Hi, I have a 5 year old 40 pound border collie who I have a feeling was never properly socialized .... she was a 6 month old stray when she was taken in and then ended up having puppies with the intact male already in the home... after her 8 puppies were weaned my now husband took her in. He did fairly well with the crate training getting her to chew only her toys etc.. However she is a very dominant aggressive female (she is spayed now) with a strong herding instinct and occasional separation anxiety.

She has had 4 instances of snapping at human males who have big hair or a hat on and wearing boots with wide legged jeans except one who was just making these weird squeaky noises and playing with her ears (my fault should have told don't touch, but I probably would have snapped at him also). Human females are not a problem and extended family males she has never had a problem with, in fact she grovels in front of them. She has been in 2 fights with female dogs (no injuries). We can be playing frisbee with her though and other female dogs come to play and she has no problem with them. She also has a thing about puppies, these can be 8 weeks to almost a year and she whines this weird high pitched bark at them when they get in her face which I can only guess she is teaching he or she manners,but never touches them. She will occasionally snap at my sister's 2 male beagles over jealousy (we petted them too much)and the other day her and one of the beagles were cleaning up some cheese I dropped and she did a high pitched whine when he came over to a pile she was working on. At a picnic we attended where there were 7 other dogs she snapped at a dog over a corn cob she had possession of. But this is not consistent either, she never tries to take food away from another dog nor if we are handing out scraps and she is last in line she is neither pushy nor snaps or when I am feeding all 3 (when I am watching my sisters' dogs) she is often the last fed and sits well and doesn't move... I sometimes let her eat then tell her to stop and sit and no problems, and then tell her to continue. When playing with toys if we throw a ball and one of the beagles gets to it first no problem. The energy level when I am taking her out for a walk is crazy she builds this frenzy that even when she is sitting for me to put the leash on, her whole body is vibrating. I have been using a few dog whisperer techniques for walks and letting her know I own the door not her. When we are actually walking she tends to want to smell where she wants and will have to pull. Sometimes she will not pay attention to me if a another dog, squirrel, rabbit or deer is seen. She will continue to walk but she catches a glimpse back or if they are in front she may pull a bit at the leash. She has chased down a rabbit and killed it (I did not know her then) and she does chase chickens, which I have a feeling was done during her stray moments...so how to stop that instinct was she has succeeded? In one instance she nipped on a bull's nose that was poking through the fence ... part of herding instinct most likely. Its more like when you see a border collie nipping the heels of a sheep...she will do this when she is really excited.

I do not feel I am getting consistent results because obviously I am not being consistent...so I am thinking of doing clicker and marker training . Something I believe will be a step by step process for my procrastinating inconsistent self and also for my husband who tends actually be the omega in the family. Is this a good choice for a border collie with these issues? Particularly I am looking for the ability of having control over very distracting situations when walking (also how to train around these situations so that the training is true). My goal would be agility training to rid her of her energy. Not necessarily competition but build a small course in the backyard. I understand clickers are used in this type training also. So I am asking is she hopeless or with consistent training will I be able to calm these aggressive tendencies. She has never snapped at an extended family member even if they have stepped on her nor to any of my nieces young friends nor any of our friends or there small children. In fact I have taught her to drop a toy when she is playing with them and when asked she does. Personally I think it is possible... does anyone have other ideas to help or a different training program then what I am planning on.... thank you

Nope, not hopeless at all. Be cheered to hear that these are owner problems. (Cheered because it means that the owner -- you -- can fix them.)

By the way, dominant dogs don't have separation anxiety. JMO. (And unless I missed something huge, you are not describing a dominant dog.)

There's a lot there. Let's start with a few basic things you can institute immediately: no food when there's more than one dog. No toys left with dogs: one-on-one (human/dog) toy-playing. No "socializing" with outside dogs off-leash (after two fights! ). No allowing other dogs, including puppies, in her face. No allowing humans in her face.

