ManidaMorrell

thank you Adrienne, This helps a lot. I think I will take him to a behaviourist So they can see him first hand and see where this leads us. If they suspect any eyesight issue it will be a visit to the vet (not that he can be given glasses to see better) Otherwise I will keep up with the desensitisation an socialisation at a distance.

Hi Adrienne, I am wondering why Blue would bark at inanimate objects. He barked at a big tree stump the other day that we have walked past many times, he looked nervous and unsure. Today we walked in town and he barked at a parked car in the same manner (not done that before) It's not till I take him closer to sniff that he calms. He was not fully calm after sniffing the car and he was very tentative and nervous and jumpy while sniffing like he was afraid something would jump out and get him. He was also very whiney for most of his walk which he wasn't the last two days. He has barked at signs, bins other tree stumps etc. He has become used to the odd thing but continues to be nervous and bark. Another example is when our chihuahua runs out to bark at something outside, he pricks his ears, runs after her and starts barking but looking in all directions seeming to not even knowing really what he's barking at. My concern is.. Is it his eyesight? (When he was a pup and I was doing a recall exercise on long lead he didn't seem to know where I was and turned in all directions, the teacher thought he may have a sight problem but tested him at closer proximity and thought he was fine, long distance?) Just a very nervous dog? Anxiety genetic or otherwise? I had been taking him to training every fortnight to socialise with other dogs as he is so aggressive towards them. no real apparent reason...no bad experiences that I know of and I've had him since puppy, he first showed signs at three months at puppy school and it worsened from then on. He seemed to progress a bit where I could be around the other dogs (he'd still lunge and bark if I let my guard down a little) but has regressed right back and maybe worse since I stopped classes. He will walk well when it's just him and me. Sorry for long post. I'm really worried for him as there just seems to be no reason for his reactiveness. And the fact that it started when he was a 3month old.

Thank you Adrienne, I've had some success with the loose leash walking mixed with sniffing. He really loves being on long lead. And walking in the middle of the path works great to minimise distractions. Still working on the recall

I need help please... Sorry this may be a long post, I'm having a few issues that I'm getting quite frustrated with, maybe a stage he's going through, adolescence? Blue (Border Collie) is now 14months old. Treats and toys... 1. He steals treats and toys from his chihuahua sister and always has unless we watch/stop him. It's like he always wants what she's having and as soon as he's snatched one thing if she picks up something else he immediately drops what he just stole to take that as well. Not sure how to deal with this which leads to the next issue... 2. We have come home after being out for the day and she seems to cower away from him (rough play or treat snatching, I'm not sure?) I usually leave Blue with lots of treat puzzles to keep him busy for a while (stacked cups with treats in them, Kong, hidden treats to find, an ear. I usually give Kiki a smaller piece of ear so she has a chance to eat it before Blue can possibly steal it. She has it in her bedroom with the door open enough for her to get through. He's not allowed in but that probably doesn't stop him from pushing the door open, I'm not sure? Next two issues are recall and walking in distracting areas... 1. He knows his basic commands, sit, down, stay, wait, come, heel. What I have trouble with is his heeling/walking beside me when out walking in the forest or park ( he is always on lead). I practice stopping till he comes back to my side, gently pulling him as I walk backwards till he is beside me or I turn and walk in the other direction but he continually creeps on front of me or keeps pulling until I have to drag him away from a smell. He will pull in other directions if he smells something on the side of the track and walks with his nose to the ground all the time. This leads him to not being aware of my body cues like when I turn. I'm not sure where to go from here, should I be letting him sniff? Or when on walks should he be walking head up unless I stop and tell him it's ok to sniff? Also, treats don't stop him from creeping or pulling, he will just revert back to this after a treat for being good for a little bit. 2. Recall.... in the backyard he has started ignoring me won't come unless he knows he will get a treat. If we are playing fetch in the backyard or field his recall doesn't exist all that matters to him is the ball. I've tried playing fetch with him on the long lead, having the ball on the ground a little distance away and calling him to me and treating him when he does. It is very hard for him and as soon as I let him off lead he won't come. I hope I have included everything. Manida

Hi Jenn, Blue loves to chase with a passion. He will only bring the frisbee back 1/4 to 1/2 the way back to me which is very frustrating.

