nervous collie

A

adgetom

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 July 2008
Messages
866
Visit site
i have a male 8 month old collie, who is very nervous, he is scared of everyone and everything, when you walk him and let him off the lead he comes back 8 times out of ten but the other times he just runs as if he is blocking you out.
i have had him since he was born and i also have his brother who is nt like this. he also chews everything in my house , so far he has eaten, £20, xmas tree lights, skirtings, banister , curtains, lino on kitchen floor, plate of spare ribs, paraceatamol, a belt, whitaker leather tendon boots , make up .....and lots more
really love him he is a special dog, but im at my witts end with him and if he does something wrong and thinks he is getting into trouble he starts crying, and if you shout at him he crawls along the floor ...
help please!
 
Aww poor lad. I was going to say perhaps in his past home he could have been neglected but youve had him all his life... hmm how old was he when you had him?? Maybe he was the runt of the pack and stil feels like it with his brother there??
 
I'd suggest putting him on st johns' wort, it can really help anxious/depressed dogs and he really sounds in a bit of a state poor thing..500mg a day for 3 months then lower the dose long term.Do he and his brother get on well or does he get dominated by him?Sound likes he needs his confidence building, it will take a lot of hard work, take him out alone and gently introduce him to lots of different things, on a loose lead.Build up over many months to walking past schools at home time,but not till he has accepted being around things he finds stressful at the moment.Don't 'flood' him, take it slowly but try to socialise him with as many different places/people as you can.Don't reassure him , this will convince him he is right to be scared of everything, just be very matter of fact, calm and confident yourself.Collies can be extremely sensitive to noise and need careful, calm handling.If his recall isn't 100% keep him on a lunge line and praise every good recall, food rewards could help.Don't give him the chance to run off at the moment,blind panic in a dog can lead to horrible accidents. He may be so dependent on his brother that he is traumatised when alone, but building his confidence when alone is the only thing that will really help.He is young but needs alot of work at this stage,to help him grow up to be more confident, or he faces a life that won't be much fun at all for him.Ultimately he may need a dog behavioural therapist sooner rather than later, see APDT site for info.
 
Oh and shouting at a very nervous dog will do absolutely no good at all, sounds like you already know this. This dog is chewing because he is extremely insecure, neurotic and frightened, think of it as a 'cry for help'.He needs stuffed kongs,a big chew and toys to keep his mind of his problems,and security that the other dog won't be able to pinch them off him.But then you have the problem of making the weaker dogs' status higher in the eyes of the other dog, be very careful as dominance aggression or victimisation between 2 brothers can be horrendous,starting at adolescence.Which is from now for the next 2 years.You have got a tough job on your hands if you want to keep both, they have very different needs.Have you considered neutering the confident dog now and seeing if the underdog then feels less dominated?He will never rise to challenge his brother by the sounds of it,he will always be bottom dog,so no problems with pack heirachy even if top dog is neutered.Nervous one could be neutered when he gains more confidence,in about a year if you put the hard work in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top