a 'Sit' will help you control the leaping about.
Lynn Aitchison, Dogs Today Advisor