hello all,

first off, i'm one of the bazillions of lurkers that just want to say
thanks for all the helpful advice i've received from these groups. so
thanks.

i have a 13-week border collie/samoyed female that is learning a ton
of basic commands lightning quick, but is absolutely driving me crazy
when we go for walks. both on the leash and off, whether we are
walking or running (although it's worse when we run), she will
occasionally jump up and nip my pants or nip around my
ankles/shoelaces. sometimes she is fine, but most often once she gets
started, she needs something else to distract her (see below) before
she quits and we can walk 5 steps in peace.

i have read quite a bit on discouraging "jumping up" as a greeting and
attention-seeking behaviour and i'm assuming this must be pretty
similar, but i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. so far i've tried the
following:
- stopping the walk until she calms down
- stopping and ignoring her
- stopping and asking her to "sit", then continuing when she's sitting
calmly
- saying "NO" and "OFF" right before it happens
- saying "NO" and "OFF" when it is happening
- ignoring her and continuing walking
- putting my knee out as she jumps up (doesn't do much when she goes
for the ankles/shoelaces)
- teaching and reinforcing the "heel" command (it's coming slowly)
- throwing a ball or stick in front of us so she will run after it
instead
- encouraging her to carry something in her mouth (ie: stick/ball)
while we walk

the last two options seem to work the best, but only provide as much
relief as the length of her attention span. more often than not, she
forgets about the stick in her mouth and looks for something else.
then, a few steps later, it's back to mom's knees, butt and ankles.
i've sustained several scratches and small bruises on my legs, not to
mention holes in all my shorts and pants. she still has those little
puppy teeth that catch on stuff even if she's not purposely biting.

i'm aware that border collies are intense herders by nature, so how
can i quiet these nipping tendencies while i'm building a strong
"heel" or "carry" command? it takes us ages just to get around the
block because i have to stop every 2 or 3 steps. arrrgh!

thanks in advance. any and all suggestions/constructive critcisms are
appreciated.

_________________
jenniferhawke.com
http://www.jenniferhawke.com/archives/2003_07_15.html

"holly golightly" wrote
first off, i'm one of the bazillions of lurkers that just want to say
thanks for all the helpful advice i've received from these groups. so
thanks.

i have a 13-week border collie/samoyed female that is learning a ton
of basic commands lightning quick, but is absolutely driving me crazy
when we go for walks. both on the leash and off, whether we are
walking or running (although it's worse when we run), she will
occasionally jump up and nip my pants or nip around my
ankles/shoelaces.

snip

_________________
jenniferhawke.com
http://www.jenniferhawke.com/archives/2003_07_15.html


I know a lot less about this than you do.

I just wanted to say: What a great photo of an adorable pup in your link!
She's such a neat combination of fluffy and determined... and I love
those ear markings...

Laura and Angel

FurPaw wrote:
holly golightly wrote:

i have a 13-week border collie/samoyed female that is learning a ton

And I forgot to mention, what an adorable puppy! She looks just
perfectly delightful.

FurPaw
--
There's no reason to give credence to anything spoken above 90
decibels.

To reply, unleash the dog.

Shelly & The Boys wrote:
holly golightly wrote:
snipshe will occasionally jump up and nip my pants or nip around my
ankles/shoelaces.
[snip]

Bodhi (A Belgian Sheepdog) was quite bad about this as a baby
puppy. But, never to the point of hurting me. However, one pair
of ruined pants made me realize that the ignoring technique was
not working for us. :-)

Okay, am I really *that* short? The only article of clothing I can
remember being torn during a flyby was a blouse. Snagged the upper arm.

That would be Noah, btw. The little (19") dog.

Anytime I walked quickly, especially when
it was mealtime for him, he would try it (ankles AND butt-nipping).
He was not on lead, but the instant he started, I would stop, turn,
and make the sound I use for correction (a low, growly uh-uh sound).
This, for us, worked much better.

Yup. Sometimes, for the benefit of onlookers, I would remind him "I am
NOT a sheep!" Be aware, though, that some dogs substitute a nose-poke
for a nip. If you don't mind wet noseprints on the seat of your seat,
then it's no problem.

For Noah, flybys occurred mostly while I was trying to get everyone
leashed up for a walk. Once he took up leash-tug instead, I could slip
the loop of the leash over a fencepost and let him tug his little heart
out while I got the other guys fixed up. Hard on the fence, but much
easier on the rest of us.

