Border Collies!?

Question

I have a femal, unspayed border collie. she is cute, smart, hyper, trainable, somestimes skitish, but very aggresive. I also have a beagle, he have had her since she was 6 weeks old. My border collie is now 41/2, and the beagle is 1. My border collie kind of adopted her, so she's niece and loving to her, andthey never get into fights, but when I take her onwalks to this big park up the street, she gets a little skittish, and as soon as she sees another dog she gets stiff, and the hair on the back of her neck stands up striaght. She starts growling and gives them the famous border collie death stare! She hasn't ever gotten in a fight with dogs at the park, but it scars me, and she has fought with some ov my previous dogs. I got her off a farm when she was about 6 weeks old, so we are close, I can tell she trusts me, and I trust her. She has natural herding skills and can jump 5' 6", he's a dream to look at also, I'd haste to have to put her down, please help me!

Answer 1

Some dogs are naturally aggressive. Don't put her down.
Seek advice with an expert at the dog training school, although that did not help my dog. You'll just have to be careful around other dogs and make sure you keep her on a leash in order to avoid any potential fighting.

Answer 2

Well I own two of those three. And while they are similar they have some big differences. I wouldnt recomend border collies unless you are into outdoor sports, like jogging, and hiking. Or you are interested in getting into a dog sport such as rally-o, obediance, flyball, agility, discing, freestyle, etc. They are the most high energy of the three. They dont kneed livestock or a big yard but you will need to do something to keep them busy. Bored border collies are not fun to live with, and its a shame to waste that brain anyways:) They have a medium coat, relatively easy to care for as long as you brush it a couple times a week. They are also medium size 19-21 inches tall, around 40lbs. They dont always do well with small children and cats due to their tendency to herd. Collies are active, but on average require less exercise than the border collies. You have to keep in mind, while they are all herding breeds, collies and shelties are used as primarily pets now and it does show in the way they behave differently. Collies are big dogs, while females are smaller than males generally, there is no guarantee. Mine was 28`inches tall and 85 pounds. They require you to have a good knowledge of grooming, and even a well groomed collie will leave hair around. It`s not as bad as you may expect though. A trip to a groomers once a month and brushing a few times a week at home with help. As far as temperment, they have the best of any breed I know of. This of course has a lot to do with how they are socialized and trained aswell. In general they are friendly, get along with children and even small animals. Both breeds make excellent watch and guard dogs like all herding breeds. You already know about shelties:)

Answer 3

With the herding dogs it is so important that they spend adequate time with their mother when they are pups. Most experts suggest at least 8-10 weeks. Because it is from her that they learn all their social behavior they will keep and take with them throughout their life. Sadly the behavior you describe is most likely a character flaw due to the age she was taken. You can't go back and let her be a puppy again, but you will just have to be extra sensative to this issue and always keep a close eye on her behavior. Perhaps through training , obedience classes and exposure to other dogs more she will improve, but most cases do not. Especially with age.
It probably happens more at the park because it is not her territory so her guard is up. She feels an instinct to be protective of you and the other dog. Don't give up on her, just be patient and try to understand this is her nature and to her she isn't doing any wrong. She hasn't been taught different.
Remember this in the future and tell others you know. Young pups are cute and people are always eager to take them home asap, but that time they spend with their mom(providing she is a good mom and properly behaved herself) makes them into well behaved dogs.

Answer 4

Put her down? If by that you mean have her put to sleep for just that. What she is doing is trying to protect you from the other dogs. That is part of her herding instinct. It is a natural reaction in Collies. In her mind's eye the other dogs are wolves and she has to protect you from them.
You have to remember Collies were bred for generations to protect the herd from other animals namely wolves in Europe before they were brought to America.

Answer 5

Check out Cesar Milan's website, he has many insightful shows and tips to help dog owners like yourself to train their dogs. Don't put her down, there is always a way. Learn to tug on her leash when she acts that way and make her sit then make her lie down so she sees that's not the way to act.

Answer 6

border collies are so smart and easy to train, they are very eager to please. Get a good book on training or take a class but dont put her down. She can learn to stop her aggressive behaviour with the right training

Answer 7

Whenever she snaps just tug on her leash so that you can let her know that what she is doing is wrong... but either than that she sounds like a very nice dog.

Answer 8

YOYO HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you just say your dog is 42 and a half years old in dog years that's like alot of years.