Not about mine for a change! Hyperactive border collie

[danhappy]

Hiya, Im soon going to get a reputation for the most irritating person on this forum soon!!

This time its my mums border collie. When she is left and you return, she goes completelty hyper, jumping up, twizling around - generally loopy. If you ignore her she will grab any ball she can find and throw it at your feet demanding you play fetch. If you stand still long enough you can end up with about 10 toys at your feet.

She is walked plenty as my mums garden backs onto some huge fields and she's taken out at least three times a day.

Ive been reading this 'hyperactive' energy is not healthy for any dog, anyone got any suggestions?

Shes a female, fixed, and about 18 months old.

 

[rema]

Ah the joys of a Border Collie,They are always on the go and will rarely settle down to be quiet dogs even as they get older(my collie is 16 now and is still a headcase sorry not what you want to hear lol),Your dog is still a very young dog and will have bottomless energy,The best thing you can do is throw the bloody ball over and over untill it's knackered.

 

[JAK]

Ignore her..........for longer!!!

Dogs are very good at 'training' their owners & despite their lesser intelligence will frequently win a battle of wills, as owners nearly always cave in before the dog does!

I seldom greet my dogs when I come in & despite being hardcore trials/working bred collies, with a pronounced herding instinct & a very strong 'eye', unless they are playing (invited! lol) or working, you wouldn't know you owned them!
Don't play with your dog just because she 'demands' it - come in, stick the kettle on, go & get changed & after several minutes, call her over for a brief fuss if you like but you decide if & when!

I promise you, it is just a question of sticking firm & not giving in - you won't 'offend' her, she's a dog!
You need to remember which one of you is the office manager & which one of you is the filing clerk!
If you want her, you call her over, invite her to play, come for a stroke or whatever but if she comes over or starts demanding to play uninvited, you ignore her as far as possible! Keep turning away from her if necessary, avoid eye contact etc., so she gets no 'social reward' at all & remember, even a cross word or getting pushed off is still 'attention'!

Be prepared for her to get worse before she gets better, as like kids, dogs often give it one last almighty effort at getting their own way before giving up!
Like kids, with their famous 'drink of water' trick at night! (One of my kids came downstairs 23 times in one ruddy night once but when he realised even this herculean effort was in vain & that we really weren't going to pay him any attention, he stayed in bed from then on! Nearly drove us bl**dy barmy but we stayed glued to the tv no matter what! lol)

 

[Oneofthepack]

Sounds fairly typical but the problem is not so much the need for huge amounts of exercise as the need for mental stimulation. I agree with JAK that you can't respond every time she demands attention as whatever you give will never be enough and the constant demands get right up your nose after a while but at the same time it's unfair to ignore her needs. Try and find lots of games to play, like hide the toy or food, filled kongs or treat balls that she has to work at, or ideally flyball or agility classes

 

[random_rider]

Well im afraid thats a border collie for you!!!! i know that doesnt help but i always get told that to! my old border used to do that alot and she would run up and down the lounge! i cant see it doing to uch harm!! my new border collie pup comes out her pen and stands stil while you fuss her!! shes a good girl and hopefully if we teach her thats the right thing to do she will be as good as gold

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