My dog barks at the slightest movement or sound. He chases my four cats around and when hes on a walk he chases cars. He is a Border Collie, so it is natural for him to try to herd things. He is so out of control sometimes that he will see the neighbor dogs from the inside window and will throw himself at the window, barking like a maniac. What do you suggest I do?
Additional info, added Thursday March 10 2005, 11:19 pm: he went to obedianace school, but it didn't help and he is fixed.. Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category? Maybe give some free advice about: Pets? selectopaque answered Saturday March 12 2005, 1:51 pm: This happens to most Border Collies. They are extremely intelligent dogs, but they also have an extreme amount of energy to burn because of what they were originally bred for.
You absolutely need to give him the opportunity to burn off some energy. Try to find a large field where he can run for an hour or two, at least once a day.
It also sounds like this dog needs more socialization. If he is charging at everything that moves, it's because he is way too excited when he see's different things. Do you have any sort of "Puppy play time" things around there? It doesn't matter if he isn't a puppy anymore, there may be some sort of get together with a lot of dog owners to let their dogs socialize and play. I know there is something like this around my area, where dog's as large as Great Danes, get together and play with dogs as small as Pugs. The person that started the group also happens to own a Border Collie, and she started it just for the purpose of getting some energy out of the dog.
Also, what type of obediance classes did you take? Did you take class where you where your dog went to someone without you and learned things? Or was it a class where you took your dog somewhere and were taught how to teach him things?
Most obedience classes are not to just teach your dog. They are to teach you how to train your dog.
You need to learn how to walk him. This will help with him thinking that it's ok to chase cars and other things outside... Here's a few tips on that.
First, get a gentle leader. This is a collar, that loops around his snout. This is NOT a muzzle, it is a collar. It will make it so he is not able to pull you down the street. It works much the same way that a horses leader works. If the dog tries to pull in one direction that you don't want him to go, then it will just turn his head sideways towards you. A dog can't walk forward if his head is turned sideways. Trust me, It worked wonders with my 150 pound Rottweiler.
Now that you have a gentle leader, take him for walks daily. If he starts to pull AT ALL then just stop. Do not let him go forward, because he will learn "I pull, and I get to go where I want to go" But, if you just stop, then he'll learn "I pull and I don't get to go anywhere."
It will take a lot of time and patience, but DO NOT stop this simple training. If he starts pulling and you let him get away with it for even one second, then his training will go down the drain right away. But if you keep up with it, and stop EVERY time he starts to pull on the leash, then he learn soon.
Now, this leash training should help you immensely. But, you also need to let him get his exercise. If you don't, then he will go crazy and get very destructive. Trust me, this is the main reason that Border Collies and other herding type dogs are brought into shelters. But, if you learn to deal with his high energy, he can be one of the most intelligent dogs ever. [ selectopaque's advice column | Ask selectopaque A Question ]
chaos answered Friday March 11 2005, 3:33 pm: Maybe he needs someone to play with. Another dog or even a turtle. He seems to need a little more free time. Maybe you should consider getting him either a friend or a little bit o exercise. [ chaos's advice column | Ask chaos A Question ]
zapreth answered Friday March 11 2005, 10:00 am: Water squirt bottle training! I had a Sheltie that went through a phase like this. (Except the cat thing, that is my Poms) Keep a squirt bottle with you at all times. For the first few days keep him on a leash even inside the house. (He should associate the lead with training and obedience. This will reenforce that you are in control.) Inside manners are very different from regular obedience training. A spray of water to catch your dog's attention and a firm no bark, or leave it (useful command for not chasing cats, cars or eating bad things on the floor) when he does wrong will go a long way to training him away from these bad habits. The car thing is an extention of these indoor bad habits. He can get away with charging the windows, why can't he get by with going after what he wants outside?
