Behavior issues and getting ready for newborn

[bottlerocket]

Hey all. I adopted my BC Sam from a shelter back in 2009 when he was right around 2. He has always had some issues such as submissive urination and severe fear of thunder. My wife and I have dealt with these problems over the past 7 years but with our newborn on the way we want to figure out how to properly address these concerns. Some of the other things we've noticed with him are:

 

Aggression towards other dogs when: they chase him at the dog park (he will nip/bite), have a toy he wants (he will try to steal it from another dog and often times will miss and end up inadvertently biting the other animal), and if 2 dogs are playing he will try to intervene and tackle one to the ground

 

Aggression towards humans when: If I pick my wife up and carry her, he will start to bark and will even nip my legs, if I hug my wife he will start to bark at me

 

Thunder fear: will tear up base boards or doors to try to get to a "safer" place, will claw at carpet in attempt to dig through it as well as the bottom of his kennel, will break out of a wire kennel using his mouth to get to where he wants to go (thunder shirts have not helped)

 

Urination: submissive urination has stopped but now he will pee (not just mark, i mean empty the bladder) on our bed if left unsupervised for any amount of time.

 

 

Its not a life I want for any dog, especially a border collie. My wife and I work so we are gone 8 hours per day. He destroys things in the house (couch cushions, baseboards, cabinets, etc) and pees so we are forced to leave him crated during the day. At night he will claw at the carpet for hours if we do not crate him when there is a thunderstorm near. And if we are not constantly watching him he will almost always run off and either pee on the bed or chew something.

 

My biggest fear is baby coming. Our other dog, a blue heeler, is amazing with kids. I know some dogs just dont like animals that are smaller than they are, but I need to find a solution.

 

I think most of it can be related to fear: fear biting (myself and other animals), urinating on a place that smells like me to cover his scent (fear of predators), fear of thunder. But how do I move forward?

[CSW]

There are people on the board that know A LOT more than me and may have some good advice for you. That said, have you discussed his behavior issues with your vet? Perhaps some medication would help. Also in the town I live in there are people trained to help with some of these issues and will even come to your home. Do you have any one like that in your town? Make sure you check references and qualifications first. Have you asked the rescue you got him from for any help? Even though that was a long time ago, many rescues will still be willing to help and often those in rescue organizations have first hand experience working with dogs with undesirable behaviors. I am sure you and your wife must love your border collie very much to keep him him through all these years when he has not been an easy dog. I hope you find some solutions. Please keep us posted on your progress.

[bottlerocket]

I haven't spoken to my vet here about this yet. I will at our next appointment. My fear of medication is how some described as a suppressant and that the dog still has the fear but is unable to react thereby making them feel trapped in their own body. Sounds terrifying to me but those descriptions may be unfounded. That said, I'm not entirely against it if a vet definitely recommends it.

Apologies for being unclear. We rescued him from a kill shelter for 55 bucks. Highly doubtful they would offer any support unfortunately.

Thanks for the reply!

[chrisandgabe]

It may be worth asking the shelter if they have any resources they recommend. At least the people I know who work in and around "kill shelters" or open admission shelters are pretty invested in making sure adoptions are successful. They don't want to euthanize dogs, there are just realities about how many they can accommodate at one time and they're not allowed to turn dogs away. Resources to make adoptions more successful allow them to save more dogs, and everyone wins.

 

I second the suggestion of talking to your vet. It would be good to ask about the "trapped in their own body" issue. It isn't something I've heard of, but your vet, as the prescriber, should be able to help.

 

He doesn't sound like a dog who enjoys dog parks, so not bringing him there anymore and finding other activities that he really enjoys would be better for him.

 

A trainer who specializes in treating anxiety issues in dogs will be your friend here. Best of luck.

[waffles]

A trainer who specializes in treating anxiety issues in dogs will be your friend here. Best of luck.

Yes. Get a trainer into your home who has experience with these behaviors. The trainer can see what the dog is doing, what you are doing, how you and your wife are interacting with your dog, what your daily routine is and so on. They can then assess the issues with the dog and you. The situations you describe need more help than an internet forum can provide- in person assessment is needed. Call local rescues (is there a border collie rescue in your area?), shelters and your vet and ask them for a recommendation for a trainer/behaviorist.

 

I also sure hope the dog has not been to a dog park in a long time with such a history of biting. It isn't fair to other dogs or your own dog, he isn't enjoying himself if he needs to bite. Take him for a walk instead, start some trick training, anything other than relying on the dog park.

[GentleLake]

My fear of medication is how some described as a suppressant and that the dog still has the fear but is unable to react thereby making them feel trapped in their own body.

 

AFAIK this can indeed be true with certain sedatives that have been prescribed for animals with anxiety issues. But there are other medications that don't cause this effect. So do talk to the vet about it and mention your concern to be sure that any medication is one that's not going to do this to your dog. And hopefully one of the vets here will respond to this.