Wow, that was long but great! This gives me a lot to think about and to talk with mum about. I think we will have to retrace our steps to see if something has happened to cause it. Thanks

Is it ok to allow your dog to sleep on the bed with you or sit on the couch next to you? Or does this confuse the leadership position I have let Blue up on a couple of occasions and he doesn't seem to have changed that I can see (maybe in a subtle way that I don't see I don't know). My mum let's her chihuahua on the couch, lap and bed and she seems to have changed in her reactions toward me (weather this is a result of this is my question) Sometimes she growls as I walk into the room, sometimes when she's on the bed and I go to pat her, growls and bites if you put your hand in her crate or basket the bites are firm don't draw blood. Mum and I think that maybe sometimes it could be that she was asleep (on bed or couch) and was frightened when woken. She never used to be this way. She's never been mistreated, we've had her since a pup. It's very frustrating.

I have let Blue up on a couple of occasions and he doesn't seem to have changed that I can see (maybe in a subtle way that I don't see I don't know). My let's her chihuahua on the couch, lap and bed and lately she has become quite aggressive with me. She growls as I walk into the room at times, she growls when on the bed, growls and bites if you put your hand in her grate or basket (good thing the bites don't draw blood. She never used to be this way. She's never been mistreated, we've had her since a pup. It's so frustrating.

My Blue hates his shower and hates being brushed

is it ok to allow your dog to sleep on the bed with you or sit on the couch next to you? Or does this confuse the leadership position?

Quick question is there a time when a dog is too old to crate train. Eg: 1year?

Thanks so much Adrienne, I know it's going to take time but I'm much more confident things are going to change for Blue and in a much more positive way. I never knew this guild website existed, thankyou, this is way better than what I have found on google haha. And if I have to travel for Blue then I will.

Just had a very quick session with Blue, I think he did well. Had the sound on lowest again but I had mum hold it a couple meters away. I sat on a chair with cooked sausage pieces and as soon as he realised (pricked his ears) I started feeding him in quick succession. He let off a single bark maybe 4 times (better than my first attempt when he just flipped but I don't think I was ready for his reaction the first time) and was quite quick and a bit grabby with taking the treats. He stayed sitting/standing in front of me 90% of the time always very alert. I was thinking of doing this twice a day, is that too much?

Hi Jennifer, I really think that the alpha training I was taught to do has made his problems way worse, I'm pretty devastated with his reactions to dogs now, it makes me really sad for him as I just want him to have a good happy life. It also makes it so much harder for me and is quite frustrating as I just want to be able to walk out in public with him and Maybe stop at a cafe that allows dogs out front. I'd rather take him out with me than leave him at home all the time. I think it's going to be a tough rehab but he's a smart dog so hopefully this will help (border collie)

I played the recording at its lowest and provided him with treats he loves. He almost immediately loses focus and disregards the treat. The second time I tried he snatched it and my finger but response was the same, way over threshold. I'm actually in Western Australia, Bunbury being the closest city 6230. I've been trying to find a behaviouralist who has this positive approach around the area but no luck finding one as yet.

Hi Adrienne, Thank you this makes a lot of sense. The trainer I went to uses the alpha/pack leader method with her training (which I'm not sure about) and has told me to... "Ignore Blue for a week or two. Make him work for everything. Be aloof towards him. Don't give him eye contact unless it is to put him back in place. Don't allow any dominant behaviour from him. Don't let him off the lead if you have no control over him (and he knows it!)". "ignore him when you get up, or come home. Only briefly pet him when he is calm and move on again." And when on walks... "By barking and being aggressive towards other dogs, Blue is openly challenging your authority. Develop zero tolerance to it. He needs to walk behind you or at least next to you. Every time he barks or growls to another dog or car, raise your chin and turn your head just enough so you can glare back at him from the corner of your eye. Jerk his leash sharply or bump into him, say "Leave it!". Don't' shout or he'll think you panic. Just firmly. If he ignores you after this, raise your chin even higher, turn around and walk into him ("get back"). If he doesn't step back, barge through him so he gets out of your way submissively . Every time you make him step back submissively out of your way, you earn the right to be obeyed a little bit more. Always remember to keep your chin raised as you barge through him. If he continues to defy your authority by barking at another dog, make the decision he can't even look at another dog. Every time he tries, barge straight through him and make him go back 5 or 6 paces. As soon as you stop, remind him to "leave it". Once he's calmly and quietly ignoring all other dogs no matter what they do, you know you're finally the boss of him out in public." This all seems a bit cold and aggressive as well and I want a companionship not a domineering relationship. In relation to working below his threshold, this I have found to be almost impossible. He barks and acts madly when he hears a recording of a dog bark at the lowest setting and He loses all focus and sense. At the park today he saw a dog at quite a distance from him and once he spotted it he lunged, barked and lost all control or focus. I had to keep walking into him for some meters until the other dog was out of sight. (When any dog is visible no matter how far his focus flips to it). Also for the first time ever he barked at a boy running across the park. I know he's only 8months and still a teenager of sorts but it worries me that I won't be able to change this behaviour. He is a very smart and happy dog otherwise. Any more suggestions on how to work with him would be much appreciated. Manida

