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A couple nips here and there from your australian shepherd is no big deal. But when they start to do it more often, and sometimes everyday, it becomes problematic.
The only way to stop their nipping behavior is to know why it’s happening.
Why Do Australian Shepherds Nip:
Many australian shepherds nip because of their herding instincts. While herding they would nip at the legs of livestock to encourage them to move in a certain direction. Other reasons why australian shepherds nip are because they’re playing, frustrated or bored and wanting attention.
In this post you’ll discover:
- 9 real reasons why australian shepherds nip
- When an australian shepherd nipping is something to worry about
- 5 tips to help australian shepherds stop nipping (Tip #1 might seem silly but it works!)
- And much more
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Nip
1) Instincts
The most common reason why australian shepherds nip is because they’re following instinctual behavior.
Australian shepherds were bred to herd cattle which means they thrive when they have a job.
If they don’t get one from their owner, more often than not they’ll create one for themselves.
Which is why it’s fairly common to see your australian shepherd nip at your ankles or nip at kids in an attempt to herd them.
Nipping from instincts isn’t meant to hurt the person they’re nipping but to try to keep your family grouped together.
Nipping for this reason will need to be trained out of your pup.
And unfortunately it may take a bit of time for them to learn that this isn’t necessary in your home.
Tip #4 below can help the most if your australian shepherd is nipping from instincts.
Related Reading: 9 Simple Steps To Create The Obedient Dog Of Your Dreams
2) Teething
When an australian shepherd is a young puppy it’s normal for them to nip.
While it’s still not behavior you want to encourage or allow to continue to happen, it’s perfectly normal for this to happen during their teething phase.
Their gums are extra sensitive because of their adult teeth growing underneath the surface and slowly pushing out their baby teeth.
My pup didn’t stop teething until she was around 7 months old.
And it’s completely normal for an aussie pup to teethe from 2 weeks old all the way up to 8 months old.
Once all their adult teeth have grown in and you made sure not to allow them to teeth on items outside of their toys, you should notice their nipping stop.
3) Playing
Sometimes when your pup nips it’s simply a way for them to play.
Of course you don’t want them to continue to play this way. But for many australian shepherds they’re simply playing around when they nip.
If you notice that your aussie doesn’t nip unless you start playing and potentially rough housing, it’s likely how they’ve always played and never received corrections.
Tip #1 & 3 below can help with nipping when playing.
Related Reading: 14 Real Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Wiggle
4) Over Excited
If your australian shepherd gets over excited it’s not unusual for them to nip.
Whether it’s getting carried away when playing, when you first come home after being away for several hours, or you’re holding their leash and they can’t wait to go for their walk.
If your aussie gets a little too carried away with their excitement it’s common for them to nip.
They simply don’t know how to contain their excitement and their mouth is how they interact with the world around them.
5) Lack Of Socializing
Socializing is one of the most important things to do when your aussie is a puppy between that age of 2-12 months.
If they aren’t properly socialized they’ll have trouble behaving nicely around unfamiliar dogs and people.
Dogs that aren’t well socialized get jealous easier, bark more when around strangers and can become overly protective which makes them nip.
If your australian shepherd was isolated quite a bit when they were a puppy this could be contributing to why they nip.
It’s best to slowly start introducing them to more unfamiliar dogs, people and situations.
With corrective training, over time they should learn how to behave nicely in all situations and not feel the need to nip.
6) Warning
Just like all animals, when they feel intimidated they may do certain things to warn the other person/animal to stop.
For your australian shepherd, this could be nipping.
If a person is being too friendly with them before they’ve had time to get comfortable with them, or if a dog is spending too much time in their personal space, they may nip to say, “Hey! Back up pal!”.
Everyone has their limits.
And if you notice your australian shepherd seems to nip more when people they don’t know very well enter their space, they’re likely nipping to warn them.
Aussies can take a little longer to warm up to unfamiliar dogs and people so nipping as a means of warning can be common.
7) Afraid
If your australian shepherd feels intimidated or afraid, they may nip as a way to protect themselves.