 

Short term I've had good results with melatonin for thunderstorms, but it's not universally effective. It could be worth a try though and the recommended dose of 3 mg. can be doubled. Be sure to buy pure melatonin, not a sleep aid that may have other ingredients. I also like the Calming Treats made by Pet Naturals, available on Amazon as well as in some pet stores. I buy the XL size for dogs over 75 lbs. and cut them in half; cheaper that way.

 

I agree that working with a trainer is an excellent idea. I'd b careful who you use, though. You want someone who's using desensitization and counter-conditioning, which can take a while before yo see results, and not someone who's offering a quick fix using aversive methods that are more likely to make things worse rather than better.

 

And, yeah. Keep him out of the dog park. Discuss the issues wit the trainer, but that situation my be adding a lot of stress to his life, resulting in elevated stress hormones that could be exacerbating the other fear issues.

 

Best wishes working with him.

[bottlerocket]

It may be worth asking the shelter if they have any resources they recommend. At least the people I know who work in and around "kill shelters" or open admission shelters are pretty invested in making sure adoptions are successful. They don't want to euthanize dogs, there are just realities about how many they can accommodate at one time and they're not allowed to turn dogs away. Resources to make adoptions more successful allow them to save more dogs, and everyone wins.

 

I second the suggestion of talking to your vet. It would be good to ask about the "trapped in their own body" issue. It isn't something I've heard of, but your vet, as the prescriber, should be able to help.

 

He doesn't sound like a dog who enjoys dog parks, so not bringing him there anymore and finding other activities that he really enjoys would be better for him.

 

A trainer who specializes in treating anxiety issues in dogs will be your friend here. Best of luck.

 

Shelter is closed for the day. Also might not be overly helpful as I am about 5 hours away from where I rescued the dog.

 

Yes. Get a trainer into your home who has experience with these behaviors. The trainer can see what the dog is doing, what you are doing, how you and your wife are interacting with your dog, what your daily routine is and so on. They can then assess the issues with the dog and you. The situations you describe need more help than an internet forum can provide- in person assessment is needed. Call local rescues (is there a border collie rescue in your area?), shelters and your vet and ask them for a recommendation for a trainer/behaviorist.

 

I also sure hope the dog has not been to a dog park in a long time with such a history of biting. It isn't fair to other dogs or your own dog, he isn't enjoying himself if he needs to bite. Take him for a walk instead, start some trick training, anything other than relying on the dog park.

 

I'll look up some local rescues. I believe there are a couple nearby that are even BC specific

 

AFAIK this can indeed be true with certain sedatives that have been prescribed for animals with anxiety issues. But there are other medications that don't cause this effect. So do talk to the vet about it and mention your concern to be sure that any medication is one that's not going to do this to your dog. And hopefully one of the vets here will respond to this.

 

Short term I've had good results with melatonin for thunderstorms, but it's not universally effective. It could be worth a try though and the recommended dose of 3 mg. can be doubled. Be sure to buy pure melatonin, not a sleep aid that may have other ingredients. I also like the Calming Treats made by Pet Naturals, available on Amazon as well as in some pet stores. I buy the XL size for dogs over 75 lbs. and cut them in half; cheaper that way.

 

I agree that working with a trainer is an excellent idea. I'd b careful who you use, though. You want someone who's using desensitization and counter-conditioning, which can take a while before yo see results, and not someone who's offering a quick fix using aversive methods that are more likely to make things worse rather than better.

 

And, yeah. Keep him out of the dog park. Discuss the issues wit the trainer, but that situation my be adding a lot of stress to his life, resulting in elevated stress hormones that could be exacerbating the other fear issues.

 

Best wishes working with him.

 

I'll definitely bring that up with my vet next time we go for a visit. Thanks!

[bottlerocket]

Put some feelers out to local rescues. Nearest BC specific rescue is a few hours away, but there is a dog rescue in town that I got in touch with. Lady basically told me at 9 years old either leave him in a crate for the rest of his life or put him down. Not exactly the most promising of suggestions there.

[waffles]

They might have said that thinking you were wanting to relinquish the dog to the rescue. Ask them what trainers they refer to or have worked with. If they don't have any, then move on.

 

Even just google dog trainers in your area. Call them, meet with them, ask to see their dogs, sit in on a class, ask if they do in-home training, ask their experience with behavior modification not just obedience training and ask for client references.

[D'Elle]

Put some feelers out to local rescues. Nearest BC specific rescue is a few hours away, but there is a dog rescue in town that I got in touch with. Lady basically told me at 9 years old either leave him in a crate for the rest of his life or put him down. Not exactly the most promising of suggestions there.

That is ridiculous, and it is unfortunate that a "rescue" is giving such poorly thought out advice, without even knowing the dog. Old dogs can certainly be taught new tricks. Avoid that "rescue" and their advice.

 

I hope you can find a good local trainer to work with. Best of luck to you and I hope you keep us updated.