nipping at faces

Question
We have a mini Aussie and he is one and a half years old.  He has almost an obsession with biting people in the face.  He will even jump up to nip a person's face.  He gets aggressive if you make a kissing sound or blow out a candle.  I have a 9 year old that he nipped right by her eye last night - what can we do?

Answer
My first advice is to stop making kissing noises, and stop blowing out candles in his presence.  Your very first objective when dealing with any form of aggression is not to trigger it.  Dogs jump up to greet, and sometimes Aussies will get mouthy because they are actually displacing what would have been normal herding behavior on to humans, since they have no sheep or cattle.  They like to control movement, or stop movement, and they sometimes like to control space - and some of them can get quite bossy about that if they haven't been trained that humans are an inappropriate target.  

So called "mini Aussies" are often bred by people who pay little attention to the temperament or genetic predispositions, in favor of size.  So, quite often, they end up with problems related to aggression, hip dysplasia, eye problems, epilepsy, hypothyroidism or excessive anxiety/reactivity.  And, they end up in pet homes, but are still hard wired to want to work.

When dogs jump up, the best solution IME is to completely ignore them.  If you have made eye contact, yelled "no" at the dog, pushed him away, etc., you may have accidentally reinforced him for this behavior.  If he never got anything (even attention) for doing it, he might quit eventually, since it failed to work.  However, you must also put in place a system of training so that you can teach him what you want him to do instead.  He probably isn't getting nearly enough physical or mental stimulation (remember, he may be small, but this is still a very intense working breed).  Things that can help: obedience training (positive or clicker works well with Aussies, because they are soooo smart); agility training; interactive dog toys (www.activedogtoys.com); tracking or nosework; or even canine freestyle training.  This is a dog that, if bored, or poorly trained, can make your life miserable.  If trained, and managed properly, the Aussie breed can be an awesome partner.

As for this dog and your child, please take precautions - don't allow him on furniture, and keep your nine year old off the floor when the dog is present.  Keep food or special toys away when they are interacting.  Have the child remain calm near the dog.  Adults should exercise the dog so that he isn't so "keen" before he has any interaction with the child.

My advice would be to consult with a good positive trainer (IPDTA or APDT have listings), or a behaviorist (IAABC or Animal Behavior Society have listings).  If your dog is not yet neutered, this would be a good time to do it.  Some behaviorists suggest a diet that is 26% or less protein for such dogs, and perhaps a supplement such as ProQuiet.  Sometimes medications help, together with a behavior modification program.  Do have a full thyroid panel done just in case - hypothyroidism can cause anxiety and aggression.  And, if your dog needs another medication, there may be an interaction between that and the thyroid medication, should he need it (thyroid meds are very inexpensive, and the test is re-done every six months) Google "Dr. Jean Dodds" and you will get lots of info on the subject.