Just call me stupid.......

You have received some great advice from everyone already but I had to respond also.  I am on my second herding dog.  Our first was an Australian Shepherd that we adopted when he was 8 weeks old and had until he was 15.  You couldn't ask for a better dog!  But the first couple of years were very hard because we weren't used to a herding dog.  He calmed down after 2 and when we learned more how to deal with his herding needs.  He was a very loyal and loving boy!

We now have a Border Collie mix who we think is mixed with a lab, but we have been told she looks like she may have greyhound in her by the way she runs.  (I started a thread, Sadie Grace, that has pictures of her in action running full out).  We adopted Sadie at about 10 weeks from the Humane Society and went through EXACTLY what you are describing with your puppy.  She was a biter and my hands were constantly torn up.  I learned with her she got this way when she was frustrated.  I learned to do the "2 ball" trick, throw one and have another to throw when she wouldn't give up the first one.  We also play frisbee as much as possible, she loves loves loves this!  Say the word "frisbee" or "ball" and she is at full attention, she thinks these are her "jobs".  We try to wear her out as much as possible, but its hard with all of the cold and snow right now.  She gets 2 or more walks every day and I try to walk her for as long as the weather will allow!  When weather permits she is outside running and playing as much as possible.  We do have a crate to keep her out of trouble when we are at work, and we have had to use it when the grandkids come over at times because she gets so excited.  She loves people but forgets some of them are smaller than us adults!!  The vet has told me that when she turns 2 (or so) she should calm down.  She will be 2 in May and I can already see a BIG difference in her from just 6 months ago.

Just hang in there and you will have one of the most loyal and loving dogs you could ever possibly want!

 Oh, I almost forgot.  We got Sadie to stop the biting by doing a low growl that sounded like "Naaawwww", then stating NO BITE!  She stops immediately now if she forgets and gets too rough playing.  She still uses her teeth when playing but she barely touches us with them.  Border Collies are very intelligent!

 Good luck and let us know how things go for you!

Hello, sorry I can't answer all of you.  I'm taking my son to get his wisdom teeth pulled.  Then, later we are going to watch my other son's team wrestle.  I will take a look at the websites, and try some of the things you have mentioned.  Now that I think of it, I did have to use two balls or two frisbees with our other dogs, because they would not drop it.  But, if they did drop it, they wouldn't try to bite me when I picked it up!   So, after I take Chloe (that's her name, don't think I told you that) outside to feed our goats in the morning, I let her run around for awhile.  15-30 minutes depending on how cold it is.  I do the same thing 1-2 more times a day, depending on what I have going on.  Then, we come in the garage and do training or play ball.  I like to sit down on a chair while she plays, but she thinks that is an invitation to come and bite me!   Why can't she just play and leave me alone?  If I go in the house she sits by the door and waits for me to come back out instead of going and playing.  So, I see why maybe going in the house when she bites could work.  I will try that.  Thanks again and I will try to get a picture up!

Julie

goatmom

Why can't she just play and leave me alone?

goatmom

Why can't she just play and leave me alone? 

Herding dogs by nature are pretty much velcro dogs. I know my Aussie always wanted to be near me and I'm sure the other herder owners will say the same.  He is also a baby and looks to you for his security. Staying close to your care giver is essential for the survival of any young animal (and human). That's why he wants to be with you. Did you mention if you had children? Taking on a puppy is almost like having a small child in the house. They need and demand a lot of attention. The good news is they grow up a lot faster. Herders are smart and learn very quickly. You will probably see a big improvement by the time he is a year old, even less. There will still be lots of things to work on but something like nipping should be gone. After a good 1 hour walk/play my Aussie would just come home a sleep by the time he was 1. Hang in!

Oh, absolutely herders are velcro.  I have six "hermoroids"!  And heck yeah, playing alone is absolutely NO fun.

I don't mind interacting with her if she doesn't bite me!

So, there is hope!  Thank you for giving me encouragement.  I just hope I can train her the right way.  I told my husband I wasn't sure I'd have the patience for a puppy, and this puppy is not your average puppy!  If I just would start seeing some results soon (less biting) I would feel more encouraged. 

Julie 

My "kids" are 23, 20 and 17, so it's been awhile since I've had small children in the house.  Maybe this is practice for when I have grandchildren.  Hopefully by the time we have grandchildren she will have settled down!!  I totally understand her wanting to be by me.  Our other dog (black lab) would follow me all over the house until he started having trouble doing the steps.  Even then, if I stayed in the basement too long, he'd come find me.  She is however, going to be an outside dog.  We do not want another dog in the house for a number of reasons, one of them being I won't do that to my cats.  Our other dog was so completely mellow.  The cats would even sleep by him sometimes.  I miss him!

 Julie 

I do something different, since puppies would play with their bothers the "biting game" your hand becomes the "other puppy's mouth". With all the puppies i've had in my life i just buy a couple garden gloves and play the game with them, they "bite away" for sure but learn that only when the gloves are on it's the time to play. No gloves no play

goatmom

I have read that herding dogs need a job to do, so I'm trying to think of something to teach that could be a "job."

goatmom

Most people don't have 100 acres for a dog to play on. 

You and your dog are the perfect candidates for a herding ball:

http://www.boomerball.com/

goatmom

Our other dog was so completely mellow.  The cats would even sleep by him sometimes.  I miss him!

 Julie 

I totally understand you missing your other dog.  Just don't try to compare the new puppy you  have to your other one.  Each dog has its own unique personality, likes and dislikes.  I missed the dog we had for 15 years when we had to have him put to sleep soooooo badly!  It was like I lost a child.  A lot of people don't understand that, but if you truly are a dog person you do understand.  At first Sadie was a challenge for me and I was quite sure I would never love her as much as I did Boomer.  But boy was I wrong.  I love this girl just as much!!  I'm glad you got encouragement from everyone's comments.....we all want to help you in any way we can! 

I looked at the video of the herding ball.  What a cool thing!  That would get her biting out of her system, and she would maybe realize that she is only supposed to bite toys.

Do you have a picture here of your border collie/cross?  I don't know how to navigate around here yet.

Juliel 

OH, silly me, my computer screen is being weird and I did not see the picture there.  She is cute! 

 Nobody mentioned the best thing about herding dogs-you will always know where the kids are-they are in a corner of the backyard.  Set up some gates so the pup can have some fun playing with the kids.

I don't have one and have never worked with a herding dog, but the dogs I've met always seem to be the best companions, as long as they had a job.  They were very attentive of their people and just plain good company.

goatmom

Do you have a picture here of your border collie/cross?  I don't know how to navigate around here yet.

Juliel 

LOL!  I see you saw the avatar picture.  I just figured out how to add a picture at the bottom of my signature too.  Now to find a program to create a series of pictures in a row to paste across my signature.....oh well, another day!  Hope you are doing well with the pup Julie!

Linda