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Nobody wants to rehome their dog, but I wonder what you think. A short history: We got Diesel at 11 months, directly from the previous owner He was kept in a pantry 7-8 hours a day with another older dog He hadn't had much training, but did have a 2 hour session with a gun dog trainer to improve street walking with a figure of 8 loop He's our first dog (I realise how silly we were) When we first got him, he would pace for hours unless occupied with play, training or a chew We would spend 16 hours a day occupying him for the first month He was also nervous of the sound of planes, trains and would jump at cars and people while walking He was given a clean bill of health from the vet At first we worked with a trainer for two months, to get him give him a recall so he could run outside and to relax at home We worked on the sounds one by one and he began to relax at home but was still nervous street walking We changed to a behaviorist for 8 months, he was put on anti-anxiety medication He would get 1 hour running a day, two 30 minute walks, plays sheep ball, fetch, left and right, jogging together and tons of other tricks We play sniffing games, Kongs, snuffle mats, Nina Otteson puzzles and other games But he still requires attention when we're at home and can't be left at home unless crated (which means we can only leave the house for 3-4 hours). On a good day it's 3-4 hours on a bad one it's 12 hours. And we have to keep an eye out in parks for kids, people on bicycles and walking on paths around the park. He has continued to lunge while street walking and has nipped people on the street or in parks but not broken skin This weekend he bit my partners mum on the leg and punctured the skin It's been 10 months and we were going to board him for a bit so we could have a break. But with the bite, we're thinking whether boarding won't help him (possibly make it worse) and we should find him a quieter home. What do you think?

Hi! Three or so months ago I got a seven week old border collie/american eskimo dog mix puppy. I got him off of Craigslist, and did not know much about the breed prior to getting him, so I was not aware that they were working dogs. With this being said, I have been doing everything in my capacity to provide him with the mental and physical stimulation that he needs. I also am a college student, although I will be graduating in May, which has caused for me to not be able to devote as much time as I believe is necessary to train him. With this being said he does know most basic commands when treats are involved (paw, sit, down, stay, high five etc). Unfortunately he has a very bad habit of biting, and sometimes he will seemingly "viscously" bite others. He is now five months old, and has gotten his adult teeth in, so his bites are not always as painful, but sometimes they still are. The main issue is not that he bites me, but he will bite other people if the do something that "irritates" him. For example if my mother tries to put the leash on him she may get bitten, or if she tries to pet him while someone is preparing his food. He always will try to bite when people put on his leash, regardless of the person- but this is a habit that cannot persist. I have gone to trainers, and am currently working with a trainer whom has been very helpful, but I am getting worried because I do not want him to continue to bite as an adult, for his own safety. I know this was lengthy, but I can answer any other questions you guys may have! I usually spend my entire day with him except when I am in class, so I am normally with him about 18 hours out of a 24 hour day. I also am running out of ways to entertain him while I am doing homework, and he will always get into trouble if not supervised, or try to do bad things to get my attention. He is crate trained and house trained at this point. So to summarize what the issues are: 1. He bites other people, sometimes aggressively if triggered 2. He doesn't seem to have any desire to "please" me in the sense that my other dogs (labs) had. 3. I don't know how to keep him entertained when I am doing work 4. He bites when I try to put the leash on him, and I do not know how to eliminate this behavior (I have tried giving him treats and showing him the leash repetitively, and it has not significantly helped) I attached a picture of him, so maybe you guys can identify if he is not truly a border collie, but he has tried to "Herd" children when given the opportunity and most people when they see him assume he is a border collie puppy Another aside is that I also am not willing to give him up, I believe that it is my responsibility since I got this puppy to take care of him and to ensure that he has the best life possible, I do not want to give him away- he is extremely attached. I appreciate any help or tips you guys can give me! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for trying to help me! I just want him to have the best life possible and for this to work out so we can both be happy!

Hi My husband and I recently rescued a collie cross from the RSPCA, she had hardly any background information except she was attacked by another dog before she went into the rescue centre and the owners 'couldn't afford her' what ever that means. The first five weeks were great, she was very nervous with other dogs and people (she really distrusts men) but began making friends with other dogs, even laid down and completely ignored a dog who was barking at her because he wanted to play. Then last weekend happened. We were playing fetch, and a tiny dog popped out from around the corner, barked and stood up straight and tall in front of misty. Misty walked towards the dog slowly, then really went for the dog. We managed to pull her off the dog and it was unharmed. We felt so terrible. The next day we went to a pub garden with misty, where we had been before and she had been ok, and she started barking at someone who walked too close, and when they didn't move away she started nipping at his heels. He was ok about this, but we decided to leave anyway. Unfortunately, within 3 minutes of leaving the pub, two men walked past us on the street and she bit one of the men. Again, he was fantastic about it, I think he saw the shock And upset in our faces. Luckily he was a nice guy, and refused to take our phone number and carried on on his way. I am cutting this very long story short. We have spoken to a behaviourist and I understand what we did wrong as to why she reacted in such and dreadful way. We have been given a training program, to help her obedience, help distract her when she gets scared, and generally help her be more comfortable in situations. The behaviourist is hopeful, she thinks Misty might always be scared of men but there are ways we can help her cope with the situations, and therefore be able to trust again. (We have two male friends who come round our house all of the time and she loves them so I can see it will happen) I am super confident, I know it will take a lot of work to get the friendly, confident dog that we know is inside her, maybe a few years. My husband, although he loves her so much, is less convinced that she might be able to run around free again, and is worried that she will do it again. SO! I was wondering if anyone has any similar stories with hopefully happy endings, which they could share to give my husband confidence that if we work hard with Misty, she will be great. I think he is just struggling to give her the trust back that was lost that day.

I am trying to train my 1.5 year old female Border Collie to work cattle. I have no prior stockdog training experience. My problem is related to (a lack of) biting. The dog does not bite heels. She doesn't recognize the heel as a target. She only shows interest in light nipping at a calf's head. I purchased 3 gentle 450 lb. Holstein calves for training this dog. My herd cattle are somewhat unfriendly, so I was advised to use comparatively docile milk cows for dog training. The calves were not dog-broke. The calves quickly learned that if they turn their bodies away from the dog, the dog will not bite their rear or heels. When this happens, the dog tries to circle around to the calf's head. This causes the dog to push the calf the wrong direction, or more often, the calf spins away, and the dog chases the head, in a circle. I tried to strongly discourage the dog from running in front of the calf when I want her on the opposite side of the calf. Unfortunately the dog can't do much if she is behind the calf and the calf refuses to walk forward. Even when the dog is face-to-face with a calf, she has trouble forcing the calf to move away. She has a very weak bite, like a kiss, which is really too gentle to motivate the calf to leave. The dog gets nose-to-nose with a calf, but the calf often just stands in place. The calf stares at her, or moves his head away, or butts the dog. If the dog would bite, instead of gnawing at the calf's face, the calf would move. I don't know how to encourage the dog to be more assertive. I try to praise, excite, and encourage her, and she becomes excited, but she doesn't use her teeth to make the cattle move. How can I encourage the dog to bite when appropriate?