# Border Collie Puppy becoming aggressive.



## Banana180 (May 30, 2017)

Hello!

We have a 6 Month old Border Collie puppy, he has settled down in the house very well. He is loving the back garden. There was little to no issues with him at the start, but now as he is getting older he is starting to Snarl and Bit at people, mainly going for shoes.

We've just had him neutered just yesterday, he as one of those cones on his head and is feeling sorry for himself. 

His aggressive behavior has become more frequent has he has grown. The main issue is that he is getting bigger by each day and harder to deal with when he is being aggressive.

My Grandmother has fallen further down the dementia path and has become harder for my parents to deal with, now with the puppy becoming more aggressive its not helping the situation. I spend most of my time with him so it would be up to me to teach him. He learns very fast, how to sit and wait when he is in the car, and house training only took a few days. Smart Dogs.

I am starting to think he is missing interaction with other dogs? He is very nervous around dogs and people he doesn't know. Could this be the source of his aggression?

I imagine as he gets older he will grow out of doing certain things, would this be one of them? I know I can't just sit tight and wait for him to age. He needs to learn what he is doing is wrong.

Thank you.


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## Guest (May 31, 2017)

When he goes for shoes, is it people he knows or strangers? What would be a typical situation where he goes for shoes?


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## Guest (May 31, 2017)

My puppy is 3 1/2 months and she often goes for shoes and trousers when I'm walking. I have to just stop and therefore take the fun out of her 'game'.


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

Banana180 said:


> Hello!
> 
> We have a 6 Month old Border Collie puppy, he has settled down in the house very well. He is loving the back garden. There was little to no issues with him at the start, but now as he is getting older he is starting to Snarl and Bit at people, mainly going for shoes.
> 
> ...





Banana180 said:


> Hello!
> 
> Is your Border Collie from show lines, sporting lines (agility/obedience/WTs) or a farm sheepdog?
> 
> In what sort of situations is your collie aggressive and it is with people he knows, strangers, postmen, etc.?


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## Keith 66 (May 25, 2017)

My last dog Zip was a smooth coated collie, he may have had a dash of something else but not much. We got him from the pound aged about 18 months old. He had obviously had some training but had been dumped on Canvey seafront where he ran wild for several weeks until being caught by the dog warden. He exibitied typical Collie herding behaviour & was very nippy, going for peoples ankles etc. First time he met Mother in law he ripped her dress! I suspect he was dumped for being destructive. He was entire & i came under pressure to neuter him. I had read Vet Bruce Fogles book the Rspca dog training manual & it was excellent. His view was that often neutering a physcologically damaged dog was counter productive. It got so that i was waiting for Zip to jump someone almost before it happened. He was not a dominant dog so a sharp word was usually enough to stop him. Once on the school run he lunged at a girl who ran past squealing & i had to grab him as he attacked, that time i was lucky to grab his collar & he got a right telling off! As he was with us all the time he rapidly got used to the set up & turned into a fantastic dog & as it happened never was neutered he simply didnt need to be.


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## Banana180 (May 30, 2017)

Thank you all for your input,

When he does go for shoes he is just playing, like walking into another room with him nearby he may start tugging on shoe laces and the like.
The issue comes down when he Snarls and Snaps at people. He usually does it when he is tired, or he is too hot or when his scheduled has been changed and he is a little confused. Sometimes he may do it and random, there would be a reason to it somewhere but I am not sure why. Maybe he is protecting something?

Is was born on a working Sheep Farm to two working sheep dogs.

He is very easy to train, I am pretty sure at this moment he may just grow out of it. I am mixing him with other dogs as he is very nervous around them. If they get to close to him he will jump back and will start to bit them. He was bitten by a small dog a month or two ago which didn't help him.

It is just simply the times when he is aggressive, he will snarl and snap at people, showing his teeth. I can see there is something he is doing when he does it. Its just will he grow out of it or will he need training not to do it.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2017)

You may want to back off on trying to get him to interact with other dogs. Socialization is about pleasant, positive interactions with other dogs (and people) not forced ones where the dog has a bad experience.

This is a very good article about border collies, especially working ones like you have. I recommend reading it, and then listening to the good advice from those on here like @Twiggy who have so much experience with this breed.

http://agilitynet.co.uk/training/bordercollie_suekitchen_leewindeatt.html


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