Hearding shelti

Question
My family just got a shelti. We have had her for about a month. She is 3 months old and named Sadie. We knew when we got her that sheltis are hearding dogs but that fact is driving us mad. She constantly heards me- jumping on, barking at and niping my feet. She also does that to bugs and our cat, the cat is sick of it and has started using claws after teasing the Sadie. We're afraid she's going to get really hurt. We've tried shutting her in her kennel, ignoring her, telling her no (wwhich she understands in everything else), and blowing on her face (that's what her breeder suggested) but nothing has worked. Is there any way to get her to stop? she's a show grade dog but if she keeps it up the cat will make sure she isn't.

Answer
One of the most difficult things in training a dog is accounting for their natural instincts correctly.  What I do is make every effort to put the dog into a situation that will use the natural instincts.  This will offer the opportunity to use those instincts in an appropriate place making it much easier to curb them at home.

With a small dog such as yours, it should be relatively easy to find a farm or 4-h club that will allow you to work Sadie on sheep or ducks/geese.  Since Shelties are pretty gentle in their herding techniques she will cause little to no stress on the animals.

Also locating a herding group in your area to help guide you through the process would be an excellent idea.  

If you cannot use this outlet, another good option for you would be flyball or even agility.  The key to your issue is more than just training-you must find an activity that will challenge Sadie both mentally and physically-this is the bane of having an intelligent dog!  However that level of intelligence also makes for a very fun and easy training partner.  

As far as manners at home, you will need to give Sadie something to do.  Teaching her to pick up her toys, find the TV remote, help with laundry...they all sound like silly parlor tricks but things like this will allow you to incorporate her into your day in a manner other than just chasing you around and biting you.  And if she is picking up toys or clothes she won't be able to bite you and the cat!

Best of luck to you,
Erica Slomka
Jumpin JACS Dog Training
We Train YOU To Train Your Dog

visit us on the web at http://www.jumpinjacs.com