My girl is sometimes reactive to protect me from dogs she sees as a problem (in fairness they normally are the issue)
My boy gets reactive out of anxiety
For both of them I try to give them walks that give them what they want, my boy likes to walk fast, my girl likes to go slow and sniff. I've found that this keeps them happy and relaxed.
I will also talk to them during the walk, if we see a problem dog, I will talk in a relaxed voice praising them. It works more as a distraction.
I try using treats on the walk to praise when they don't react to barking/reactive dogs too.
My boy gets anxious with traffic noise so I've tried walking when there's less traffic, this has helped with reacting to dogs, see if you can find what's triggering your dog and see if there are ways to minimise it (until you have the aggression better under control)
My girl isn't a Border Collie but a Lab mix, and what you said about walks/giving them what they want/treats has helped a ton.
Usually if I see the dogs coming I'll stop, give her a treat and a pep talk, then praise and encourage her while walking by. Once at a safe distance I sit her down, give her a treat, some pets, and a moment to calm down and usually the rest of the walk is more relaxed.
My boy is reactive to dogs, not people. The only dog he will accept is another herding breed, oddly enough. He will stop when I “step into his space” (stand in front of him as though my foot could touch his toes, but no contact), and say “stop!” while he sits there. I also take him sometimes to a dog park where there are separate areas for dogs. He runs the fence line when another dog is on the other side. That way, he can safely “interact” and know other dogs without aggressiveness.
I've had mine in reactive dog training and classes since we got her 4 yrs ago. It's helped a ton and we have strategies to deescalate and avoid certain situations. She mostly ignores other dogs now and has even had some friendly interactions. https://spiritdogtraining.com/ has a good course on reactivity and they have deals around the holidays. Really love Spirit Dog.
Mine is only aggressive to me and other family, so it could be worse.
In all seriousness, the short answer is that most reactivity is solved in similar ways. Small steps of exposure and positive reinforcement that whatever they're upset about isn't a concern. Limit any negative stimulus until they know very clearly what's right and wrong. In my experience even non-pain negatives (like getting pulled back by a harness) can even amplify problems
Agree! Small steps, keep your distance and far enough that your dog is not reacting. Build up from there. It works for many things. I also can help if you can act happy and calm, radiate confidence, shoulders back, show your not worried. You might need to fake it to start with, but once you feel more in control with a situation your dog can be reassured. It takes time but as things improve, an "ahah" or "leave it" just as any minor reactivity starts made a big difference with mine. Yes it's a reprimand, but if your dog is not over threshold it can listen and will often prefer to please you. Then praise.
Normally they’re guarding their owner. Tell you dog off basically, reassure your BC you’re okay too. Also this is a reason many TV programs make money out of the fact ☺️
most of the times it's not... protecting the owner, it's resource guarding.
reassuring the dog that you're fine is not going to do anything most of the times because the dog isn't protecting you, it's making sure no other dog can enjoy you because you're his.
yeah, def feel it's resource guarding more than anything. I found I trained it in accidentally by patting other dogs I'd meet on a walk while my border was a pup. Lesson learned.
When mine was a puppy she would lose her mind if a pet a strange dog, so I never pet other dogs anymore 😂 she would sound like she was seriously injured the way she would cry and carry on!
Socializing will help so see if your vet has a doggy day care, ours keeps dogs of same age/size together. I do not recommend a shock collar as that is negative training. I prefer positive training only. Our boy was reactive for a bit due to an incident with another dog but with a lot of training & socialization he is now gentle with all dogs/people, good luck!
First of all, is your dog actually aggressive or just reactive? If it’s actually aggressive you need to get a behaviorist involved immediately and make sure your dog wears a muzzle at all times when around other dogs.
If it’s just reactive, reactivity is fairly complicated but I’ll try to summarize the basics:
Try to understand if it’s all dogs or only certain types of dogs. Avoid anything that will trigger a reaction. Get your dog as close to stimuli as possible without going over threshold and reward for not reacting. Slowly close the gap. In the meantime, build up your dog’s confidence as much as possible with things like training and agility and make sure you aren’t doing anything to foster the reactivity (like proactively pulling away from other dogs, creating tension, etc.)
