Free Tips on How to Stop Herding Dog Behavior Problems

In this Omaha dog training session, we address herding dog behavior problems by teaching Roscoe, a 1-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, to move away from the door. This helps reduce his reactive and protective behavior when guests knock.

I saw many herding breed behaviors during the session. Roscoe nudged me with his nose and leaned into me to guide me in different directions. He even nipped at me a few times.

I adopted softer body language to placate Roscoe, but there were times that he was still challenging or herding me. In fact, he nipped so hard at one point that I had a bruise on my thigh for a week.

It didn’t help that I was standing throughout the session since we did it outside because of Coronavirus. To dogs, standing is the most commanding posture a human can assume. So to be standing, gesturing and talking for 3 hours was a lot for Roscoe to handle.

I suggested keeping future visits with guests shorter. Ending on a success or without the behavior problem manifesting is always best. A series of shorter, successful (non herding) visits strung together can help reduce the herding behavior.

Preventing Herding Dog Behavior Problems

At one point Roscoe started growling when I didn’t give him a treat I was holding because I was waiting for a sit first. Roscoe clearly sees himself as equal to his humans or likely in charge of their safety.

But since they didn’t see him as a leader, they didn’t follow his lead. This likely led to frustration in the dog which likely amplified the dog behavior problems I mentioned previously.

I guided one of his guardians on how to disagree when a dog starts growling to get their way. I must say, in Roscoe’s case the growl wasn’t aggressive, I think it was more of a complaining / demanding growl. Not ideal, but not aggressive.

If the guardians follow my other suggestions from this session, they should stand in between as I showed her. With proper exercise, he will learn that this behavior is not wanted.

I spent a good portion of the session talking about the leader-follower dynamic. I suggested more exercise, like the doggy stair master. I also recommended puzzle toys, such as a snuffle mat and Omega Treat ball.

We discussed adding rules and creating structure by petting with a purpose. I also recommended the guardians start rewarding desired behaviors when voluntarily given, something I call passive training.

Until the guardians change their routine, the dog will keep thinking they need to control visitors. The dog needs to see them act like leaders.

Roscoe will probably challenge them at first. However, once the dog sees the humans acting like leaders, he will feel less frustrated and stressed. This will help him take a more passive role.

How to Train a Dog to Stay Away From the Door

One activity linked to the dog’s protective behavior is guarding the door. The dog rushes to the door when guests arrive or when deliveries come.

I saw this as a chance to show how to train a dog to stay away from the door instead of rushing at it. You can learn to teach your dog to move away from the door when someone knocks. Just watch the free positive dog training video below.

This technique is a great example of the power of positive dog training. Instead of punishing the dog for bad behavior, we gave him a reason to do what we want.

The key is to go slow; practicing in small steps so the dog understands what to do throughout the exercise. You can use this method for many other problems, even if you are not a professional dog trainer.

To help the humans remember everything we covered in this in-home dog training session, like how to teach your dog to move away from the door, we recorded a summary video I like to call the “Roadmap to Success.”