Jumping And Nipping In One Particular Area And Circumstance

by Janet

I have a 5.5 month old, female Australian Shepherd named Amy. She's my first Aussie, and I have enjoyed her so much. She's brilliant and knows all the basic commands and a bunch more. She's always been a bit headstrong, (I got her at 9 weeks), but I did my research and knew to expect it. She's basically perfect in every situation but one.

Early on, we had the common issue of jumping, barking and nipping at our pants legs when she was excited. She has completely stopped this behavior except when walking her at lunchtime at my work. I have brought her with me everyday since I got her, so it's nothing new. It's always on the way back, so I can only guess that maybe it's too short for her liking??? That being said, she's not hurting for physical activity. I own my business, so my schedule is flexible. She gets lots of varied activity and training.

I just don't know how to break her of this. She looks pretty serious to others when she does it, but she's not hurting me at all. I've had mild success with taking a rope toy along and sticking it in her mouth... sometimes it works, sometimes not. Recently, I've just kept treats in my pocket and immediately start asking for heel and sit etc. This works, but after behavior and treat, she goes back to it.

Is this something she just has to grow out of or is there something more I should do? Ignoring does NOT work and I can't leave her presence while outside on a leash. When she is in this mindset, a harsh voice seems to be more of a challenge than a correction.

Any ideas??

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