How to Stop a Dog From Nipping with Free Shaping

In this Omaha dog training session, we teach Tucker, a 1-year-old Toy Australian Shepherd to focus on things he dislikes. This helps him create a positive association to stop a dog from nipping. Tucker is pictured here on the left with his sibling, Archer.

Why do Herding Dogs Nip?

Dogs may nip, especially kids, for many reasons. With herding breeds, it often happens because of the kids’ movement. A dog may also feel like they are in charge of the kids.

Herding dogs often nip because it’s part of their natural instinct. They were originally bred to control livestock, and nipping was one way to move animals in the right direction.

Even without sheep or cows around, that instinct can still show up—especially when they see people, kids, or other animals moving. Nipping can also happen for other reasons.

Herding puppies, like Mini Aussies, may nip during play or while teething. Some dogs nip to get attention or start a game. Others might do it when they’re bored or don’t have enough exercise. In some cases, a dog might nip if they feel scared or anxious.

To help manage puppy nipping, it’s important to start with early socialization. Letting your puppy meet different people and explore new places helps them learn what’s okay and what’s not.

Use treats and praise to reward calm behavior and gently correct nipping.

For dogs who have strong herding instincts, herding games and agility training are great activities. Don’t forget that daily exercise and mental challenges are important. They help keep your dog happy and reduce unwanted behaviors like nipping.

Mini Aussies are incredibly energetic. They need regular exercise and mental challenges to stay happy. Without these, they can get bored and cause trouble.

At the start of the session, we focused on shifting the leader-follower dynamic. The goal was to help the dogs see both the kids and adults in the home as calm and confident leaders. They needed to trust and follow them.

Tips to Stop a Dog from Nipping

To stop a dog from nipping, I decided to use “free shaping.” Free shaping is a dog training method that teaches new behaviors by rewarding small steps toward the goal behavior. This method does not use lures or physical prompts.

It encourages dogs to think for themselves and try new actions, helping build confidence and a strong foundation for more advanced skills.

I also use a method I call “click for looks.” In this method, we use clicker training to mark and reward the dog for looking at things he usually reacts to. Instead of seeing the thing as a target, it becomes the source of rewards and positive things.

This technique, called “click for looks,” will help herding dogs like Mini Aussie, Tucker. It helps them build positive feelings about things they usually react to, like fast movement or unfamiliar people.

Tucker tends to nip, especially around kids because of his herding instincts. We focused on managing his environment. We recommend avoiding high-energy situations, like roughhousing, when he’s around.

The clicker is introduced through a process called “priming.” In this process, it is paired with treats. This teaches the dog that a click means a reward is coming.

Once the clicker is ready, use it to mark when the dog looks at a target. Then, give a treat.

This teaches the dog that calmly observing, rather than reacting, leads to positive outcomes. The approach can be extended to real-world situations like watching people walk by or children playing, gradually helping the dog stay calm and engaged in the presence of common triggers.

The guardians should create situations with the kids. This will help them practice the technique to stop dog nipping.

They can start with easy tasks and then make them harder. The key will be to go at the dog’s pace so they are not reacting (lunging, barking or nipping) while they practice.

If they take their time and practice often, the dogs should learn to sit nicely. This way, the dogs won’t nip at the kids’ feet while they run around.

To help the guardians remember all the behavior tips we covered in this in-home dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video so everyone can use these tips, even if they are not a professional Mini Australian Shepherd dog trainer.