Expert: Sue - 10/25/2007

Question
We acquired a 6mo. old male border collie.  He's very loveable. But today he started gripping our legs and niffing crouches.  But the concern was when he chose to nip our behinds. It wasn't a hard bite just a soft pinch. Is this normal? We have plans to neuter but the vet wants to wait a few weeks.    Thanks you for any info you can give me.

Answer
Hi,
Sounds like your little boy is feeling his hormones!  Is this normal...unfortunately the rear attack nipping is found with herding dogs like Borders, so  a conditioned yes!  However, this should be considered inappropriate behavior.
Here is an article that addresses the puppy nipping issue that should be of assistance:  http://www.webspawner.com/users/puppydogsinfo/index.html

Thanks for  your question.