Shy, timid, destructive dog... advice please?

Question

I recently adopted a 3 year old male border collie. He is very sweet, but very timid and shy. When he meets someone new he partically lays down and crawls over the the person. When he feels a little more comfortable he hugs the person. Other times he wraps he front paws around the person's leg. We have tried toys (plush, balls,ropes) and he doesn't pay to much attention to them. We have given him pig ears before and he likes those. We also try and take him out for at least 30 mintues to and hour and a half each day. If we take him out for just 30 mintues we usually play with him inside, but if he are playing and something makes a noice he runs and hides in the closet. Even when out side he will go to the bathroom, but as soon as he is done he wants to go back inside. He has peeped and pooped in the house which that isn't so much as the problem. It is the destructiveness of the walls and blinds while we are at home and when we are not.

I have had dogs before, but never has the dogs acted like this. Would trainning be the best? How do I help he calm down? Serious advice is welcome and appericated!

Animal control found him wandering the streets. So I don't know anything about his past.

To serving the Lord I meant advice on my dog not how I type. I could care less on how I bad I type. I just wanted advice on my dog. So if you feel the need to say something about people's typing skills why not go to the computer section?

Answer 1

Contrary to what the person who is addicted to the TV show Ceaser or something said, This little gut is not a dominant personality.

The laying down and crawling is completely submissive. So is the clinging to someone with his body and feet - he craves approval.

The crate is an excellent thing. I prefer the wire crates because they collapse flat for storage unlike those hulking plastic things.

Cover the wire crate with a blanket so it makes a nice den where he can hide when frightened - just like his going into the closet.

Now when he panics about a noise, be very calm and very casual and very "what sweetie, whats wrong, come here" and wrap your arms around him and make nice and talk to him.

Now the attacking windows and walls. That, believe it or not, is from fear. Fear of being confined and unable to escape from danger. If you are home, you are going to have to be watching him - maybe make one room attack proof like where the washer/dryer are - tough to hurt those - wher ehe can spend a lot of time. The safer he feels with you there, the less he will do it.

Until he is more confident and secure, he is going to fight like crazy about being confined in a crate. Think of it as doggy claustrophobia.

When you leave him, he will be doubly panicked - feeling deserted, no escape. Put his den/crate in the most dog proofed area you can arrange. Leave him access to it.

Now to get him used to the crate - remember this animal is terrified - coax him and give him treat. Don't close the door. If he sstarts to stress, move and let him out.

keeping doing this until he goes in fairly happily - without a fight is more accurate.

Then try closing the door for a couple minutes with you righ there.

Next time a liitle linger, the next a little longer still...

When he is doing 10 minutes with the door closed you can start moving away from the crate but staying where he can see you. Increase the time. When he does 25-30 minutes with you in sight across the room, try going out of the room for a minute or two. Keep increasing the time.

Is this slow? Yes. Is it necessary? Yes. You want to instill a sense of trust and safety in him.

Does all of this work! YES!

I trained a Aussie/Keeschond/Chow cross to be a Service Dog who had been an abandoned stray and when rescued did every single thing that your dog does - well, she ate doors and went through windows instead of just ripping them up..... She went on to be a working Service Animal for a person with a disablity and did a fabulous job goign everywhere out in public with her person. She never did play with toys though no matter what.

After, he feels safer,you might get him interested in playing with toys if you first roll a ball to him and introduce the idea of chasing the ball. Border collies are high prey-driven dogs - love to run and chase as part of their herding heritage. He may never do but it is not a big deal. Buy him some real bones from the grocery - just boil them first before you give them to him.

If you want to understand his personality, go here and fill out the test and read about what the scores mean:

http://www.volhard.com/training/cpp.htm

I would hold off on going to obedience classes until he feels much much more secure with you. Forcing him out into a new and very stressful situation will just reinforce his fears at this time. Wait until the panicking at home over normal things eases off or he feels safe running to you if frightened. Can't train a dog if he gets to the class, hits the ground cowering and might even pee from fear.

If your yard isn't fenced, use a long line so he can explore more away from you. Great for teaching "come." Now when teaching come" you are alwasy always going to be happy in your voice tone and over-the-top of pets hugs and cuddles. If you have to express disapproval make it a sad, disappointed tone. Insist he come even if you have to reel him in but sound happy and loving as you make him.

