6 Month Old Border Collie, Displaced Aggression and Resource Guarding

[WanderDogs]

I was wondering if I could hear a few pointers from the good people on these forums who know so much about BCs.

I purchased a BC puppy from a breeder around the end of August. He was 14 weeks at the time that I purchased him- I received him at 14.5 weeks. I did not meet this puppy before purchasing him. The breeder came highly recommended by a friend with LGDs and another friend with BCs. The breeder does trial with their dogs. The sire is actively competing at the Open level in USBCHA. I'm not sure about the dam. I don't want to be more specific than that yet because of the nature of this post.

The puppy I received was in good health. This was my first puppy (besides foster puppies) and my fourth BC (besides foster BCs). The previous BCs have been rescues.

A few days after getting him, I started taking him out with me. We visited the park, downtown, and various pet stores. I found out right away that he would bark at dogs he saw in public. I began working with him and any strange dog we saw at a distance and rewarded him for paying attention to me instead of dogs that we passed. Now, at 6 months of age, he still barks at strange dogs.

I went to breakfast with a friend in the week that followed bringing him home. We both brought our puppies (hers is a French Bulldog), who are almost exactly the same age. My BC puppy, upon seeing that the French Bulldog was receiving treats as a reward for sitting, immediately decided to aggressively bite the French Bulldog for taking food from me. This was the first sigh of aggression I saw from him.

A few days later, I began having trouble with the BC pup and my Chihuahua. He started bullying her, pushing her around, bouncing all over her, and rolling her like she was a toy. The two were separated after that- the puppy was no longer allowed to roam freely while the Chihuahua was loose and vice versa. He also began barking and lunging at her when he was in his crate. I covered his crate.

Things went well for a little while after that. He and I started bonding over playing and training every day. He got along famously with one of my older BCs and copied everything that BC did, which was adorable.

My parents moved into the house about a month ago (I have been taking care of it for them but am moving soon). They brought their Xoloitzcuintli with them. The Xolo is a difficult dog- very vocal, very standoffish, a lot of negative energy. He is good with people, but not great with other dogs. We introduced the BC pup to him slowly. It didn't go well at all. We ended up having to shove the two of them in the same hotel room for two days because we evacuated from Hurricane Matthew and it was an absolute nightmare.

The Xolo will bark and lunge at the BC pup. The BC pup responds in kind. They have gotten into fights. The BC pup attacked the Xolo for taking food from me (both were leashed and easily pulled apart). After that, they we returned from the hotel, they were put on a strict crate/rotate schedule and the two are not allowed to spend any time together whatsoever.

Unfortunately, I think the damage was done. The BC puppy still reacts to the Xolo's barking. As soon as he hears that dog barking and moving around, he responds by barking and lunging at the door of his crate. (Or, if he is locked in my room, barking and lunging at the door).

This was quickly followed by displaced aggression on ME. BC pup began displacing on me when he 1) could hear the Xolo but couldn't get to him or 2) was being blocked from going in through a doorway he wanted to go into.

After this, the BC pup was placed on a VERY strict schedule of tether training. He is not allowed to run loose in the house, ever. He is always on a leash, always watched, always managed. He is allowed to run outside and gets plenty of exercise by playing frisbee, swimming in the pool, going for long walks, and having training sessions. But inside, he is either on a leash or in a crate.

Today I was working on him with taking treats while the Chihuahua was taking treats (he usually tries to go after her for taking food from me but we were getting there with a lot of eye contact work and the "Look at That" game). He was doing very well until the Xolo, who was two rooms over, started barking. He immediately appeared stressed. His expression changed and he lunged at the door, barking. He then went after my older BC, the one he follows everywhere. I crated him so he could calm down and came online for help.

We are in an area where there aren't a lot of trustworthy trainers (northeast Florida). I'm going to Connecticut next week to work with some trainers I know and trust up there, but I would like to hear input from the people here as well if possible.

Does it sound like this puppy is just being a jerk or is there something I need to be more concerned about? Am I not doing enough for him?

We are planning on starting herding lessons soon- that was always my intention with him. But I'm worried now. He barks at animals (ducks, ferrets at the pet store, cats, other dogs) and it's VERY difficult to get him to stop. Will he bark at sheep? Is this a common BC problem that I've just never run into before?

