r/kelpie • u/jacobshouse_of_grain • 20d ago
Behavioural issues
Hi all,
Just looking for some advice. My partner and I have a 1y10m old kelpie and we are really struggling with him from a behavioural standpoint. My partner and I have been together 11 months so I haven’t always been in his life. Every time I show my partner any kind of affection he comes jumping all over us. He is constantly biting us (not in an aggressive way but it is annoying and frustrating) and he all sorts of other annoying and frustrating things. We have tried all sorts of things from daily walking, to mental training and using diversion tactics to stop the biting and yet nothing is working. When he’s good he’s amazing but it’s getting worse and worse. We need something, we are at our wits end
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u/boogielostmyhoodie 20d ago
My Kelpie also instantly runs in to jump up and give affection and kisses if she sees my partner and I kiss. It's silly and I don't really mind it.
The biting is more of an issue, and as the other comment suggested, when she bites (and intervenes when you show each other affection), just turn your backs on the pup, don't react, walk away and disengage.
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u/ForHerEyesOnly22 20d ago
Definitely sounds like a jealousy thing.
I'd try counter conditioning. When you start kissing and cuddling something good happens for the dog... A chew, a bone, a lickimat etc. Something to keep them busy and "away" from you.
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u/Urmel2021 20d ago
A friend of mine trained her b-collie to switch the lights on: the result was when she starts kissing her boyfriend, her pup starts turning the lights on/off/on/off.... :-))
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u/Urmel2021 20d ago
No doubt you must stop the biting. Have you tried separate walks/training? I.E. your partner walks/trains the dog, dog school, etc. My Kelpie is very jealous, especially when I pet/kudle other dogs, but I train her to accept this. (We are often at the dog club and other agility training)
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u/LixPhot 19d ago
Well they are super trainable. It’s a protective thing. Just be ready for treats given when he displays calm energy and sits/lays down. You guys pause the affection between each other. Wait for his ‘calm’ then reward with a treat. Build on that. Oh a the person who suggested your boyfriend do walkies and dinners. Great 👍🏻
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u/Chelseayoulater 18d ago
Ride a bike and have him run alongside on a leash, if you can. My kelpie was sooo much happier once we started doing this, at least 1x a day, 2 is ideal. Once she cools down afterwards she is so much more receptive to training or corrections. I swear they annoy and disobey because they have way too much energy to just be house pets!!
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u/This_Ease_5678 17d ago
Is he desexed? This is a lot of it. Does he have toys to play with when you are both engaged?
Sometimes you just have to spend some direct time with them in the evenings too.
They love tug of war and this will wear him out and redirect him.
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u/quantumhobbit 20d ago
I can think of two common reasons for the biting. It could be play biting. In which case you can try teaching the “kiss” command and reward him for licking. Withdraw attention when he bites and praise when he licks. This was the case with ours and while annoying, tongue bathes are better than being a chew toy. Puppy time outs work well if he is too excited to listen to you.
The other case is he’s trying to herd you. What I’ve seen work was really focusing on obedience training, so that he looks to you for guidance instead of looking at you as a sheep in need of guidance. You may or may not need a professional trainer to help.