April 06, 2023
My Dog Is More Interested In Other Dogs Than Me. How Can I Fix This?
Full Question:
Hi, our Border Collie is a 10-month-old male. We were doing well with him, reliable recall, etc. until the last month or two. Now off leash, while playing with other dogs he will not return. He is super interested in other dogs. Likes to play, but if the other dogs are not so interested, he will do some "herding" behaviors. Previously he did. Also, now while walking him he "loses it" if near a playground, seeing a rabbit etc. He really needs the off-leash to get his running and exercise in.So we're kind of stuck. We had him at an engagement session at our local trainer last week and he "lost it" when the other dogs started running. We are in agility training with him and we can only with continuous rewards keep his attention (most of the time) until generally he again, lunges away when he sees the motion of other dogs. We now only let him off to exercise in the fenced off-leash areas, but need a "plan" for this. He's clearly got his male hormones in full bloom!
Thanks!
Cindy's Answer:
I get this kind of message a lot from folks that have high drive dogs. I would take some big steps back and look at the areas that are problematic for you at this point in his development.
I would NOT allow this dog to play with other dogs anymore and I would not be taking him to agility training where he can fixate and obsess about the other dogs running. You need to back up and work on engagement & focus with you and make interaction, play, and games with you the way for him to get his mental and physical exercise. Relying on off-leash running may work for a dog that isn't showing these kinds of behaviors but if you continue allowing him to practice ignoring you, herding other dogs and becoming reactive this is going to continue to get worse.
May I ask what an engagement session that you have with your local trainer consists of?
I would NOT allow this dog to play with other dogs anymore and I would not be taking him to agility training where he can fixate and obsess about the other dogs running. You need to back up and work on engagement & focus with you and make interaction, play, and games with you the way for him to get his mental and physical exercise. Relying on off-leash running may work for a dog that isn't showing these kinds of behaviors but if you continue allowing him to practice ignoring you, herding other dogs and becoming reactive this is going to continue to get worse.
May I ask what an engagement session that you have with your local trainer consists of?
User Response:
Thanks for the reply! Making a decision not to not continue this set of agility classes is kind of a relief as it's a difficult session struggling mentally and physically to try to keep him engaged. And I suppose we're having him for many years so we need to set the next decade of behaviour right.We tried the engagement session to see what we can do about him. They normally run a series of classes but in this case they had a one-time "engagement for dog sports". It was in a room with several other dogs, various ages and breeds. He was just barely manageable until they started the engagement with other dogs using several squeaky balls to get the other dog ball-focused. Our dog, Razz went nuts to to join in and that was the end of class for us. We went with another trainer into a smaller area and did some engagement with him which was fine with no distractions, and they led their calm beagle to walk slowly near him. That was the most distraction possible. If they got the beagle walking near a run it was then not possible.
So we're working on the behaviour reboot now as you advise. We're only concerned, that as he likes to run and run, that needs offleash. But, it's nearly impossible to get him run time off leash without other dogs. How much physical exercise does a dog (border) really need?
And do you have experience in the general timeline for this re-behaviouring?
We've got your engagement and reliable recall video, I guess that's the start back to the beginning.
Thanks!
Cindy's Answer:
There is no such thing as a timeline because there are just simply too many variables. What you don't want to do is "test" this too soon. In other words, if you are really having to work very hard in a low distraction environment to keep him mentally with you then don't add more distractions or change the environment.
Also, will this dog play with you? Either fetch a toy or tug? That's a great way to get him some exercise that comes through YOU and not through running mindlessly or looking around at things that may go against some of the engagement skills you want to establish. I would hike with him, teach him to jog next to a bike with you. I would select activities that put you at the forefront so this helps with your engagement and builds value in your relationship. I also have a treadmill that my dogs jog on a few times a week, this activity needs mental focus as well as physical effort. Swimming is good, teaching tricks and games drain a lot of energy. Learning new things and using the brain is very tiring for dogs (and humans).
I'd suggest the Power of Training with Food, the Power of Tug(if your dog likes toys) and Advanced Concepts of Motivation. Those 3 videos are the foundation for any and all training I do with my own dogs and to skip over the skills in those resources put you at a disadvantage and make getting and keeping your dog engaged much more difficult.
Without engagement and focus in all kinds of environments, you will always struggle so it's worth the time and effort to work on this, in my opinion. :)
Also, will this dog play with you? Either fetch a toy or tug? That's a great way to get him some exercise that comes through YOU and not through running mindlessly or looking around at things that may go against some of the engagement skills you want to establish. I would hike with him, teach him to jog next to a bike with you. I would select activities that put you at the forefront so this helps with your engagement and builds value in your relationship. I also have a treadmill that my dogs jog on a few times a week, this activity needs mental focus as well as physical effort. Swimming is good, teaching tricks and games drain a lot of energy. Learning new things and using the brain is very tiring for dogs (and humans).
I'd suggest the Power of Training with Food, the Power of Tug(if your dog likes toys) and Advanced Concepts of Motivation. Those 3 videos are the foundation for any and all training I do with my own dogs and to skip over the skills in those resources put you at a disadvantage and make getting and keeping your dog engaged much more difficult.
Without engagement and focus in all kinds of environments, you will always struggle so it's worth the time and effort to work on this, in my opinion. :)
100% (8 out of 8)
respondents found this answer helpful
Can't find what you're looking for?
100% (8 out of 8)
respondents found this answer helpful
