Hello everyone,I have just joined the forum in the hope that someone can give me advice with a problem my border collie has with nipping any dog that goes near her.She is 4yrs old and we have had her since she was 9wks old.She has always been very nervous of things but she loves people and is a joy with children.I used to take her to puppy training when we first got her to socialize with other dogs but she just wanted to get away from them and was more interested in making friends with their owners,she would nip the pups if they went up to her so in the finish I stopped taking her rather than muzzle her,maybe that's what I did wrong,anyway when we take her out on the beach she wont go near other dogs but if they come up to her she will show her teeth and if they don't go away she nips them.If we meet someone we know and she,s seen the dog before she,s not to bad and just wants to get to its owner for a fuss making of her.Everyone that knows her loves her as she is so friendly with people.I am worried that when she nips one day a dog will retaliate and she will get badly hurt,also not all dog owners will say don't worry about it as I always tell them she might nip if their dog runs up to her.She is scared of them and that's why she does it.hope someone can advise me as its making me a nervous wreck.
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Fear of other dogs
- Thread starter florie
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Right she's 4 so you still have a chance to change her but it not be easy as borders can be like this, others on here can give more advise, now if your dog is on lead and a dog comes over to yours then all you have to do is shorten the lead and take control, tell other owners she's a snarler and they should take control of their own dog, all you as a owner should do is know your dog and take control.
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You have identified the cause of the behaviour and that is always a huge step forward.
Fear is very difficult to deal with because we cannot explain to a dog that there is nothing to be afraid of. It sounds as if your puppy classes were not very well run. This problem could have been nipped in the bud then. Your puppy should have been given space and time to see and learn about the other puppies without having to defend herself. What probably happened is she was forced to defend herself from the attentions of the other puppies and, crucially, when she nipped it worked! The puppy was taken away and she felt relief. Relief is a huge reinforcer of behaviour. The same thing probably happens now. She feels fear, shows her teeth or nips and the threat goes away. She feels relief and so repeats the behaviour in future.
Your best option would be to work with a qualified Pet Behaviour Therapist from either COAPE or APBC. The local dog trainer is not suitably qualified to deal with your dog's problems.
In the mean time, use distance to lessen her fear. Try to keep her within her comfort zone and not allow other dogs to enter it. She may have a radius of 30 or 50 or 100 metres where she remains relaxed. That is her "critical" distance. While dogs are outside of that she will be calm enough to learn (anxiety prevents learning) that the other dog is harmless. This learning needs to be done over and over again before you reduce the critical distance and start again. Of course dogs will approach but you must just move away from them and stay positive and calm.
You can buy yellow jackets that your dog can wear that declares that she "needs space". This means that if the other dog comes close it is that dog's owners fault if your dog nips it. You want to prevent her nipping if you can but sometimes it is just not possible to achieve.
The more exposure to other dogs she gets while she is relaxed the better. She will be learning, gradually, that other dogs being around is nothing to worry about.
You may need help to deal with on lead situations. Tightening the lead, on the approach of other dogs, sends negative signals down the lead. If it helps you to relax and keep the lead slack then consider muzzling her for those unavoidable close encounters. This usually has the amazing effect of making people keep their dogs well away. It should be the basket style muzzle. Most dogs tolerate them if they are introduced slowly with something like cream cheese smeared all over it.
The more relaxed you are the better. It will give her confidence. When other dogs approach you should be happy and positive and you could feed her treats if she is relaxed enough to take them.
Fear is very difficult to deal with because we cannot explain to a dog that there is nothing to be afraid of. It sounds as if your puppy classes were not very well run. This problem could have been nipped in the bud then. Your puppy should have been given space and time to see and learn about the other puppies without having to defend herself. What probably happened is she was forced to defend herself from the attentions of the other puppies and, crucially, when she nipped it worked! The puppy was taken away and she felt relief. Relief is a huge reinforcer of behaviour. The same thing probably happens now. She feels fear, shows her teeth or nips and the threat goes away. She feels relief and so repeats the behaviour in future.
Your best option would be to work with a qualified Pet Behaviour Therapist from either COAPE or APBC. The local dog trainer is not suitably qualified to deal with your dog's problems.
In the mean time, use distance to lessen her fear. Try to keep her within her comfort zone and not allow other dogs to enter it. She may have a radius of 30 or 50 or 100 metres where she remains relaxed. That is her "critical" distance. While dogs are outside of that she will be calm enough to learn (anxiety prevents learning) that the other dog is harmless. This learning needs to be done over and over again before you reduce the critical distance and start again. Of course dogs will approach but you must just move away from them and stay positive and calm.
You can buy yellow jackets that your dog can wear that declares that she "needs space". This means that if the other dog comes close it is that dog's owners fault if your dog nips it. You want to prevent her nipping if you can but sometimes it is just not possible to achieve.
The more exposure to other dogs she gets while she is relaxed the better. She will be learning, gradually, that other dogs being around is nothing to worry about.
You may need help to deal with on lead situations. Tightening the lead, on the approach of other dogs, sends negative signals down the lead. If it helps you to relax and keep the lead slack then consider muzzling her for those unavoidable close encounters. This usually has the amazing effect of making people keep their dogs well away. It should be the basket style muzzle. Most dogs tolerate them if they are introduced slowly with something like cream cheese smeared all over it.
The more relaxed you are the better. It will give her confidence. When other dogs approach you should be happy and positive and you could feed her treats if she is relaxed enough to take them.
Thank you for the feedback and will take it on board.I have tried in the past to get help even had a trainer coming to the house once a week to show me how to train her but I lost faith as she didn't get any better and it cost me a lot of money.She loves the beach and goes on each day for a run and its easy to keep away from other dogs unless they run up to her she is happy but I feel she needs to learn how to play with them instead of being a loner.I did try and muzzle her once but she was so distressed and it made her more frightened.I will have a word with our vet and ask if they can recomend someone qualified that might help.
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Your vet may be old fashioned in his approach to behaviour therapists. Do look up the websites of COAPE or APBC to find a good therapist. They do not come cheap but you have many years of dog ownership ahead of you. It would be nice to relax when she is loose. Do remember that Collie's can be quite obsessive and it is quite common that they just want to play with their owner to the exclusion of all else in the world.
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There are differences between trainers and behaviourists so just because the least person didn't work out, it doesn't mean another person won't too. Your insurance may cover it, and as Gypsysmum says, use someone from COAPE or the APBC.
