ACD PUPPY NEED HELP

Please help.....I am at wits ends....Sam we have gotten the kennel and put her in there everytime, and the more we put her in there, the worse she gets when she gets out....Nips at us everything we do...
She was nipping so bad at us last night that we had to close the kennel door on her, she was jumping from my bed and to my husband's all in our head, and nipping at our face , nothing would calm her down...
Husband is seriouly thinking about taking her back to pound, but we love her so....
I play ball with her, let her run, and she can go out and in when she wants, I just don't understand...why she nips at us so much...
My niece will come in and we have been putting lease on her to get her to stop jumping on her, after a while we take it off, and off to her head she goes..just a nipping...and biting at her...
What do we do.....please any info.....we have been putting her in kennel every since Sam suggested it last week to put her in for 10 min....we even let it be longer sometimes..is has not calmed her down any...should we leave her more and just let her out to potty and eat....any suggestion will be greatly appreaciated.....

Donna & :mrgreen: Hope Frances :y_the_best:

 

I personally think that would be too much kennel time for such an active dog. If you took the leash off and she started jumping at your niece, then the leash needs to go back on.

Seriously, this is the way it is going to be for a while. I came here crying and begging for weeks (and months) when Nala was younger. I considered rehoming her (NOT back to the shelter). I went to trainers. I took her for 4-mile walks every day. I cried a lot!!

Nala IS becoming more manageable with age (she's 13 months now), although we still struggle on a daily basis with some things. If I remember correctly, your pup is 6 months old? That may make it harder in some ways, because she has had a longer period of time with no instruction on how to behave. However, she should be able to learn if you are consistent and patient.

Just keep trying the soothing things. Maybe try some Rescue Remedy and see if it takes the edge off, but I don't know that it would. You could try a head halter such as a Gentle Leader or Halti - put it on and attach the leash and use it to control her - sometimes that gets more results than a flat collar alone (make sure you don't jerk her around, though, so you don't hurt her neck). Look for a book or video on TTouch and try some of the calming touches - this also does not work instantly, though. If you have a TTouch trainer near you - CALL HER!! Where do you live?

Have you tried the long downs? You may have to step on the leash the whole time until she gets it. (Like, sit on the couch and have your foot on the leash up near where it attaches to her collar.)

It takes time. I know it's hard. Rehoming is an option if you really can't handle it - but please try to find a rescue or experienced ACD home rather than sending her back to the shelter.


Jamiya

 

ACD Puppy

:cry: No I don't want to rehome her, espically at the pound coz if not adopted she will be put to sleep...Yes she is 6 months old this month..

Another question is a female suppose to hump you all the time, she will get a hold of leg and or arm and just start to humping.... :cry:

I am thinking about those calming treats....just don't know what it will do...
So you say to keep lease on her all the time she is jumping...will try that in a while my niece will be here...

The Kennel time varies....we have moved it to back of house in a bedroom where she cannot see us now...do you think that will help..
Everyone we speak to about these dogs around here, say they are wild, and we will not be able to do anything with her, but I tell them how smart she is on some things, and they said she will not get out of all this nipping....she must think we are cattle or something..lol :?

Any advise anything will be greatly appreaciated....

Donna & Hope

 

Yep, typical out of hand ACD.

Ok. Obviously the kenneling is not working. Try this. Whe she goes to jump. Quickly pull your knee up so she hits her chest on your knee. That will keep her from reaching your face. With a Firm "NO!" . Make her sit immediatly afterwards. SHe must know Sit and DOWN! now.

at 6 months, its getting late in the training, it needs to begin now, or your really going to have problems. I highly suggest finding a professional trainer in your area, explain the problem. Have him/her come over at least 2-3 times a week to do basic obediance training in your home, with both of you.

If she bites down. Take you thumb, put it on the top of her mouth (inside) and the index finger and midle finger, and press firmly on top of her muzzle. Tell her "No BITE!!!" hold for just a few seconds. Do every time!

Each time she gets a way with something, and you don't correct her immediately afterwards, you've gone back to step one....have to restart training all over again. Thats why it must be done EVERY TIME. And within 30 seconds. After that, they don't understand what they are being punished for.

 

Mypuppy: I know this must be pretty hard for you. 6 months is a tough age for pups. In my experience they really start to test you a lot more. Its like adolescents for puppies.
Sam is right, you have to be consistent. Any time she nips and you do nothing, he has now forgotten all you have worked on to train him.

How much daily excercise does he get? I know an offleash park wouldn't be the best idea for her right now, but a constant run in your back yard can REALLY help. I play fetch with Harley and her frisbee everymornign for 30-40 minutes. This constant running tires her out almost as much as an hour at the dog park, which she can't go to.

She just seems VERY hyper active and more excercise may help to curb her appetite for your hands.

I personally would hunt around for a behaviourist. *Make sure to get tons of references FIRST before handing over some money* Then I would get a personal trainer to come to the house and work with you and your husband and her.

A gentle leader can be great for some dogs and really work wonders! I bought one for Harley but she didn't take to it, so I gave it to my mom for her lab and she loves it!

It was about $38 and it cam with a full step by step manual on how to fit it properly, and how train with it.

 

$38?! Wait, you're in Canada, aren't you? It's $18-25 in the U.S.

What I did with Nala and the nipping was to hold her muzzle shut and tell her in a low, firm, calm voice "No bite!" and I would hold onto it until she sighed and then I would let go. If she started right away again, I would repeat. And the whole time I would be thinking, "This dog WILL stop nipping at me!" instead of what I used to think, which was mainly a jumble of doubts and worries. Really, they sense your uncertainty and run with it.

Now that Nala is older, when she goes berserk I get her in a down - sometimes the only way to do that is to catch her and put collar and leash on and MAKE her down. I reward with treats once she is there. If I am really tired, I get the treat bag and sit in my chair. The dogs sit and stare at me. Finally, one decides to lie down. That one gets treats. The other usually decides to lie down at that point. Whomever is lying down gets a treat tossed at them every once in a while. Of course, my dogs are a little older and have had more training.

We still have issues with people coming over. They don't seem to like a 50-pound dog flying at their heads trying to bite their hair (boy, was THAT a problem with my daughter's butt-length hair when we first got Nala!). So now if someone new is coming into the house, I put Nala on a leash. I don't say a word, but when the person comes into the room, I stand on the leash so that Nala can't get to them and can't jump up. We ignore her and talk amongst ourselves. Eventually, she sits down of her own accord. Then the person is allowed to notice her and pet her. If she goes nuts, they back away and ignore her again. Eventually she calms down and I can let her off-leash. (I instruct the person on what to do beforehand.) I really need to set this up so we can practice it.

An ACD can be a great dog. Yours is off to a rough start, with no good training from puppyhood. I would think about professional help, as others said. MAKE SURE you find someone experienced with ACD's (or herding dogs in general) and who works with POSITIVE methods. Going at this dog aggressively could backfire in a big way. They are very independent dogs.


Jamiya