Border collies are highly intelligent dogs with plenty of energy. Bred for herding, these dogs are ready to do a job and don’t mind using plenty of energy to get it done. When they find themselves bored and not getting enough mental and physical stimulation, they can easily develop problematic behaviors. Since they are bred for herding, nipping can be an issue with this breed.
Here’s how to stop a border collie from nipping at faces:
- Don’t give your border collie attention.
- Redirect your border collie’s nipping.
- Give your dog regular exercise and stimulation.
In the rest of this article, we will explore a few training techniques to use. We will see why border collies may be nipping at your face and understand how to satisfy their needs more effectively.
1. Don’t Give Your Border Collie Attention
Your dog loves your attention. Recognizing your attention is something your dog seeks, so taking away the attention it craves will help you receive your desired result. You will want to establish a pattern with your dog where you say a word, turn away, and stop giving it attention.
You could say “ouch” or “no” or another word that will be useful to help your dog recognize that it is doing an unacceptable behavior. Simply say this word to your dog and physically turn away from it. It is helpful if you move to a standing position and physically turn your back on your dog.
Keep your attention off your dog during this time while it tries to jump up and nip. When it stops the behavior, you can give it attention again. This shows the dog that it will receive the attention it craves when it is calm and not jumping and nipping.
You will want to continue building this pattern for your dog so it understands the message clearly. During your training sessions, anytime your dog is sitting calmly, reward it with plenty of love, pets, and attention.
Your border collie will likely become excited and try to nip after a short time. When this happens, simply say your keyword, stand up, and take your attention away. When he calms down again, go back to giving love and attention.
If you can consistently establish this pattern for your dog, your dog will stop jumping up to nip your face as a way to get attention because it no longer works. This means you must be committed to this training routine in your active training sessions and throughout the day. The more consistent you are, the faster your dog will learn and behave in the desired way.
To see this training technique in action, you can check out this YouTube tutorial from Beckman’s Dog Training:
2. Redirect Your Border Collie’s Nipping
Another method for dealing with your border collie’s nipping is to redirect it. If your dog is jumping up and nipping at your face, it is because it is using its mouth to seek attention from you.
In order to rewire this behavior, you can provide your dog with something for its mouth to do. You can use your dog’s favorite toy and allow it to nip at it instead. Using redirection helps teach your border collie that it is not appropriate to play with your face.
Here’s another video from Beckman’s Dog Training explaining how to redirect your dog’s attention when nipping:
Additionally, you can engage in a gentle game of tug-of-war with your dog. This is a positive way to engage with your dog while satisfying its need for attention and the need to use its mouth to express itself. I recommend this rope on my products page, perfect for tug-of-war.
Nipping is a natural behavior, especially with puppies, which gives them a way to satisfy this urge. It is crucial to address nipping problems from an early stage to ensure that you will raise a well-behaved dog.
Especially if your border collie is a puppy and his teeth are coming in, it will need this kind of play. If your border Collie doesn’t receive it from you actively, such as in tug-of-war or other play, it will seek it out by any means necessary. By being proactive and making sure you play with your dog enough each day, you will automatically be improving its behavior.
3. Give Your Dog Regular Exercise and Stimulation
Border collies are not just active dogs that crave plenty of exercise. They are smart, too. They have been bred to do a job, mainly to herd animals in wide-open spaces. If you are raising your border collie in a smaller environment, you have to keep in mind the breed’s needs.
Border collies need plenty of regular exercises. In addition to long walks, an open space to run and play is important for this breed. They also need a job to do. They are very smart and agile animals and won’t be content snoozing in an apartment all day. Some owners have found agility courses a great help in keeping their border collie’s body and mind engaged.
When the dog’s needs are met, you have a better chance of successful training and a happy, well-behaved dog.
Training Techniques for Border Collies That Nip
It’s important to recognize that your dog is jumping and nipping because it is seeking attention. By understanding the motivation, we can better correct the behavior and react appropriately at the moment.
If your border collie is jumping up and nipping at your face, this is a behavioral issue that you will want to correct immediately. This behavior can be dangerous, especially if your border collie is a puppy that still has small, sharp baby teeth. Additionally, if you have kids at home, it can be an even more dangerous behavioral habit.
Like with most dog training issues, you will want to focus on the preventative work you can do with your dog as possible to avoid reactivating negatively at the moment. You don’t want to be too harsh when training your border collie, especially if it is a puppy. The way you interact with your puppy will set the tone for its lifelong personality, so it is important to be gentle and loving even in your behavioral corrections. Brain Training for Dogs is a great value and will help teach you how to train your puppy.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to stopping your border collie from nipping, you can try a few different training techniques. These dogs are smart and will quickly recognize the pattern when you take your attention away from them or redirect their nipping. Plenty of play and exercise is also key in keeping these dogs content and away from problematic behaviors.
