I’m really struggling at the moment as I’ve had a little Australian Shepherd puppy for a week now. I’ve named her Wailla and she’s absolutely lovely!
However, for the last four days, she’s been jumping up at me during walks and biting my legs while growling quite loudly.
At first, I just tried to keep her at a distance using her lead whenever it happened.
When I try to push her away, she tries to bite me and gets even more worked up.
I have no idea how to react or what I’m doing wrong to make her act like this!
For example, we went to the beach this afternoon. Everything was going well, and then she suddenly started jumping up and biting me. Then it was the same story again this evening when I took her out in front of the house! It’s not the first time.
She hardly ever barks, but I had already noticed her growling at her toys. I’ve already taken one of them away from her.
Aside from the usual puppy mouthing, I haven't found anything similar online.
Does anyone have any advice for me?
😔
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I’ve also got a 5-month-old puppy myself, and I’ve noticed that growling isn't necessarily a sign of aggression. Mine growls when he’s happy, for instance when he’s rolling around on his back or while we’re playing together, but it’s never aggressive. It’s just his way of expressing himself, and over time, you learn to recognise the different types of growls your dog makes. We also often play at ‘play-fighting’ and he hardly nips at all, even though teething at this age can make that behaviour more common. With a bit of patience, this phase passes fairly quickly.
Oh. So you’re one of those far too many owners who takes on a puppy that’s too young without being told that interacting with other living things is a vital need for the brain development of an animal that is much more social than a human being.
I’ve never had a puppy that nipped at my trousers, because my pups have always had the company of other dogs to rough and tumble with—dogs capable of handling the natural and essential mouthing that is specific to this species. What’s more, I’ve always encouraged my puppies to have a good "play-fight" with my hands (protected by rose-pruning gloves), which they absolutely love and which teaches them how to self-regulate their excitement levels (you just walk away and leave them the second they get too worked up; it’s the only clear way to show them what's acceptable).
Aussies are particularly demanding when it comes to socialising with other doggy mates and puppies; you absolutely must respect this need (for at least the next two years).
(Suppressing nipping is easy. But on one hand, you’ll never earn your dog’s respect—because you can't respect someone who prevents you from expressing your natural needs—and on the other, you’d be risking a bad reflex further down the line. A dog that has never learned to manage its jaw pressure is a potential risk for a serious accident...)
So, get to work! Find him some pals, and when he starts nipping at you, just walk away in silence. Then, a few minutes later, get down on the floor and invite him to roughhouse with your hands or a small chew toy. You must end the game as soon as he crosses the threshold into being over-excited.
Evening. Same here, we adopted an eight-week-old Australian Shepherd a fortnight ago. He keeps jumping up at us and biting very often, and it really hurts. Redirecting him to a toy doesn't work, and neither does ignoring him or leaving the room. He latches onto our calves and growls. It’s exhausting and quite distressing. On top of that, he bolts his food, inhaling the lot in 20 seconds, and still seems starving afterwards. If you have any advice, thanks.
Hi, I’m joining this thread because I’m going through the exact same thing with my 2-month-old female Australian Shepherd. What did you do? She does everything described: she rushes her bowl, wolfs her food down, and jumps up nipping our trousers. It’s a nightmare!
Evening all,
Same for us—we adopted a two-month-old Australian Shepherd a fortnight ago.
He's constantly jumping up and biting us, and it really hurts. Redirecting him to a toy isn't working, and neither is ignoring him or leaving the room. He just latches onto our calves and growls.
It’s both exhausting and quite worrying. On top of that, he lunges at his food and scoffs his entire meal in 20 seconds flat, then still looks like he's starving afterwards.
If anyone has any advice, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!
It’s the same for us—we adopted a two-month-old Australian Shepherd a fortnight ago.
He keeps jumping up at us and biting all the time, and it really hurts. Trying to redirect him to a toy doesn't work, and neither does ignoring him or leaving the room. He just latches onto our calves and growls.