Any and all advice is very much appreciated.

To recap, behavioral issues include:
-Barking/lunging at Chihuahua while BC is in crate
-Displaced aggression/frustration when being blocked from going through a door he wants to go through or being blocked from going after another dog.
-Aggressively chasing down any dog that walks by his food/a bone he is eating.
-Aggressively going after a dog for taking food from me.
-Barking at other animals when in public with very poor recovery from the experience (fur on back is usually standing up when this happens).

Daily exercise regimine includes:
2-3 games of frisbee per day (mostly 2, sometimes 3), with lots of tugging since we are still learning to retrieve.
10 minutes of swimming in the pool (or until he is tired- he LOVES the pool)
Walks around the block/sometimes a longer walk at the park (2 miles).
2-3 training sessions per day. Also always technically "in training" when he is out and about in the house.
1 flirt pole session every night to get him nice and tired before bed.

[DutchBorderfan]

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your puppy.

 

It's very difficult for everyone here to determine what's going on, because we can't actually see what is happening. You say 'aggressively' a lot, but I honestly haven't met a truly aggressive border collie yet. Usually unwanted behaviours stem from fear, anxiety, overstimulation, not enough stimulation, etc.

 

Do you observe your puppy when he barks at strange dogs? you say hairs on back are standing up, which could mean fear / stress. do you see whites of the eye, licking his mouth, yawning, trying to stand between your legs, etc.?

 

Does it happen all the time, or only at a certain time a day or in certain situations? this could determine if he's simply being reactive to all the stimulating things around him.

 

I would also contact the breeder and ask about the characters of the sire and dam. I would also ask if there was a reason the puppy was with the breeder for so long. Was he the last puppy to leave, if so, why?

 

Final remark: don't think you're not doing enough, your schedule actually looks a bit strenuous for a 6 month old. 2-3 times a day of actual training, accompanied by frisbee, swimming ánd walks, is too much in my opinion. I would tone it down a little and focus on rest, and training the mind.

 

I'll read along, with your and everyone else's answers, you might get some good advice, but this does sound like you need a good dog behaviourist to assist you, preferably one that knows the breed.

[denice]

I would start with changing a few things. One for me would be no tugging. That to me sets him up Me VS the dog. They will fetch and drop it because they want to keep to keep playing. I do not think tugging is a good skill to "teach"

 

Ok my other thing is probably controversial but here it is - crating a dog and leashing may in fact Manage the behavior but it does not correct it - avoiding the problem will not fix it.

 

Crating is for teaching a dog to be crated. It will help with avoiding puppy behaviors when you can watch him till he grows out of them like peeing inside or chewing everything. It can not teach good behavior and what you want - that is your job, he needs feedback for that.

 

I correct the behavior, whatever he is doing that is unacceptable gets corrected with a Sufficient correction that he thinks twice about repeating it. Each dog is different and simply because we see it as a correction does in no way translate to him seeing it as a correction. The more he Practices the behavior the harder it will be to correct.

 

I would add structure and activities that teach him I am the giver of all good things, all rules must be followed, no things in life are free...what is yours is mine and what is mine is mine.

He may be a more dominate dog or a more fearful dog so that he is acting out - a get you before you get me type. Either way I correct.

A big part of the secret is YOU have to be Confident and In Charge and project that no nonsense vibe. If you are worried you are sunk before you begin.

 

Aggressive behavior - no matter the reason - gets dogs killed. It is serious, needs to not be avoided or placated.

[D'Elle]

I will respectfully disagree entirely with what denise writes in the post above.

Doing strong corrections on this kind of behavior is not the right way to handle it, nor is getting into a "I'm the
Alpha dog" attitude with the dog. Correcting the puppy for barking or lunging at the other dogs will only add strongly to your puppy's distaste for the other dogs by allowing him to associate correction with other dogs, and will set you up in an adversarial relationship with your dog, which is not something you ever want, because neither of you can ever win.

 

Tug is not an adversarial game, and there is no reason not to play tug if your puppy likes it. The concept that tug is adversarial or teaches aggression is actually quite outdated.

 

The first thing I would do is back off from just about everything.

Do less exercise with the puppy and spend more time just hanging out and lightly playing and giving loving attention one on one with no other people or dogs around.

