Boarder Collies ARE nuts?

Question

I have a boarder collie, He is a great dog, very loving and very friendly. So the problem is, He is too loving and friendly, and when he gets that lovin feelin, he will not listen. This is not just when is comes to romance either, if he sees a person he will not listen he takes off to get affection from them but not all of us are dog lovers and some of us are afraid of dogs, even on a lead this will happen, my normally obediant friend no longer hears me, if a guest comes to the house, same thing and now I have to put him in another room or out in the yard to stop him from jumping up, which he knows is not allowed, I don't get it, when its us at home he is very well behaved and follows commands and is the 'perfect dog' but throw someone new in or another dog and he may as well belong to someone else, he will not listen.

I'm sorry , BRB?

Answer 1

Hi as a breeder of Border Collie I highly recommend he goes to a training school to divert some of this energy & they will help you work with him amongst other people & dogs so he gets the training he needs...It would be far worse if he was an aggressive dog so at least you have a great friendly dog to work with & he should do well...Training a dog is very rewarding & something you can be really proud of when you have got a well trained dog at the end of it...Regards Jake

Answer 2

"I don't get it, when its us at home he is very well behaved and follows commands and is the 'perfect dog' but throw someone new in or another dog and he may as well belong to someone else, he will not listen."

THE WORD IS "DISTRACTIONS"!

I'll bet anything that you did the "train doggy at home by myself" thing or maybe a Petsmart puppy class (the watered down fast food fad-oriented training.)

Now the downside of trainng that way is that he never learned that he still had to obey in the face of tempting and fascinating distractions.

It is a no-brainer to teach a dog sit, come or whatever in the quiet of your living room. What is tough is getting the dog to always obey with people, confusion, noise, other dogs.....

The only way to do that is to take him up under those conditons and PRACTICE.

I will deliberately set a dog for the chance to blow a command because he is stargazing at dogs barking across the street, or their is a bike or kids running or.... If he doesn't make a mistake, he doesn't learn what is not the correct response.

These training fads of "doggy misbehaves, ignore it and distract him" don't exactly teach him to pay attention. Then there is the "please please sit and I'll give you a cookie" - and what do you do the day he would rather chase the rabbit (a distraction) and come for the cookie, eh??

Add to this that he is a BORDER COLLIE - a very prey driven breed who are visually or actually 'on' anything that moves.... The upside is they can very very easily be taught NOT to distract from their job - which is anything you tell him to do (and that is why so many of the top AKC obedience/agility dogs are BCs.)

You need to get him in situations were he can choose to misbehave in excitment about the distraction or new things, and then YOU have to "undistract" him by enforcing your command competely.

Training is Positive (pets, praise, happy voice) and Negative (stern voice, physicallly making him obey be it sit or come.)

Dog's choice - approval or correction.

Don't think many of us learned to not touch the hot stove because our mommies distracted us from it or gave us a cookie. Sooner or later we touched the stove and found out it was not a good idea.

Anything - people, animals, - learn from getting a positive experience and from getting a negative experience as a result of our conduct.

You need to get him to an obedeince class or group where you can make him practice obeying despite distractions. (How do you think those dogs on TV in the AKC/Eukanuba Obedience Invitational learned to perform in all that confusion???)

Now you both need a GOOD obedience class - and that is NOT Petsmart or Petco.

GO here to find contacts in you area that can help you locate and obedience trainer who works with all breeds and who does AKC obedience competitions competing at what they claim to teach – no proof of ability like winning:

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf...

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf... (set on all breeds)


http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf...

Even it they are an hour or more away, they will know other people all over the state.


"

Answer 3

I know what you mean about not listening when in those "other things going on, other people around" situations. It's very distracting for any dog and our Border Collie puppy sure is hard to keep her attention sometimes.

I don't know how you did training (class verses at home), but I can say that classes are a huge help with the distraction factor. That's a big reason we did classes rather than private training. It helps your dog really learn to focus with other dogs and people around. It takes time and patience, but IMO, well worth it.

I also agree with the ideas stated to find a "job" for your BC which might help him be a bit more calm in other situations if he gets a good work out from it!

Answer 4

First, it's Border Collie.

Your dog needs to go to a training class ASAP. This may help discourage some of this behaviour. And if he isn't fixed, he needs to be right away.

It's also possibly that he isn't getting enough attention and stimulation during the day. Border Collies are highly intelligent and active. A quick walk a few times a week, or even every day, isn't enough for these dogs. They need 2 hours of play and 'work' each day. Not having the time to devote to a BC is one of the main reason these dogs are given up and dumped. Increase the time that you spend with your dog and play fun games with him. He'll love things like hide & seek, fetch, and all kinds of active games.

If you bought from a reputable breeder, try calling her about your situation. A reputable breeder has a committment to each and every dog they breed, for the rest of their lives. She can probably help you figure out games and activities that will get your dog to listen better and to be more responsive. Good luck to you. : )

Answer 5

We have the same problem with our boxadore. How old is your border collie? Puppies are much more prone to this than an older dog since age tends to chill them out. Also, if he hasn't been neutered, have it done. It's better for their health and temperment.

Other than that, border collies need a TON of exercise and mental stimulation or they can become neurotic and destructive. Many border collie owners find it helpful to set up agility courses in their yards in order to give their dogs a sufficient amount of exercise. One daily walk is not going to suffice for a breed as energetic and intelligent as a border collie.

I'd suggest consulting with a professional trainer for ways to curb his "loving" nature and get him to listen to you more. But more exercise will help a lot. Even throwing a frisbee to him for an hour or so should help tire him out. Our dog is much less apt to jump excitedly on people if he's tuckered out a bit.

Answer 6

I would go with a training leash. they are usually no more than 3 feet long and will allow you to maintain control of your dog at your side. when company comes over put the leash on him/her and assert your position over the dog every time he/she tries to approach that person. Do not hit or smack them on the nose this has negative impacts plus there is no need ofr it. Tug at the leash and give a command you may even have to grab the nape of the neck and make him sit or heel next to you. This only works with time and consistency. If you stop teaching your dog will stop learning.

Answer 7

ann a, hallelujah! A dog handler who makes sense, god love you.

Asker, if your dog is obedient when he feels like it, then he is not obedient. He has no respect for you whatsoever. Try training him properly - but first you will need to find a reputable training system or a professional, because if you took him to a class, it wasn't much use.

Answer 8

I have a border collie, and she used to jump up loads, but we trained her out of it, but I can't remember how. How about ignoring him and he jumps up and when he does get off praise him. They are very clever dogs and he will get the message

Answer 9

border collies are not nuts!im sick of people saying how b.c are hyper,crazy,loopy dogs they are NOT they are just brighter than your average dog.take him out and take his fav toy when he ignores other distractions then fuss like a maniac then he will soon get the jist he behaves,you play with him.use the fav toy only for training.

Answer 10

Border Collies are a busy dog. They are very task-oriented and they want to be working every minute. If you don;t give them a job they invent one and it's always something strange. He's got it in his head that he is your welcome wagon. Really you should take him to a pro who can sort him out. It would be more peaceful for him too.