Hi, I did read the post on aggression around toys and possible resource guarding but wondered if my dogs aggression needed to be dealt with differently. 6.5mth border collie aggressive towards other dogs (lunges and barks). No idea why. My dog obedience trainer suggested it was because he wasn't walking on a loose lead which caused tension and therefore aggression and that he would be a different dog off lead. I went on a group walk with other dogs from my basic obedience class and their owners and let him off lead. He was fine yet extremely submissive when any dog approached him to the point of wetting himself. Since then I have taken him to a dog park to let him off lead, I had kept him distracted by throwing a rope toy and trying to keep away from other dogs with no incident. Three weeks ago I took him to the same park to meet a friends dog for the first time. We entered the park from opposite sides, things were fine then it was like he just snapped, he attacked the dog and started running at another. We ended up walking the two dogs together on lead for 20 minutes and by the end of it there were no more incidents. He is now after another couple of visits at home able to be around this dog. Usually if big dogs approach him he will submit tail between legs wee himself and grovel although yesterday at the park he ran at a larger dog threatening and barking. With little dogs he will try to attack them straight away. he ran at and attacked a cavalier yesterday at the park, unharmed but both the owner and I were in shock. It just seems so out of the ordinary for a 6.5 mth old. It doesn't seem normal to me. I bought him from a breeder and there have been no incidences of him being attacked by another dog. I wont let him off lead at a park anymore, possibly not even walk him on lead at park, this behaviour is unacceptable to me. But it leaves us both a little depressed when we can't have the freedom and fun at the park. I'm really not sure how to deal with the issue. It has been said that he doesn't see me as the pack leader and is pushing his boundaries (aggression seems to extreme for that?). I thought maybe it was in his breeding? I don't know. I first noticed this behaviour when he was about 3mths old, he snapped at another puppy and also barked at another adult dog while on a walk. Is this kind of aggression fixable? It restricts us from doing a lot of social things. Manida

Thank you so much Adrienne, this is great advice and so many options to try, I'm sure he will learn with these tips. He loves the chase and crouches down waiting for it to be thrown again. Manida

Hi, I have a 6.5 month border collie. I'm trying to teach him to fetch. He absolutely loves to chase a ball, toy frisbee anything I throw but he won't bring it back. He will stop half way, drop and chew it or just leave it there. I don't like to go and pick it up as I don't want him to learn that that's part of the game, I want him to learn that if he brings it back he gets to chase it again. Do you have any advise as to what I should do? Manida

Thankyou so much for the advise. I will put it into action.

Another junior member here, I've had the same sort of problem but my nieces and nephew don't live with us so it's only been once and a few attempts with us. My niece was sitting on a chair out back with food on the chair next to her and my 3mth pup (border collie) just came up and started chowing down. She wasn't big enough to push him away. Twice he's jumped onto the table via the chairs, once to see out the window to find me the other I can't remember. I'm looking forward to more "lovely" adolescent behaviour in the future... not.

Hi, I have a 3 and a half month old male border collie pup. He lives with a 10 month old female chihuahua puppy (scary combination given he is so boisterous and she's so small but that's another issue). The problem I'm having is when I put him outside for any reason like being too rough with the chi, just for him to have outside time or to feed him (as soon as he's finished) he will bark constantly to come back in. He just doesn't seem happy at all to have any time by himself. I've tried to ignore him for a while and then catch him when he's not barking to let him in but there seems to be no improvement. There is always someone at home and he does spend a good bit of time inside. Thanks for any advise in advance, mum and I are going a little crazy