It’s exhausting and quite distressing. On top of that, he bolts his food and scoffs his meal in about 20 seconds, and he still looks starving afterwards.
If anyone has any advice, I’d really appreciate it.
Along with the advice shared above, I’d encourage you to build a genuine rapport with your dog. A proper dialogue.
It starts with having the patience to get their attention. When that happens—whether your pup initiates it or you invite them—make the most of those moments of connection. Your dog needs to see you as a partner, not just a toy or an extension of the lead.
It’s completely normal for a puppy to mouth and nip. You shouldn’t just accept it, you actually need to let them do it so you can teach them bite inhibition and how to control the strength of their bite.
Things to avoid:
– redirecting them to an object to bite. Not only does the puppy learn nothing this way, but it can also potentially encourage them to bite harder.
– scolding, hitting, isolating, or ignoring them. At best, by doing this, the puppy would only learn to stop biting altogether rather than learning how to control the pressure.
More info on puppy mouthing here: http://comportements-chien.blogspot.fr/2015/08/chien-qui-mordille-controle-et.html
It’s completely normal for a puppy to mouth. You shouldn’t just accept it, you actually need to allow it so they can learn bite inhibition and how to control their mouth.
Things to avoid:
- Redirecting them to an object to bite. Not only does the puppy learn nothing this way, but it could potentially encourage them to bite harder.
- Scolding, hitting, isolating or ignoring them. At best, by doing this, the puppy would only learn to stop biting entirely rather than learning how to control the pressure of their bite.
More info on mouthing here: http://comportements-chien.blogspot.fr/2015/08/chien-qui-mordille-controle-et.html
I've got a little Australian Shepherd at home and he does the exact same thing :)
I've been to some puppy training classes and obviously I brought it up with the trainer, and it turns out it’s completely normal!
(To be sure it's just play: the puppy wags his tail, hops about and does 'zoomies' while doing it—there's no actual aggressive behaviour).
Apparently, they grow out of it with time.
But of course, that doesn't mean you should just let them get away with it... no thanks!
The thing is, you have to understand that for a puppy, it’s all just a game! It’s how he played with his littermates before he came to live with you, and it’s all he knows.
So, the idea is to play with your pup, but as soon as he behaves in a way you don’t like (nipping, barking, etc.), stop the game entirely so he understands it’s not fun and that’s not how you play.
My puppy often barks at me; at this stage, there’s nothing better to do than completely ignore him.
For the biting: you need to yelp (yes, it really works lol)—that’s how they communicate with other dogs when they're hurting each other.
For the leg-nipping and biting, ignore him and yelp as well, except it’s not easy to walk with a puppy latched on (and those little teeth really hurt!). So, push him away while ignoring him, and if he persists, pick him up by the belly while holding the scruff of his neck with your other hand and put him in a separate room for a time-out.
Don’t open the door until the puppy has calmed down. Once he seems calm (when you can’t hear him anymore), open the door gently, see if he’s settled or not, and if he is, let him out.
A nippy puppy really hurts! Actually, he’s only mouthing, and if he bit with that same pressure with adult teeth, you wouldn’t feel a thing. It’s just that they still have those sharp little needle teeth... That hasn't stopped me trying my best to stop all the nipping, both by choice and for fear that he might keep biting later on, even though everyone tells me he'll stop :)
However, when he bites me or wants to play, I redirect him to his toys. Taking a toy away just because he’s growling at it isn't a great idea, I don't think, because for him, it’s all just play :)
I think the best thing to do is distract your puppy with chew toys instead of your legs. This acts as a diversion while still allowing him to mouth things, which is a perfectly normal part of a puppy’s development.
If he keeps going for your legs (it’s more fun because they move!), end the play session immediately and give him a quick time-out in another room.
You could also try letting him play with other dogs. He’ll learn his boundaries from other dogs that way, and it’s a great way for him to burn off some steam.
