Border collie particularly fearful of children

[KimStewart]

Hi,

I have a border collie (Isla). She is almost a year and a half. She is often 'on edge' or seems to be quite aroused when out of the home. The biggest concern is children. I take responisbility for this issue, when she was a puppy I was ignorant of how intimidating kids could be to a puppy, even when they are being gentle. I used to let children come up to her and stroke her. Now we have an unpredictable problem. Sometimes she will see a child from a distance and be ok. At other times, she can see them from a distace and she begins growling. But when she sees them running, she always starts growling, barking and lunging. I'm terrified that one may pop up from nowhere at some point and Isla will end up biting. She hasn't bitten anyone so far, however when she has been off the lead in a field and a child appeared, she has ran up to them and barked at them. I have had a dog behaviourist to out to us and he recommended giving her treats when he sees a child. However I'm finding this really difficult because of course you never know when one will appear and what they might do i.e. laugh, scream, run around. Please could anyone offer any suggestions? I have a muzzle and have done some muzzle training but she hates it and tries to get it off to the point where it rubs along her snout, making is sore. Feeling quite hopeless at the minute. Thanks very much in advance.

[Adrienne]

Hi Kim Stewart,

Welcome to the forums!

I am glad that you are in touch with a dog behaviorist. With such cases, for safety and correct implementation, it is best to have a professional in person right there besides you to guide you through and giving you feedback while also watching your dog for signs of possible stress. 

Now to your question: "I have had a dog behaviourist to out to us and he recommended giving her treats when he sees a child. However I'm finding this really difficult because of course you never know when one will appear and what they might do i.e. laugh, scream, run around. Please could anyone offer any suggestions?"

An unpredictable environment can be stressful both to dogs and us working with them considering that we are in super alert mode just as the dog. It's therefore important to take baby steps, always ensuring the dog is under threshold. Please read here about threshold levels in dogs:  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Do you happen to have children walk by your home and your dog can see them through the window? I know school is likely out in your area at this time due to the pandemic, but If you know your neighbor's kids are out playing,  I would take advantage of that and have your dog watch them and be fed treats tasty treats.

Even better, if you happen to have any family members with children, you can also create setups where your dog watches them safely from the window.  The advantage of that, is that you can control the environment by, for example, asking the children to walk by the window from a distance, and then progress gradually to walking closer, then running, playing with a ball etc based on how your dog does. The goal is to obtain a conditioned emotional response (oh children! where's my treat?) and go slow in the process. If your dog ever barks or growls, that's often a sign he wasn't ready for that level of exposure yet. You''ll need to take a few steps back.   I would therefore work on training "look at that' from the window.  You can find  the guide here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

I would also use the "hear that' method and play recordings of children giggling, screaming, crying yelling and feeding treats when hearing those. Here is how to implement "hear that"https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ Scroll down at the bottom for it. 

You can then move on to doing this exercise in the car, with a driver and you behind with your dog, making smacking sound every time a child is around and feeding tasty morsels. Go out on walks (in calm areas at first, where you know you can just leave and not be trapped with children everywhere) only once you gain a solid response on these  window exercises (your behaviorist should be able to tell you when), but always practice caution and scan the environment for your dog. You will have to be your dog's eyes and ears and make an about turn if you notice any children coming your way. A muzzle can certainly help you feel better and so can a vest with large "DISTANCE' wording so parents can warn children to not approach. 

For the muzzle, you may find these conditioning exercises helpful:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/

I hope this helps!

Best,

Adrienne

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog shows signs of aggression, please consult with a dog behavior professional for in-person guidance  and for safety purposes. 

[KimStewart]

Thanks for the reply. I definitely try all the above but I would struggle to not take her walks whilst we are doing the first steps of counter conditioning. She's very energetic and always wants to be on the go! Can I ask for your views on antidepressants? Would it help with the counter conditioning? Thanks again

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

I hear you about the walks, however,  brain games, trick training and shaping games (especially through clicker training) can be as tiring as walks, and if you have a yard, putting her nose to work with treasure hunts games and other games can help as well. Car rides can be tiring too. Many herding dog breeds also enjoy playing with large balls (similar to the exercise-balls humans use) such as those used for the sport of Treibball. 

If you feel she really needs the walks for her and your own sanity, it would be best to stick to areas where there are no children around so to prevent rehearsal of the troublesome behavior (maybe drive to a secluded area? hikes?) or at least, see if you can have some distance (I don't know how the COVID19 situation is your neck of the woods, but many dog owners are finding the social distancing helpful for working on behavior modification, (while on on the other hand, owners of puppies or dogs in dire need of socialization are struggling).

In regards to medications, yes, they can help to lower the threshold just enough to open up the lines to learning and start behavior modification. However, they are prescribed lightly, in other words,  the veterinarian/veterinary behaviorist will usually prescribe them in cases where behavior modification alone is unlikely to work or has a history of not working. Each case of course is different, so it is up to the prescribing vet to determine whether their use is warranted. 

[KimStewart]

Thanks very much for your help. Let's see how we get on with your suggestions!

[Adrienne]

You're very welcome! Keep me posted on how things go.