Noise Issues

Question
My 5 yo Aussie, Sam, has some issues with noise. He is a rescue that we have had for 3.5 years. We are unsure of his background before we got him. So his problem seems to be with things like phones, doorbells, the computer printer and most recently our baby crying. Noises like this stress him out. For example, if the phone rings he will run to me and as I am walking to the phone he tries to nip my hand. The most recent problem seems to be our 1 yo son. He and Sam get along great but if the baby falls or bumps himself and he ends up crying then Sam runs to him and gets in his face and then nips us while we are in the process of trying to get to the baby to see what is wrong. We are afraid he will end up nipping the baby in the face.
We have done agility training with Sam but have recently moved to another state and have not yet found a place to work with him. He has also had some professional training and we worked on the door bell issue but but he can't seem to get past it. He seems to have gotten worse over the past couple of weeks with the door bell and is even biting us as we try to make him stay in his place.  We have tried going back to square one with his training and his place but he is getting more aggressive at the door and we are afraid he might bite someone.  Other noises like the vacuum send him looking for a toy that he can destroy.
Any ideas to help Sam get over his noise problem?

Thanks!  

Answer
Well, if by "making him", you mean forcing him physically to "stay", then my advice would be to adopt a different training method.  I like to use clicker training with the herding dogs, since they hate force, but love to "work" and once they understand what you want, are quite biddable.  It could be that what the dog has really learned is not to stay in his place, but that the sound of the bell predicts bad things, such as your displeasure, or being physically restrained.  Deference training is a great idea, but do it using positive means, with no physical coercion.  I think that you should consult a certified behaviorist who can work with you on the noise issues, especially since you are encountering increased aggressive nipping.  He could simply be trying to "do his job", or "move you" the best way he knows how, but it's inappropriate, and you do need to address it.  Since the problem seems multi-faceted, get professional help.  Don't despair, these dogs are smart, and they learn quickly.  You can find a behaviorist at the Animal Behavior Society web site, or at IAABC.