Another thing, if you just sent him to obedience school, it may have been an useless expense. Dogs obey the pack leader. If someone else trained him, that person is his pack leader not you. If your dog has a dominant personallity, and with the behavior issues you describe, he does, you will need to take a refresher course in obedience training with your dog to gain his respect. If you did train him, he needs alot of work and practice and additional classes. Reenforcement of behavior is the MOST important thing in training. A dog can't just go through a training course and be perfect and remember all his manners. It takes constant work to keep his lessons in mind. Luck! [ zapreth's advice column | Ask zapreth A Question ]
ShYbl0nD3 answered Friday March 11 2005, 3:41 am: Well you can definatly get that dog trained up and when he barks he's probably just barking at sounds he's not used to or well... he just loves to chase and bark at things lol. But if you want it to stop tell him "NO!" and make sure he knows what it means. He'll get the hang of it in a few days, or a week depending on how old he is. What you can aslo so is say "No!" and hold his mouth shut. It will make him stop so he wont bark as much. It works. I did it with my dog and she doesn't bark much anymore. [ ShYbl0nD3's advice column | Ask ShYbl0nD3 A Question ]
Teza answered Friday March 11 2005, 12:14 am: I dont know much about dogs but maybe the best thing to do is get him trained. Hire a dog trainer so they can train him. Give it treats when its good and it will learn. x0 [ Teza's advice column | Ask Teza A Question ]
lilrocksta13 answered Friday March 11 2005, 12:12 am: I suggest that you keep your dog occupied but not isolated. If he barks at anything he sees, thats ok because its a natural thing to do for all animals. (even cats) [ lilrocksta13's advice column | Ask lilrocksta13 A Question ]
karenR answered Friday March 11 2005, 12:01 am: Dogs are the best aren't they? Maybe you could have a vet give him some valium.LOL.Really though I think a vet could perhaps give him something to calm him down somewhat.Probably not completley.If not he could suggest something.Most of the time (around here anyway) they will give you advice over the phone and you won't even have to take him in.
I have a Blue Healer in my back yard so I do know a little of what your going through.He does a real good job of rounding up the grandkids now and then.Cat's don't hang out much around here either.Take him to the vet or call one and see if they can think of anything to help you.Good luck. [ karenR's advice column | Ask karenR A Question ]
cOoKiE02 answered Thursday March 10 2005, 11:10 pm: You should get him fixed, then he wouldnt hav tha balls to do it any more hehehe but yea im serious and if he iz a puppy, they always act lik that for tha first year so jus wait a little longer then a year and he should calm down i hoped that helped~cookie~ [ cOoKiE02's advice column | Ask cOoKiE02 A Question ]
FunkyHoMoSapien answered Thursday March 10 2005, 10:57 pm: the best thing to do is to get him trained. it might be worse work cause then you would get sum peace a quite. i dont know of any people or places that can help you with that. hope you can get him to be quite. [ FunkyHoMoSapien's advice column | Ask FunkyHoMoSapien A Question ]
teengoddess12 answered Thursday March 10 2005, 10:57 pm: well, you should realize that most dogs act like that. i have 3 dogs and they all bark a ton. you can't do a lot about that, but it sounds like your dog has a lot of energy. since you don't necessarily want to take him out in public because of his wildness, then take him to a secluded area, like your backyard, or a deserted meadow, or something where there is space, but not many people. then, teach him how to fetch or go after something and let him burn some of his energy, if he's tired, he'll be more apt to let some of his barking go, and besides that, he's just acting like a dog! [ teengoddess12's advice column | Ask teengoddess12 A Question ]
patmyboo answered Thursday March 10 2005, 10:56 pm: yell and hit him every times hes bad but even more reward him when hes good. i would spray water on cats, but dogs might like it so idk and good luck [ patmyboo's advice column | Ask patmyboo A Question ]
Attention: NOTHING on this site may be reproduced in any fashion whatsoever without explicit consent (in writing) of the owner of said material, unless otherwise stated on the page where the content originated. Search engines are free to index and cache our content. Users who post their account names or personal information in their questions have no expectation of privacy beyond that point for anything they disclose. Questions are otherwise considered anonymous to the general public.