puppy biting on children

Question
Hello
I have a border collie female mix she is 13 weeks old, my two boys 7 and 10 can not walk anywhere in the house without her jumping up and running to where they are and then latching on to there pant legs or feet..when my 10 year old trys to tell her no she barks at him.. she is a great and wonderfully smart puppy in every other way but this.. we have tried all the tips for mouthing we could find and nothing works... except 95% of the time when I tell her no or I walk in to the area where she has the boys she will stop...we love her dearly and do not want to get rid of her.. she was undernurshed and had a broken ankle when I purchased her did not know this until I took her to the vet and she has had some fractures to her right hip. I bought her at 8 weeks old and did not know of these things..could she be aggressive because possibly she was abused before I bought her.. she receives nothing but love from us even the boys who she herds and bites.  

Answer
Hello Michelle,

Your pup does not sound aggressive at all at this point but rather energetic.  At 13 weeks of age your pup is teething and will be for some time.  Your boys need to learn how to be assertive with your pup so that she doesn't become dominant over them.  This is quite easy to do at this age because you can prevent bad habits now.

Firstly, make sure your boys understand that they are not to allow the pup to jump on them.  Teach them the proper way of correcting their puppy without being too harsh.  Your children are not too young to understand some basic obedience techniques.  Let them know that they are the boss when you are not around.  

Secondly, make sure your pup isn't the first one out the door when the boys are taking her outside.  This signals to her to follow, not lead.  Make her sit at the door while you answer it if someone comes to visit so she doesn't dash to the door and jump on visitors.  Have your kids help you with this.  Teach your kids how to be consistant with these little training sessions and you'll have a well behaved pup.

Next, let your puppy know what IS acceptable to chew on, such as raw hide chews or a sock with a knot tied into it.  Everything else is off limits and be consistant with your teaching of that, as well as the boys.  Her teething stage should start to diminish around 8 months of age.  Set boundaries for her now while she is little.  Do it lovingly but firmly and verbally praise her only for the good behavior she does.

Thank you for your question.

Ann Jordan
BorderCollieCoach.com