 

I would take the puppy completely away from the Xolo as soon as possible, and if you cannot move right away keep the two dogs completely separated at all times. If your puppy reacts to hearing the Xolo barking, ignore him until he stops to take a breath or looks at you, and then very quickly mark and reward. A clicker and a pocket full of tiny yummy treats will be your friend in this.

 

Run, don't walk, to the library or to Amazon, and buy or borrow a copy of "Click To Calm" and use those techniques. Basically, the idea is that you do not correct the dog for being a snark to other dogs, rather you wait until the dog stops (even for a moment) and you reward that. I once took a badly damaged-from-abuse and severely reactive ACD/BC mix from being hysterically barky/snarly/trying to attack, to calmly sniffing other dogs in only a half hour using this technique. Sounds impossible but it is true.

 

Do NOT bully your dog or lord it over him. Do not scold him for this, it will only make it worse. Do not allow the other dogs to be loose in the room if he is in a crate. This is a set-up guaranteed to produce unwanted behavior. Even dogs who are not normally reactive to other dogs will become so in this situation.

 

If he doesn't like seeing you give food to another dog, don't let him see you do that, at least for the next several months until you have established a better relationship with your dog. I am not saying that your relationship is bad, but your puppy needs to know that he has no need to be acting this way because you and he are a team and you have his back. To me he sounds anxious, not aggressive. He needs lots of calming activity and opportunities to relax. This will help a lot more than hard training or correcting would.

 

And finally, please do not view what is going on as aggressive behavior. Just your thinking of it in that way creates an attitude in you that can be felt by the dog and it will make it worse. Think instead that your dog is confused, and uncomfortable, and he needs some guidance and to be shown that he is safe and loved. Think of a little child who is acting out. Doesn't mean that kid is a bad kid, and needs to be punished. Means there is something going on for that kid, and if the kid is allowed to feel safe and loved, the behavior will vanish. Love is, always, greater than fear.

[denice]

I will add that you may think of this as dominance but I think of it as teaching respect. They live in my house with me and must follow my rules. There are not many rules but what I say goes. All my dogs are taught that if I want what they have they are expected to give it me. No guarding of objects or food. I do not bully or nag. It is simple. They hang out on the couch with me but when I ask for that spot it is mine and they move, if I want that bone, it is mine...

 

Most social animals expect some one to be in control and someone to be lower on the totem pole that is how society functions - horses, chimps, dogs, people. Most dogs that are acting "tough" do it out of fear, I understand that but they still need taught what is and is not acceptable. Most unwanted behavior vanishes when there are clear expectations. With two dogs they rarely chew on the same bone at the same time - one is the winner the other walks away. One wins the toy the other walks away. Simple - I am always the winner. 90% of the time I only have to speak to my dogs because the rules are in place from day 1.

I love them, I depend on them, I work with them and they willingly work with me but I set the rules we go by.

Dogs do not reason like we do or even children do. It would be great if we could love and treat and reward away all the unwanted behavior but I have come across animals and people where that simply does not work.

[larryfoster]

This is why I really like coming here.

So many really knowledgeable people help me learn.

[WanderDogs]

Thank you for all the input everyone. I actually got a hold of his breeder yesterday and we are working through things. I appreciate all of the advice!

[DutchBorderfan]

Thumbs up to everything D'Elle mentioned in her post.

 

I just wanted to add: my girl had lots of problems with other dogs, to the point we were a nuisance during the courses at the dog training school. She would lunge at other dogs and it was really progressing week by week.

 

This was completely fear based, and had nothing to do with aggression or trying to be dominant. The problem is that it does very much look like aggression. And had I thought of it that way and managed the problem from that state of mind, the problems would have gotten worse.

 

I trained for her focus and attention on me, all the time, and worked on a solid recall. I ignored her in the house so that when we would go outside, or when we trained, my attention and commands actually meant something. I had a zero tolerance policy when it came to meeting dogs on leash or in situations where I thought it might go wrong. I even quit the dog school for a while. I only let her have very controlled, positive experiences with other dogs.

 

And that worked. In a few months time she went from going berserk at every dog, to a well behaved (semi) social lovely girl.

 

That may take more time and more patience than dominance based solutions. But it's totally worth it in the end.