Here is an excerpt from notes on "come" and long lines:

Go to the hardware store. Get 3 lengths of ¼ inch to 3/8 inch soft nylon line – 20 foot, 50 foot and 100 foot. Get 3 snaps. Tie the snaps on one end and make a loop handle on the other.

Start with the 20 foot line. Use a slip collar that is fitted so there is 3 fingers of space between the dog’s neck and the collar.

Hook the line on her collar. Hopefully she knows sit and wait. If not, teach it to her. If she does know sit and wait, put her in a sit, step back 2 or 3 steps and call her. If she doesn’t come, haul her in with the line.

When she comes over a distance of 5-6 feet, move back to 10-12 feet and call her.

Repeat this process until she is working on the 100 foot line.
NEVER TAKE HER OUTSIDE WITHOUT A LEASH (6 ft) OR ONE OF THE LONG LINES. NEVER TURN HER LOOSE OFF LEAD AND CALL HER UNTIL SHE COMES 100% OF THE TIME ON THE 100 FOOT LINE WITH ALL KINDS OF DISTRACTIONS, IE: OTHER DOGS, KIDS PLAYING, TOYS BEING THROWN IN HER PATH AS SHE COMES, ETC.

When you say “come” and she doesn’t, haul her backside into you using the line repeating “come”, “come”.

When she gets to you – willingly or unwillingly, praise and pet and make a big fuss and tell her that she is such a good girl.

Never ever ever call a dog to you to punish them.

Using treats is silly because one day you will start to forget the treats or not have them or something, and the next time you call her, she'll remember not getting the treat and figure "why bother?"

Clickers are just flat stupid - they are for people who are too dumb to figure out how to quickly say "GOOD DOG" in a happy, excited voice.

You always have your hands and your voice. Use them

Answer 2

The first thing I would do...

Get a copy of Cesar Millan's Book (s). He's the dog whisperer on the National Geographic Channel...and he's awesome with dogs.

I understand his first season is also out on DVD.

Your shy, timid border collie is also dominate i.e. "When he feels a little more comfortable he hugs the person. Other times he wraps he front paws around the person's leg."

To help with his destruction, I would suggest getting a dog kennel for his size. He needs enough room to sit and to lay down. He will also use it when he is scared. It will be his "den."

My brother has a border collie and she's extremely smart and neurotic. However, since we've been using Cesar's techniques, she's doing better. It will take some time but our four legged friends are worth it.

Also, there's spot removers you can buy (PetSmart, Petco and Wal-Mart) that contain enzymes. It will clean any stain left behind from your dog; including urine, feces, blood, vomit, etc. The enzymes will remove the order as well. ((That way, he won't continue to go back to the same spot.))

Also makes sure he's getting plenty of exercise. This breed is high energy. He probably needs at least a 30 minute walk in the morning and another in the afternoon/evening. ((And continue your play time)).

Best wishes!

((It is better not to be rude, you may have to eat your own words. I wasn't slamming your typing. I was typing your answers.))

I still say, Best wishes!

Answer 3

My mother adopted a dog with similar issues at first. She was 2yrs old when my mother found her and she had been abused with just about everything. Whenever anyone would come to the house she would run and hide, and if someone picked up a broom, spoon,etc, she would tuck her tail and hide. She would tear up whatever she could reach when noone was home.
My suggestion is just try to be patient with him. Just keep giving him the love and attention that he needs and try and teach him what he can and cannot do. It will take some time(especially if he was abused) but he will get the hang of things and understand that he is safe where he is now. As far as the toy thing, try to play with him with the toys. The more you pay attention to the toys AND him the more he'll pay attention to the toys. My mother's dog got into a pasifier toy...too cute the way she carried it...lol
Hope this helps and good luck!

P.S. remember lots of love! :-)

Answer 4

border collies have addictive personalities. Try to get him to like a certain toy so much he can't live without it (a kong with peanut butter or ham inside). Then when he's feeling destructive he will go to that toy. Also, crate training is a very good idea for a dog like this.

As for the hiding when he hears a noise, try to desensitize him. Maybe make a tape of the sounds that bother him and play is very softly while you're playing and petting and feeding, and increase the volume gradually. Keep the TV on when you're not home.

