fear aggression in border collies

[scazza]

hi all,i have a 11mth old b/collie,i have socialised him as much as possible,comes to the yard with us twice a day came to every competition through the year but still doesnt like certain strangers!! to the point now he will growl and snap which is not good,anybody had any experience of this??

 

[CAYLA]

Its not just a aborder collie thing, but to be honest, its one behaviour you need one on one advice for and from an experienced behavioursit who can come and meet him in your home not from a forum, however u may pick up some tips to help, u really need someone who can meet the dog in person.

What area are you in?
Have u had him since he was a puppy?
Is it all stranger and anything in particualr he takes a dislike too, i.e men e,t,c
and does he lunge or is it literally when he is approached and what is your own reaction?

 

[NeverSayNever]

ditto cayla - seek 1:1 from a qualified behaviorist. My advice for now would be to make sure he is muzzled at the yard, in public etc. Your problem will be other well-meaning people who get in the dogs face and make him react.

 

[scazza]

i have had him from a puppy and his brother is 1 of our neighbours and he is totally the other way(wants to love everybody he meets) it can be male or female there doesnt seem to be any reason,the only thing is if they have a dog with them then he is fine its like he thinks well if you have a dog then i can trust you!! think your advise on the behaviour specialist is the next move i need to take, i am in stoke on trent any recommendations?? many thanks

 

[CAYLA]

You are a good ways from me, but others maybe able to recommend in your area, just make sure u have proof they deal and have experience with aggression, as some are part of franchises and dont know a dog from a cat

Did u buy them from a breeder, what was the mother dog liek is so? friendly out going?
Has he been checked by the vet for any health issues/sight checked/hearing ok? does he have any neurotic tendancies? can you think of when the behaviour first started,? or has he always been like this, has he attended any training classes?

 

[scazza]

ye did get him from breeder,dad and mum very friendly,both working parents,he has always been shy/timid and scared of the strangest things,but as i said his brother is the total opposite,vet checked him and said all was fine,not had any neuro checks done though!! and vet has recommended castration in the next couple of months,dont know if that will help any??

 

[millimoo]

2nd all the advise here..... and please muzzle.
My brother had a bully who had nervous aggression that resulted in him having her PTS after she bit someone whilst tied up outside the local shop (don't get me started on that). She'd been owned since a puppy, had extensive socialisation & 1to1 dog training as a puppy in the park, and then again proffessional assessment and further training as an adult when it was becoming apparent she was not getting more confident as she got older - basically he did everything by the book, but she was just born that way (she was also fine with people if they had a dog with them)

As it turned out, the matter was bought to the attention of the police, and my brother was interviewed under caution etc - even though the girl approached the dog, and her injury was minor. The whole family suffered significant stress, and upset, and even had to provide details of the vets to verify the dog had been PTS.

I don't want to go into the detail, as I don't want to start up the hideous bashing from certain forum members, but just wanted to say ere on the side of caution for now.
Your situation is manageable with a muzzle whilst you work on her confidence, but whilst some people are very reasonable and sensible about dogs nipping and biting, there are a whole load more who are not - especially in this 'where there's a blame, there's a claim' culture.

My brother went through hell, made all the more galling, that in the same week a local (and serial biter) bit someone on the thigh (the same dog who gave someone stitches and bit her boyfriend in the face).
He has got off scot free to date because she has had sympathetic like minded dog owners, but I suspect it won;t be long before he bite a child as she takes him in the local park where they play junior football.

 

[CAYLA]

ye did get him from breeder,dad and mum very friendly,both working parents,he has always been shy/timid and scared of the strangest things,but as i said his brother is the total opposite,vet checked him and said all was fine,not had any neuro checks done though!! and vet has recommended castration in the next couple of months,dont know if that will help any??

It certainly will not be a bad thing to castrate, hormones can indeed play a big part in behaviours, more so in male dog behaviours believe it or not.
A behaviourist working with/for you could not only give pointers for his behaviour but will also be able to better gage your reaction when he displays this behaviour too, which is also crucial.
I have worked and dealt with this type of behaviour and its one of the hardest to work with, very complexed and differs greatly from dog to dog, my pointer used to be very fear aggressive, u have to be very careful with the handling and be very aware of your own body language and those of strangers when workign on his behaviour and importantly reading his body language, and your reactions.

 

[scazza]

oh so sorry millimoo about your brother,and yes i am going to invest in a muzzle i am doing everything by the book aswell but he is so nervous and although i am cautious about making sure he is on the lead..etc there is always the danger of the public getting into HIS space to say hello and unfortunatley as you say in this day and age where theres a blame theres a claim.

 

[CAYLA]

Is he a typical active on the go collie, like his toys, retrieving, balls e,t,c?

 

[scazza]

thanks cayla for the good advise and yes i do realise that my body language etc will play a bbig part in this but i am finding it more difficult not to tense up as i am worried he is going to bite,really cant understand him as there is no pattern it can be male/female and certain people he really doesnt like,there is a man 2 stables away from mine and he really doesnt like him yet the man just goes about his own business and doesnt even lokk at ozzie!!

 

[scazza]

yes very active cayla,not overly obsessed with toys but has trained quite easily will re-call,sit,lie,wait,leave,stay and fetch he is a good dog he has all the basics, fully house trained in 3 days,always leave him in cage when we are out as i think he would chew,been there with my 2 old borders bless them RIP,as cages were not around then and they ate my whole kitchen lol

 

[gwenllian]

it is very common with them, i live in a rural area with more border collies than you can shake a stick at, i know two people who have them as house pets, they were both fine until they matured and now they both bite, out of the blue just bit people. it is very upsetting for there owners, the are constantly on guard.

the numerous farm collies are the same, they cower and if you get to close will snap at you.

 

[ameeyal]

There is a good behavealist {sp} in congleton/macclesfield area, his name is Vic Barlow {i hope thats what he is called} he has a web site, plus he is starting classes in congleton in january, i dont know him, but he has a collem in the biddulph/congleton chronicle that he wrights and he sounds good.

 

[scazza]

thanks everyone for the good advise and i have found vic barlows web site and he does sound good so will be giving him a call