Help! My dog races to nip ankles when people turn their back!

First of all, this is not aggression – so do ensure you compartmentalize this in your mind accurately. If your dog was aggressive, they wouldn’t wait until the person leaves to tell them what they think!  What is going on here, is your dog is fearful and/or nervous. Unbeknownst to you, the dog has been worked up for most of the guests visit, asking themselves a zillion questions – Why are they here? What do they want? Should I be scared of them? Will they hurt my people? Are they good or bad?   They may sit and stare, or pace, or go stew in another room, but they are definitely concerned about the unknown person in the home. When the person goes to leave, they are physically making a new move and your pup may counter with a move of their own. As they are fearful, they are coming up from behind, and aiming low for the ankles.

Do take a moment and ponder the above. If you have experienced it, see what you can piece together. If you have yet to experience it, just watch for signs with your dog to see what their concern or anxiety level is like.
Just remember…they aren’t meaning to act out: this is a moment that they need your support and guidance.  This is not a “throw in the towel” behaviour and is something that can be managed!

First things first – keep your guests safe from ankle biters!
Ensure that your dog can’t reach your guest. This can be prevented with the use of a crate, with a leash, or a strong focus on “place training”. You can also use body language to “protect” dog and guest from each other, by positioning yourself between them.

If your dog does get a nip in, what should you do with the dog? 
First of all – be 100% hands off (with good intent or bad)
– Punishing your dog will reinforce the behaviour and ensure the dog correlates guests moving around or leaving, with negative behaviours towards the dog. (This goes for all situations…not just the topic at hand)
– Putting your hands on the dog in a good way should be avoided.  Pulling the dog towards you can be interpreted as “oh doggie, thank you for putting yourself between me and that guest…lets snuggle and coo for a minute”
Your best bet is to use spatial pressure to get your dog to back down. Keep walking towards them into their space, so they are required to back up. Keep stepping forward until the dog backs themselves into a location that is safe for both them and your guest.
Be super careful in this moment as you want to support your dog, but also not reinforce their actions. You can even ask your guest (if they are still game) to pause for a minute so the dog doesn’t “win” in the moment – this requires a very understanding guest, so may not always be the case. If they can’t stay, this topic of conversation will need to continue between you and your dog.

What to do until you have a consistent plan?
– Ensure your dog knows “place”
– Work on “say hi” with your dog – great video series here:
– If you have guests coming over, don’t make your dog be part of social time. Let them go to their crate or upstairs: just because you are entertaining, it doesn’t mean they want to (Remember enduring visits from your parents distant relatives as a kid?)
– Watch your dogs behaviour and keep a slip lead on them, in case you need to grab them quickly. Sometimes knowing they are tethered to you, offers them great comfort.

Ensure visits are a good thing?
– When your dog is ready, let them make friends with your friends.
– Have treats on hand to form good associations.
– Don’t force their interaction…do it on your dogs terms. If you say “come” and their tail drops or ears twitch, redirect your “come” to place. Proactively watch for their cues and what they are telling you.
– Practice – invite over your brave friends, your trainer, or perhaps the dogs foster parent to help you practice, practice, practice.

Other Situations
If your dog is going after ankles in different ways, there could be reasons. Herding dogs do have a job to do, and without adequate exercise outside of the home, they will bring their job inside the home.  Other dogs may just do it to get attention and it may be a bad habit that they’ve not learned to grow out of. The dog may want to play or could be bored, so ensure you are meeting their needs with lots of physical and mental stimulation!

Professional Training
Every single dog deserves the investment of professional training (who are we kidding – it’s just as much for the human as for the dog).  It’s an incredible way for both to learn and to establish solid communication between human and pup. Watch for a balanced or positive only training experience: the approach should be tailored to your dog and your situation, vs a one size fits all. (Avoid the negative approach to training – there are a few very very well known trainers whose approach has not aged well).