--
Mary H. and the Ames National Zoo: Regis, Sam-I-Am, Noah (1992-2001),
Ranger, Duke,
felines, finches, and fish

hello again,

thanks for the comments. i guess it's just nice to know i'm not the
only one going through this and that she might grow out of it
eventually. in the meantime, we'll work on heeling and rely heavily
on distractions. hehe.

oh, and i definitely don't mind wet noseprints in place of scratches
and holes. it's funny -- she doesn't chew anything in the house and i
haven't lost any shoes (as i hear puppies are usually quite fond of),
but more than one pair of jeans now have small holes near the pockets.
i guess puppies manage to take their toll one way or another.

thanks for the comments on madison's picture. she's a ton of fun.

_________________
jenniferhawke.com
http://www.jenniferhawke.com/archives/2003_07_15.html

"Mary Healey" wrote in message
...
Shelly & The Boys wrote:
holly golightly wrote:
snipshe will occasionally jump up and nip my pants or nip around my
ankles/shoelaces.
[snip]

Bodhi (A Belgian Sheepdog) was quite bad about this as a baby
puppy. But, never to the point of hurting me. However, one pair
of ruined pants made me realize that the ignoring technique was
not working for us. :-)

Okay, am I really *that* short? The only article of clothing I can
remember being torn during a flyby was a blouse. Snagged the upper arm.

Hehehe...no, those were when he was a babypup, little, like 10-14 wks.
He will, everyon once in a while, do a flyby & lick my face, or
try to grab a sleeve, but that's very few & far between. And it's
only been when he's *really* worked up.

For some weird reason, it just undid the part about Noah (ACD)
and being 19"...but I've seen several cattle dogs that do this
run up on you, jump & nearly tag you on the shoulder when you're
out having fun together! Bodhi nearly pinched by boob last
week with his teeth (grabbed shirt) and got a mighty scolding.
That was the first time in months & months, but (not to make
excuses) we were doing a really fun dancing thing and he
was really worked up. Yikes!

but the instant he started, I would stop, turn,
and make the sound I use for correction (a low, growly uh-uh sound).
This, for us, worked much better.

Yup. Sometimes, for the benefit of onlookers, I would remind him "I am
NOT a sheep!" Be aware, though, that some dogs substitute a nose-poke
for a nip. If you don't mind wet noseprints on the seat of your seat,
then it's no problem.

That is what Coda does. Pokes with his nose. Our old GSD did
the same.


For Noah, flybys occurred mostly while I was trying to get everyone
leashed up for a walk. Once he took up leash-tug instead, I could slip
the loop of the leash over a fencepost and let him tug his little heart
out while I got the other guys fixed up. Hard on the fence, but much
easier on the rest of us.

Ha!! Cute!
Shelly & The Boys

"holly golightly" wrote in message
m...
thanks for the comments on madison's picture. she's a ton of fun.

Holy cow! She is CUTE!!! Totally, utterly adorable!
Oh my gosh, thank you for sharing her photo!
Shelly & The Boys

Hi Holly ,
I've not had this problem but I always think its best to decide what
the best method is and stick to it . It can take time !

saying "NO" and "OFF" right before it happens
- saying "NO" and "OFF" when it is happening

I find from reading the posts that this doen't seem to work

.. putting my knee out as she jumps up (doesn't do much when she goes
for the ankles/shoelaces

If you catch her on the chest it could hurt or injure her.

encouraging her to carry something in her mouth (ie: stick/ball)
while we walk

Sticks aren't a good idea , too dangerous . The ball is better .
How about a soft toy or would she rip it
apart ? I've seen somesoft toys in pets- at- home with a ball inside
them . If she loses interest you can just pick it up and hold it in
front of her and move as she moves , rather like a donkey and the
carrot on the end of a stick ,BG
Good luck ! Alison





"holly golightly" wrote in message
om...
hello all,

first off, i'm one of the bazillions of lurkers that just want to
say
thanks for all the helpful advice i've received from these groups.
so
thanks.

i have a 13-week border collie/samoyed female that is learning a ton
of basic commands lightning quick, but is absolutely driving me
crazy
when we go for walks. both on the leash and off, whether we are
walking or running (although it's worse when we run), she will
occasionally jump up and nip my pants or nip around my
ankles/shoelaces. sometimes she is fine, but most often once she
gets
started, she needs something else to distract her (see below) before
she quits and we can walk 5 steps in peace.