If all this sounds over-the-top, let me explain what I am thinking. You are the pack leader. It's your job to protect her from these uncomfortable situations. You have allowed her to be in a bunch (7!) of loose dogs with food, to be accosted by people who touched her, made weird noises at her, and almost certainly loomed over her without your intervention, and to outside dogs threatening her food. You have allowed her off-leash to chase chickens and nip at a bull. Would this be a fair assessment?

These things can all change. Then you can start working on desensitizing her to other dogs on walks, teaching her to walk loose-leash with focus on you, with releases to sniff, explore, proofing her against distractions, etc.

Agility sounds like a great future plan.

What kind of structured exercise does she get? Do you play fetch or anything with her? How long are her fast-paced walks (marching right along with no meandering/sniffing until you give a release)?

How much do you know about marker training (which is a GREAT plan )?

Have you seen any Leerburg videos? Which ones?

You came to the right place.

Hi, the only thing I didn't make clear is that the bull incident occurred on leash... I just thought she might take a sniff not a nip...oops!

Walks consist of a 5 minute or 10 minute brisk walk depending on the direction we go then she is allowed to eliminate... then it is probably maybe every 3 minutes or so I let her sniff for #2 and a few more #1s. In the winter we do a 15 minute walk in the morning and afternoon and 2 to 3 15 minute play session a day which consist of usually a ball or squeaker toy (fetch) in house, maybe outside if the yard isn't a mud pit. In summer the walks are 20 to 25 minutes a piece (with same routine as above). Play sessions are outside with a frisbee or other flying toy I can find, on a long line because I do not have a fence yet... now sometimes deer will come leaping through the back yard while we are playing, when she sees them I yell her name and she stops and stares at them. I keep my foot on the line just in case because I do not have confidence that she won't take off. My husband did it one day and off she went to explore the woods... during play sessions it usually turns into a 15 minute running in circles session both inside and outside until she wears herself out.

I have not watched any DVDs... I am on a waiting list at my library. I have read a few of the ebooks... Ground Work Establishing Pack Leadership... and Dealing with Dominant Dogs.....

I do allow her on our bed but when I tell her to get off or leave she will... So I guess I should get her a bed and lay it next to the bed instead. Also I do let her on one couch with a blanket but the other couches she it not allowed on and she knows this.... She also knows where she is allowed in other people's houses... in fact she does not beg at my house are bark for a treat but she will at my parents and knows where the dog biscuits are kept... she is a smart dog and I think she knows how to work the system.

Fiona,
I don't know where you may have gotten the idea this is a dominant dog. While it never hurts to have the kind of info on file (so to speak), you can forget it in relation to this dog. Relax and enjoy the dog.
For the time being, do not put the dog in situations that are; uncontroled (ie. pinics, parties, etc), uncomfortable circumstances such as big scary men, and there's no reason she should have to compete for her ball against a strange outsider.

If you want to get into agility, you can start by working on ob now. If you want the dog to not be so crazy give her more exercise, a BC needs plenty. The 'free' play period is great for training if structured right. If you want the dog to hear you, learn the breeds proclivities and use those to your advantage when training.

For the most part all dogs know how to 'work the system', that's why marker training works so well.
Don't put off learning how it's done.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

This isn't enough exercise for this breed. This isn't even enough for my rescue couch-potato Pug.

I'd start right away with upping the walk length. That won't be enough, but if you keep up the pace, it'll help. I've fostered dogs who ran around me on a long cotton line with me as the hub of the wheel. I have no problem with this kind of exercise, since you have no fence or reliable recall. I would not have the dog outside off-leash, with no recall. So -- good, that you manage it with the long line.

We have threads going on now about playtime in the house in winter. Don't miss those! http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=259111#Post259014


Randy says not to put off learning marker training. Randy is right.

Do you know anything at all about marker (or clicker) training?

With my little pup, I've used Leerburg advice to wear him out MENTALLY and seen a huge improvement in his personality.
We know fetch,sit, down, shake, find stuffed Kong under couch by tracking peanut butter smear on floor, rollover, pee on command, go to crate.
It's been GREAT, and I thank you guys a bunch!
He was the STAR of his puppy class!
THANK YOU

Ah. The old " find stuffed Kong under couch by tracking peanut butter smear on floor" command! A classic.


Good for you, Betty!