Answer 5

It's very possible he was abused, but people always seem to assume that fearful dogs were abused, when the truth is that most often its a genetic, inherited fearful temperament. If this dog truly was abused and has a stable temperament, he'll come around on his own and fairly quickly. In the meantime, keep your kids away from him - fearful dogs can bite. The best thing you can do for him is socialize him as much as possible - take him as many places as you can. Do some obedience training with him each and every day and you need to find out what his currency is. Does he work for praise, treats, a good session with a tug or ball? Find out, and use lots and lots of positive reinforcement with this dog. Dogs gain confidence from success, so teach him as much as possible and let him succeed. Your husband needs to get involved with his feeding, grooming, walking and training. Don't give the dog the opportunity hide in the bushes or behind your legs. You're not doing him any favors by doing that. A fearful dog isn't in the thinking part of his brain, their in the limbic (hind) brain. They can't learn anything so your husband needs to start slowly to build trust. Lots of small bites of high value treats, combined with a ton of praise, should work. If you need professional help with this dog, please get it. Inexperienced dog owners aren't equipped to help a dog like him without help.

Answer 6

You need to get him either a crate or a 4 foot by 4 foot exercise pen, at least for a while. Put him in when you can't be home, along with some toys and a few treats. I believe that once he's totally settled in and feels safe and secure, the destructiveness will stop. Border collies are dogs who are highly intelligent - they need a lot of exercise, but as well, they need mental stimulation - obedience is great for them to keep their minds busy.

What I'd do if this was my dog is teach him obedience at home for now (no classes yet). Dogs gain a lot of self confidence from succeeding, so as you're teaching him (with lots and lots of praise and patience), he's getting more confident and feeling safer. With time, this is going to help bring him out of himself, making him less shy. You don't know his background, so you don't know what may have happened to him, so you need to help him recover.

By confining him when you're not home, you're stopping his destructiveness. Combine that with lots of exercise and training (keeping the lessons short, vary the exercises and use lots of praise) and I'm sure he'll be ok. He's still relatively new to you and has to develop trust.

Answer 7

Border Collies are inherently anxious and easily stressed. Because your dog was a stray...there is the chance he has been abused, and unfortunatley, due to the breed of dog he is, it will be very difficult to change his behaviours. He should definitley have a safe place in the house where he can hide out...like a pillow inside a crate...but the crate should never be closed on him (you want it to be his den, but you don't want him to feel trapped). You may also want to build up his self esteem with advanced training or agility (but it may be overwhelming). Just keep up what you are doing, and make sure you do not change the routine very much and he will begin to settle down because what he needs is predictability. My mom has two rescued purebred border collies, and they are both weird...you just have to learn to accept them with all their strange traits!

Answer 8

I have a Border Collie puppy... wonderful and intelligent dogs they are! Well, the shy and timid thing are considered undesirable in breeding Border Collies (not your fault). I think with time and patience he will come around. A training class would be helpful as it will expose him to other people and dogs and how to socailize with them hopefully.

As for the destructive behavior, that's not unusual for this breed. They tend to be like that when they are bored. Border Collie's are so smart and need mental stimulation. A daily walk isn't enuf for them (not saying that's all you do by the way, just sharing what I know).

I would say that you will need to increase your play time with your pup and maybe even contact a reputable breeder of these wonderful dogs for suggestions on good entertainment for your dog.

We are persuing agility with ours, as they really excel in this sport and it gives them a "job" to do and keep them happy. If this is something you might want to look into, contact your local agility club for suggestions of good trainers in your area. You don't have to compete to do agility, but just do it on a fun level for you and your dog.

Good Luck!

Edit: you also might consider crating your guy when you have to be away from home to minimize his ability to be destructive.

Answer 9

Ok He was abused. buy you a crate, Be nice and buy a nice size one so that it wont be too confining. Turn it into a doggie condo. Someplace he can reteat to as he needs to. Plus when you leave him you can lock him in there. Thus stopping the destruction. Never use a crate as punishment. This has to be his happy place. I would also take to a trainer for further advise.

Answer 10

look up bitter apple for the destruction problem, anywhere you spray your dog will not eat bite or lick (even their bu tt) My doggy is scared of everything outside of the house or yard and I haven't figured out how to break her of that. but I do recomend a crate for during the day till the dog is trustworthy. good luck