i have read quite a bit on discouraging "jumping up" as a greeting
and
attention-seeking behaviour and i'm assuming this must be pretty
similar, but i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. so far i've tried
the
following:
- stopping the walk until she calms down
- stopping and ignoring her
- stopping and asking her to "sit", then continuing when she's
sitting
calmly
- saying "NO" and "OFF" right before it happens
- saying "NO" and "OFF" when it is happening
- ignoring her and continuing walking
- putting my knee out as she jumps up (doesn't do much when she goes
for the ankles/shoelaces)
- teaching and reinforcing the "heel" command (it's coming slowly)
- throwing a ball or stick in front of us so she will run after it
instead
- encouraging her to carry something in her mouth (ie: stick/ball)
while we walk

the last two options seem to work the best, but only provide as much
relief as the length of her attention span. more often than not,
she
forgets about the stick in her mouth and looks for something else.
then, a few steps later, it's back to mom's knees, butt and ankles.
i've sustained several scratches and small bruises on my legs, not
to
mention holes in all my shorts and pants. she still has those
little
puppy teeth that catch on stuff even if she's not purposely biting.

i'm aware that border collies are intense herders by nature, so how
can i quiet these nipping tendencies while i'm building a strong
"heel" or "carry" command? it takes us ages just to get around the
block because i have to stop every 2 or 3 steps. arrrgh!

thanks in advance. any and all suggestions/constructive critcisms
are
appreciated.

_________________
jenniferhawke.com
http://www.jenniferhawke.com/archives/2003_07_15.html

Hi Holly ,
I've not had this problem but I always think its best to decide what
the best method is and stick to it . It can take time !

saying "NO" and "OFF" right before it happens
- saying "NO" and "OFF" when it is happening

I find from reading the posts that this doen't seem to work

.. putting my knee out as she jumps up (doesn't do much when she goes
for the ankles/shoelaces

If you catch her on the chest it could hurt or injure her.

encouraging her to carry something in her mouth (ie: stick/ball)
while we walk

Sticks aren't a good idea , too dangerous . The ball is better .
How about a soft toy or would she rip it
apart ? I've seen somesoft toys in pets- at- home with a ball inside
them . If she loses interest you can just pick it up and hold it in
front of her and move as she moves , rather like a donkey and the
carrot on the end of a stick ,BG
Good luck ! Alison





"holly golightly" wrote in message
om...
hello all,

first off, i'm one of the bazillions of lurkers that just want to
say
thanks for all the helpful advice i've received from these groups.
so
thanks.

i have a 13-week border collie/samoyed female that is learning a ton
of basic commands lightning quick, but is absolutely driving me
crazy
when we go for walks. both on the leash and off, whether we are
walking or running (although it's worse when we run), she will
occasionally jump up and nip my pants or nip around my
ankles/shoelaces. sometimes she is fine, but most often once she
gets
started, she needs something else to distract her (see below) before
she quits and we can walk 5 steps in peace.

i have read quite a bit on discouraging "jumping up" as a greeting
and
attention-seeking behaviour and i'm assuming this must be pretty
similar, but i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. so far i've tried
the
following:
- stopping the walk until she calms down
- stopping and ignoring her
- stopping and asking her to "sit", then continuing when she's
sitting
calmly
- saying "NO" and "OFF" right before it happens
- saying "NO" and "OFF" when it is happening
- ignoring her and continuing walking
- putting my knee out as she jumps up (doesn't do much when she goes
for the ankles/shoelaces)
- teaching and reinforcing the "heel" command (it's coming slowly)
- throwing a ball or stick in front of us so she will run after it
instead
- encouraging her to carry something in her mouth (ie: stick/ball)
while we walk

the last two options seem to work the best, but only provide as much
relief as the length of her attention span. more often than not,
she
forgets about the stick in her mouth and looks for something else.
then, a few steps later, it's back to mom's knees, butt and ankles.
i've sustained several scratches and small bruises on my legs, not
to
mention holes in all my shorts and pants. she still has those
little
puppy teeth that catch on stuff even if she's not purposely biting.

i'm aware that border collies are intense herders by nature, so how
can i quiet these nipping tendencies while i'm building a strong
"heel" or "carry" command? it takes us ages just to get around the
block because i have to stop every 2 or 3 steps. arrrgh!

thanks in advance. any and all suggestions/constructive critcisms
are
appreciated.

_________________
jenniferhawke.com
http://www.jenniferhawke.com/archives/2003_07_15.html