# Help - nervous border collie!



## Elaine76 (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi,
Hoping that someone out there can give me some advice?... had some excellent tips from people on here before...

Umm where to start? We have a nervous 1 year old border collie boy. He was neutered at 9 months. I'm currently stressed and worried because he's developed some new weird behaviours & not sure what the best way to handle it is. 

We live in a semi and share our front drive with our neighbours. He barks at them every time we go out/return from walks. They use their side door a lot and unfortunately have a habit of appearing without warning. We are/were really friendly with them but I'm now stressed on every walk that we will bump into them on our way out/in. I tried asking them to throw dog treats but they don't do it every time and Dylan eats the treat then carries on barking. 

I think the other problem is related - he's started doing a 'mule' impression every time we return home from a walk. He stops dead on the drive/front garden and won't walk up to the door. :cursing:This increases my stress as I'm standing there like a lemon pulling him, waiting for a neighbour to appear and him to start barking... if our front door's open then there's no problem, he'll walk in, but usually it's not!! (Can't really go out and leave the front door wide open!)

We also have big problems when people come over, he jumps and barks at people he doesn't know, frightening them - and me. He doesn't bite just scares them as much as possible. We've taken to shutting him out when we have people round - he's always put in another room when we have to answer the door - but now I'm worried that at such a young age should we be exposing him to friends/strangers at home more? (Been avoiding it as it's just so stressful.) I don't want this problem to get worse...

Sorry, this is a bit long... Just one more thing - we're not experienced dog owners!! (maybe that's obvious...!)

Thanks for any advice,

Elaine


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## labradorann (Jul 18, 2011)

Hi, my Missy was very shy, almost afraid like your border collie, when I first got here - I'm glad I was able to find this page once again because it really helped me out at the time 

Its some kind of forum and the members have given some pretty good info

How to build confidence (Border Collie World)


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Elaine76 said:


> We have a nervous 12-MO male BC... I'm... worried b/c he's developed... new weird behaviours[:]
> 
> We live in a semi[-detached house] & share [the] front drive with our neighbours. He barks at them every time
> we go out or return from walks. They use their side door a lot & unfortunately... [appear] without warning.
> ...


hey, Elaine!  
just a couple of clarifying details:
- they don't HAVE To give treats 'every' time - just often-enuf to make Dylan think they might.

- the point is not WHETHER he barks; the point is to classically associate neighbors + treats. 
his behavior has zip to do with the treats, as this is not *contingent*, it's purely associative. 


Elaine76 said:


> ...he's started [to mimic] a 'mule'... [when] we return... from a walk. He stops dead
> on the drive / front garden & won't walk... to the door. :cursing: This [*embarrasses me*] as I [stand] there
> like a lemon pulling him, waiting for a neighbour to appear &... start [him] barking;... if our front door's open...
> there's no problem, he'll walk in, but usually it's not! (Can't really go out & leave the front door wide open!)


i'd treat this as a separate issue; there are many alternatives.

1) *Pick him up & carry him.* yes, really: arm wrapped under his chest, arm wrapped above his hocks 
& under his butt, HOLD the opposite WRIST so U don't drop him. [right-hand locked on left-wrist, ditto left-hand 
grips right-wrist.]

2) Put a *front-clip harness* on him & U go ahead to open the door; a *10 or 12-ft long-line* can help, pay it out 
while U approach the door, but make sure he CANNOT bolt; he can stand where he is while U unlock the door, 
but may NOT run back, further-away.

3) drop a come-along loop behind his butt: 
this assumes U have a *6-foot leash.* Stand beside the dog's ribs; hold the leash by the dog's head with one hand. 
Hold the wrist-loop in the other hand & take the leash along the dog's FAR-side, under the butt & above the hocks; 
run the wrist-loop over the wrist behind that hand, then *trade hands* to grip the area of leash U were holding 
by their head. Now U are holding both sections of leash gathered in one hand, & the dog is walking inside 
a horseshoe-shape of leash, with the 'open ends' of the horseshoe pinched together & held in one hand.

4) Throw treats [part of his dinner-kibble with added stinky-attractions] ==> ahead of him to follow & find. 


Elaine76 said:


> We also have... problems [with visitors], he jumps & barks at [strangers], frightening them - & me.
> He doesn't bite, just *scares them as much as possible*. We've taken to shutting him out when we have people
> round - he's always put in another room when we have to answer the door - but now I'm worried that at such
> a young age should we [expose] him to friends/strangers at home more? ([we've avoided] it, as it's just so stressful.)
> ...


when U say he _*'scares them as much as possible'*_, U imply he INTENDS to scare than as much as possible. 
this is IMO massive exaggeration; no dog could *plan* deliberately to "scare U as much as s/he could". 
that's a very abstract concept which involves comparative outcomes.

* YES, i'd say the dog needs more exposure to visitors, but in a way that keeps him under threshold: 
- keep him in another room until the visitors are seated, bring him to the door & tether him at a distance. 
- or tether him BEFORE the visitors enter & have them open the door, toss a treat, & go back out; re-enter 
& repeat indefinitely, a dozen or 2-dozen times in a row *till he stops barking.* Enter, toss, exit; 
enter, toss, exit; enter...

CALMATIVES - 
Pet Forums Community - View Single Post - dog body-language - and why it matters so much... 
see this POST for What, When, How, etc.

i'd use a minimum of THREE - One oral, one tactile & one olfactory. 
for EX: 
Rescue-Remedy *liquid drops* *AND* T-Touch body-wrap with a 4-inch-wide Ace-bandage *AND* DAP pump-spray.

the book _'Click to Calm'_ is an excellent DIY-manual for B-Mod of any reactivity issue. 
if the local-library does not own a copy, THEY can borrow it from another library & lend it to U. 
U pay the postage; what a deal!


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## Elaine76 (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi

Thanks so much for this

How to build confidence (Border Collie World)[/QUOTE]

have spent ages reading articles on here... lots of helpful stuff.
I think we've not given enough attention to the fact that Dylan is only 14 months old & so (I'm finding out) is still in the 'adolescent' phase.

Thanks for the link :smilewinkgrin:,

Elaine


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## Elaine76 (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi LeashedForLife,
Thanks for all these ideas ... lots of techniques here that I need to get my head around & apply.
One thing we've done the last few days is trying a longer line. That seems to be helping with getting up the drive :smilewinkgrin: and it means I can get ahead & open up, he's maybe more likely to follow if it's open, like getting a green light maybe?

With the strangers in the house issue, I think maybe where we've gone wrong is not having enough people round in his first year I'm hoping we can work on it. We never introduce him to new people inside unless they are seated & quiet, otherwise he barks and jumps at them like crazy. Might try exposing him to quiet seated friends by putting him on a leash close to the doorway/room where they are sitting...I'm not sure whether that's better than letting him come/go freely into the room - this way he can run away, but he can also get close and bark - the latter's not good . 

I'll ask the neighbour to carry on throwing the treats when he can - perhaps with perseverence this WILL improve things.

Maybe look into the clicker training too - maybe hunt down this 'click to calm' book .


Thanks again, I'll check back in after a while, let you know if we're making progress!

Elaine


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

Excellent advice for Terry. Just one thing to add - make sure you remain calm and confident because if you're stressed in these situations, your dog (especially a collie) will pick up on it and it will become a vicious circle. I know that's easier said than done from my own experience with BCs over the last 30 plus years, but try very hard.


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