Have you decided to get a Border Collie puppy, but you’re worried about their reputation for biting and nipping? Or are you like many who already own one, but can’t control its urge to bite and chew at will?
This blog post will look into why Border Collie puppies bite and then provide you with solutions to combat the problem.
To stop a Border Collie from biting, you need to know why they bite. Here are the reasons your Border Collie may bite you:
Why Border Collie Puppy bite and chew
1. Playing
When a Border Collie is a puppy, biting comes naturally to it. It chews a lot, reminiscent of what the species do when hunting in the wild.
As puppies, chewing and biting are how Collies discover and learn about their surroundings and everything else around them.
To your Collie, everything is new and exciting, and they want to explore and have a feel of things, hence the constant biting and chewing.
2. Teething
Teething, also known as Odontiasis, affects border collies until 6-8 months.
Odontiasis is when they lose their baby teeth and start growing adult ones.
When this happens, they experience discomfort, leading to a Border Collie puppy biting more than usual.
They do this to limit the discomfort they feel from the teething. And even you can be at the end of it.
3. Defensive reasons
Your Border Collie can also start biting and chewing for defensive reasons. They may begin biting if they feel it is the only way to guard their resources, like toys and food, or even claim their favorite spot in the house.
How to stop your Border Collie from biting
Now that you know why your Collie is biting or nipping at everything, it is time to learn how to stop it from doing so all the time.
As stated earlier, Border Collie bites for three significant reasons. The reasons are Defensive, Teething, and playing.
I will discuss how to stop your Border Collie from biting, especially when they do so, for the reasons mentioned above.
1) Offer Chew Toys
If your Border Collie is biting because of teething problems, offering them softer chew toys to nibble at to their heart’s content is ideal.
Your Border Collie will focus on this one toy without damaging the other things in the home or biting you.
I recommend getting Kongs as they come in a hollow shape that stores treat, which can help to keep your Border Collie satisfied.
2) Regulate their Excitement
Collies love to play a lot and can be hyperactive. They are so hyper that they can start chewing or biting things. You can correct them by making a loud noise when they bite or nip at your heels.
After making this loud sound, you can stop playing with it for a short while. When you consistently do this, they know that biting is wrong and can mean no more playing.
Another way to stop them from biting you when playing is to take a break, and when you return, offer them a toy instead.
If they are still grinding after this, you should introduce less aggressive games like ball throwing.
Such games can help them understand they can have fun without aggression or biting others.
3) Remove their Reasons for being Defensive
Your Border Collie can be defensive for many reasons.
For some Collies, they become defensive to guard their things or favorite spots, while others don’t appreciate touching in a certain way. If your Collie is defensive over a toy or bowl, you should take it away from it.
With such items away, the Collie will focus on other things in the house.
For the toys, you can exchange them with another toy or rotate the toys.
Changing toys will stop your Collie from getting attached to one particular toy.
4) Don’t give them Territorial Rights
Your Collie can also become defensive to guard a particular spot. If that is so, ensure they don’t spend too much time in that spot.
Preventing your Collie from being attached to a specific spot will force the dog to adjust its behavior, or it won’t be allowed to stay in its favorite area.
You can even create a “puppy-proofed” – a place where you keep the dog when they start biting or become too hyper.
Items/Toys to help your Border Collie from biting
There are a lot of things in the market that you can buy to stop your Border Collie from biting.
They are:
1. Kong
2. Puzzle toys
3. Peanut butter
4. Carrots
5. Crate
You can also apply no-chew spray on the legs of tables and chairs.
The no-chew sprays have a bitter taste and will prevent the Collie from chewing furniture legs.
At what age does Border Collie stop biting?
A Border Collie puppy should stop biting between six-eight months. Of course, you can make them stop biting before then by following the steps stated above.
Conclusion
Many things make your Border Collie bite; all you need to do is find the causes and proffer solutions.
The critical takeaway is to train them to know right from wrong. Eventually, the dog will stop biting and nipping at things.