If it’s not obvious why your aussie is feeling afraid, like from another dog being aggressive or a person intimidating them, you’ll need to take a closer look at their surroundings when the nipping happens.
Are there loud noises that are potentially making them feel anxious?
Is there a specific person or dog that makes them behave this way?
Has some traumatic experience in the past made them sensitive to similar situations?
Asking these types of questions can help you understand why your pup is feeling scared or anxious and help them overcome it and stop their reactive nipping.
8) Wanting Attention
One of the many things your australian shepherd might do in an attempt to get your attention is nip.
Aussies need lots of interaction or activities to keep them happy and out of trouble.
They need a job or task to keep their mind occupied.
Australian shepherds aren’t meant to be couch potatoes or lounge dogs.
And when they feel it’s been too long since you’ve given them attention or played with them, they may nip you to get a reaction.
Any attention is better than no attention in their mind.
9) Frustration
Sometimes australian shepherds even nip because they’re feeling frustrated with you.
While they’re super happy you’re now home after being gone for several hours, they might nip you to show that they’re upset you left them in the first place.
Or as your aussie starts moving into their senior years they might become grumpy and more easily irritated.
Which means they might become less lenient and nip more because they don’t like what you or someone else is doing.
5 Tips To Help Stop Your Australian Shepherd From Nipping
1) React By Yelping
While your australian shepherd likely understands a variety of different words, they aren’t fluent in english.
Which means you won’t be able to explain to them why their nipping is bad and why they should stop.
So the only way to share this message is to do what another dog would do, yelp.
Next time your pup nips at your ankle, fingers, hand, etc. let out a high pitch yelp.
This will remind them of when they would play fight with their furry brothers and sisters and when one of them started getting a little too rough.
After yelping it’s important not to pull away.
That will only encourage them to continue nipping because it will appear like the game is still on.
When you hold your hand still it becomes boring to them and further encourages them to let go after you’ve yelped.
Once they do let go be sure to have a treat ready to reward them with.
2) Don’t Give a Reaction
One of the more challenging things to do is not react.
When you make a big scene and run away when your australian shepherd is nipping you it looks like you’re playing to your pup.
Which is why it’s best to give as little of a reaction as possible.
Eventually they’ll learn that this behavior doesn’t get your attention.
In fact it does quite the opposite.
It gets them ignored.
Which is the exact opposite of what they want.
3) If Playing: End The Fun
When playing with your australian shepherd it’s easy for them to get a little carried away.
And if they resort to nipping, one thing you can do is end the fun until they stop.
When you go from high energy playing, running around, wrestling, however you’re playing, to immediately no energy, everything has stopped..
It will help make it clear what’s stopped the fun when you do it enough times.
If they nip your hand to the point of discomfort simply pause and look away from them.
Wait there for 20 seconds, 30 seconds, or however long it takes for them to let go.
Then once they’ve stopped nipping you can resume the fun again.
When you do this each time they nip you it will help them learn how to play in a way that continues the fun.
The last thing they want is for playtime to stop.
4) Distract & Reward
If you’re walking around your home or walking away from your australian shepherd and they nip at your pants or ankle, distract them then reward.
This would mean carrying around one of their favorite toys or treats.
As soon as they start nipping at you, wave their toy or treat above them to get their attention and distract them from what they’re doing.
Then, once they stop nipping at you, give them their toy or treat to reward the behavior.
Always give them a reward for resuming being a good boy/girl.
5) Speak With a Professional
Speaking with either a veterinarian or behavioral trainer can be very helpful.
Whether your australian shepherd’s nipping has become a really bad habit that you’re having a lot of trouble training out of them.
Or, they’re nipping at you because somethings wrong and they’re trying to communicate that with you.
It can be difficult to understand exactly why your pup is doing what they’re doing which is why it’s never a bad idea to speak with a professional.
The best thing to do would be to have a vet look at them, then if they told you your pup looked perfectly healthy, look into working with a trainer.
Other posts you might find interesting:
8 Best Dog Beds for Australian Shepherds | Beds That Last
Why Do Australian Shepherds Pee So Much? The Truth + Tips
11 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Are Good Dogs + Tips
9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Pace + 4 Helpful Tips
