puppy aggression towards me

Question
My fiancee and I recently got an Aussie mix puppy.  He will be four months old on the 11th.  He is training wonderfully and we love him very much.  He spends most of his time with me as I am the one home all day with him while my fiancee works.  Everyone always comments on how much he seems to love me.  Which is why I'm so confused about the problem I'm having with him.  When I'm walking around the room or when he is behind me he jumps on my legs and starts growling and biting my calves. He will stop when I yell but then immediately starts up again.  He only really stops when other people intervene and tell him to.  Now trainers have told me about the herding instinct but that is usually the ankles.  He only does this to me.  My mother and grandmother have both spent time with him and he never does it to them so I assume it isn't because I'm a female.  I've tried everything the trainer recommended from putting him in a time out, shaking an empty can with coins in it, to even spitting in his food and yet he still continues to do it.  I know he loves me and I can only assume he isn't really trying to attack me.  At first he just bit but now he has added the growling.  This wasn't as bad when he was four pounds but now he is 18 pounds and still growing.  How can I get him to stop and why is he only doing it to me? I want to take him for walks but unless someone else is with me to stop him he spends the whole time jumping and biting my legs. Hope you can help.

Answer
Hi Heidi,

First off, tell your "trainer" to read some better books. It is not his herding instinct, it is not that you are not pack leader, it is simply the rehearsal of behaviors that you do not want. "Aggression" with no confidence. That's why it's from behind and growling.

Negative attention is still attention so as hard as it is to not react if he is getting something he will continue. He has it seems fairly predictable cue, he follows you around and nips from behind.

Try having him drag a leash, that way you can walk the leash away with contact from you at all. Also, spend less time with him and when you do have some of that time be training time in the house, walking around and telling him to sit, particularly at doorways as I will guess that's where he may be targeting you.

Increase his exercise a bit  as it may be the by product of boredom.

Change his equipment to something new (maybe a sensation harness www.softouchconcepts.com) so he can earn a new habit. He has already learned something else on the old equipment.

Locate a trainer that will give me better solutions. Try www.ccpdt.com.

Patience and structure. And toys to appease that mouth full of growing teeth!