18 m/o nipping kelpie x staffy - 2009-07-13

Question

I have an 18 month old kelpie x staffy. When she plays with other dogs she constantly nips at their faces or ears. I don’t think it is aggressive; it is just a game to her! She also does it when we take her to a park with another dog; even if we have her favourite toy she is more interested in chasing & nipping the dog! She has been bitten (in anger) by a couple of dogs but this doesn’t seem to do anything. How can I teach her to stop this behaviour??

Answer

Being a Kelpie X she seems to have a strong influence from a real Kelpie – and they nip in the rear of the sheep to get them moving. They also have a very strong chase instinct – so everything that moves is of interest. You can work on desensitising her from the chase by having her on the leash and let her watch from the distance, and when she is good give her lots of praise. Gently tug the leash when she shows interest and say something like AhAh and when the leash relaxes, good girl etc. I would think if she has been attacked that this will be worth doing, and she will be less of leash in the beginning..... But her age, breed and strong drive are all causing this and they can be better managed. Seek professional advice if needed.