Stuporman

I'd like to have access to your sheep.

These border collies can be amazingly cunning; use that to your advantage. I hope you'll first get more secure fencing and then work out the training. It will make you much more content in the future if you don't put the dog down.

Be sure that you are not using a manure based fertilizer, as the feces is usually what attracts the appetite of dirt/soil eating dogs. Experiment with foods; I'd start with a good grain free food but any food, even a cheap one can work if it is a fit for the dog. Generally better (not necessarily more expensive) foods work better than supplements or behavioral modification to cure the habit.

I have had similar issues with Rex, who is the light of my life. She would lunge at anybody who came near the car and then when I beat her she would bare her teeth at ME! I bought her a muzzle and walk her around in all and any situations, qiving her a quick hit with the walking stick or a stimulation with her collar on the strongest setting when she makes any kind of aggressive move. She's improving greatly and I'm confident that I'll soon be able to take the muzzle off in public and have a happy, friendly, content Rex.

Thanks for that valuable input, MaryP. At least you didn't resort to name calling or personal insults.

Sometimes this happens as a rite of passage , even late in a dog's adolescence. Usually aggression like this begins on leash and I would work on it on leash for control and to alleviate the problem. Usually it doesn't take much to guide the dog in the right direction as opposed to letting the aggressiveness become a habit. Taking something a dog is attracted to, whether it be a ball or toy for fetch or a rope for tug of war with you and getting the dog really into it just before you encounter other dogs can help. Sometimes you have to develop the dog's attraction to the toy beforehand. Don't let it become a contest between dogs for the toy; at first you want to have dogs pass with your dog more interested in you and the toy than the other dog. If necessary you can use a longer line/leash at first if leash aggression is the biggest problem and shorten it gradually around dogs, but still channel the dog's oevrabundance of emotion into you and the toy, not the other dog. It normally passes, but of course if the problem is more serious, you may need a trainer because real aggression is a real problem.

Congratulations on your pup; she sounds like a normal healthy happy handful. Rolling the frisbee really gets to a pup's prey instinct, chasing something that's moving along the ground. Doing this until she's at least a year old(I prefer 16 months or so) can prevent problems later on. I know that the occasional throw is hard to resist, so keep it low and with the wind so it sinks faster. Unless you're well practiced, throwing against the wind gives the disc too much lift and teached the dog to make wreckless jumps too early. Dogs learn really will when they're driven, so you can kill 2 birds with one stone here. Hold the frisbee so it entices her to jump on you. You don't even have to wait for the actual jump, you'll see the thought and say "off" or whatever command you prefer while you bring the disc down to the ground. When she follows it down, praise her and roll it as a reward. I've seen this transfer over to whatever the dog wants, whether it be attention, food or a toy in as fast as a day or two if the dog really wants the frisbee when you do it. Good luck.

Different dog, billegirl

I'm so sorry for your loss. She was beautiful, and obviously a reflection of your spirit. The heaviness in my heart couldn't relieve even a small portion of what you're experiencing, but thank you for sharing her, and your goodness.

Hello, everyone, My just-turned one year old 1/2 Border Collie-1/2 Labrador has really taken well to catching the frisbee, among other things. I've noticed that after about a half hour of catching it and bringing it back, she lies down with the disc defiantly about 15 feet away. If I command her to come she will come without the frisbee. I've tried rapping her sharply on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper and she just becomes more defiant. I know she's not tired out because if I roll another frisbee she'll chase it at full speed. I've become infuriated and hit her 5 times on the snout rapidly and yet she doesn't respond any better; in fact she pays less interest to bringing it back. I don't need a world class frisbee dog, I just want to give her exercise and an outlet for her energy and emotions. She plays with a ball well, but the frisbee has always driven her crazy and I'd like to use that to channel her drive further. If I roll the frisbee quickly after she does this she'll sometimes bring it back. I've smacked her and told her to be a good girl and i hope in time it will work. I will be patient with her. Does anyone have any experience with frisbees and dogs, or better yet any suggestions?

If you decided to pay an instructor to teach you how to train your dog, agree that what the instructor did was right for the dog and you weren't as quick to react as the instructor who is teaching you what to do, I don't see a legitimate complaint. Whether it's jealousy or another unrelated emotion that's bothering you, I hope you didn't voice your complaint to the instructor. A good instructor usually doesn't have to ask for clients, and would insist that you find another class.

You should try her with a different stud and see if she eats those pups. I wouldn't be too quick to blame her, as she may see a defect in your dog that instinct tells her would make for poor offspring. If you breed her with a different stud and she doesn't eat the pups, you'll know.

While this may seem controversial, it works. One of my girls was very submissive, to the point of peeing when a strange man entered the house. I don't know her early history, as I got her from the shelter at about 4 months old. When she started nipping at my heels when I left, I gave her a sharp rap on the snout with a rolled up newspaper. After doing this a few times, she became so sensitive that she peed whenever she saw me come in. A side effect was that she started listening very well, and as I strictly taught her new things, her confidence grew greatly. Everyone comments now on what a good dog she is, and I can't argue with them.