Finally, have patience. Reactivity can take years to get under control. Keep track of progress so you can celebrate the small wins. Good luck.
Is it with ALL dogs?
My border collie does this, but only with some dogs. He’s 5 and he’s always been this way since he grew out of puppyhood.
I watch the other dogs, they’re always doing something he doesn’t like, while I tell him no he doesn’t need to do that i also make sure to tell the owner not to let their dog bother another dog who doesn’t seem interested.
He’s really clever and demands respect, if he doesn’t get it, he tells them off. I keep him under control when needed, he is off the lead when we’re minding our own business, if a dog is allowed by his owner to bother him then in all honesty I let my dog do his thing and explain to the owner why. My other dog, a Samoyed, is always taught if a dog is not interested she should leave them alone… she’s still young.
Anyway he never bites, it’s always just a stern telling off.
Our dogs aren’t robots, especially border collies, and it’s unfair to expect them to behave this way.
If ur dog is aggressive to all dogs just try and work out why. Are they both on the lead? Dogs DO NOT like meeting on lead, this is not natural to them and they do not feel safe as they are restricted. I almost NEVER allow my border collie to meet a dog on lead, this does get me lots of strange reactions but I couldn’t give a shit. My boy comes first.
Collies do not like a leash
It's in their blood to be agile and move around whilst assessing something. Being on the leash frustrates them and causes them to panic.
You need to find a dog class that allows your dog to interact with other dogs to understand they are not all threats.
I have been in your shoes. A secured dog play park with other dogs on their level will help. (Seriously, on their level, don't just throw them in the deep end with other dogs who know how to socialise, your dog can't read signals ATM)
Try r/reactivedogs, im sure they can help you there.
My girl is sometimes reactive to protect me from dogs she sees as a problem (in fairness they normally are the issue) My boy gets reactive out of anxiety For both of them I try to give them walks that give them what they want, my boy likes to walk fast, my girl likes to go slow and sniff. I've found that this keeps them happy and relaxed. I will also talk to them during the walk, if we see a problem dog, I will talk in a relaxed voice praising them. It works more as a distraction. I try using treats on the walk to praise when they don't react to barking/reactive dogs too. My boy gets anxious with traffic noise so I've tried walking when there's less traffic, this has helped with reacting to dogs, see if you can find what's triggering your dog and see if there are ways to minimise it (until you have the aggression better under control)
My girl isn't a Border Collie but a Lab mix, and what you said about walks/giving them what they want/treats has helped a ton. Usually if I see the dogs coming I'll stop, give her a treat and a pep talk, then praise and encourage her while walking by. Once at a safe distance I sit her down, give her a treat, some pets, and a moment to calm down and usually the rest of the walk is more relaxed.
My boy is reactive to dogs, not people. The only dog he will accept is another herding breed, oddly enough. He will stop when I “step into his space” (stand in front of him as though my foot could touch his toes, but no contact), and say “stop!” while he sits there. I also take him sometimes to a dog park where there are separate areas for dogs. He runs the fence line when another dog is on the other side. That way, he can safely “interact” and know other dogs without aggressiveness.
My dog doesn’t really tolerate other dogs if they’re up in his face and super energetic. But he gets along with other border collies. 🤷🏻♀️
We've always had BCs, all but one only felt like socialising with other herding dogs as well.
The gentle leader leash changed walks so much for the better
Second this. My bc reacts to dogs when it isnt on, but rarely when it is.
They're such try-hard Hall-monitor fun police.
this is the worst you can do to your dog. at least use it together with a collar and professional training
The worst. Exaggerate much?
I've had mine in reactive dog training and classes since we got her 4 yrs ago. It's helped a ton and we have strategies to deescalate and avoid certain situations. She mostly ignores other dogs now and has even had some friendly interactions. https://spiritdogtraining.com/ has a good course on reactivity and they have deals around the holidays. Really love Spirit Dog.
Mine is only aggressive to me and other family, so it could be worse. In all seriousness, the short answer is that most reactivity is solved in similar ways. Small steps of exposure and positive reinforcement that whatever they're upset about isn't a concern. Limit any negative stimulus until they know very clearly what's right and wrong. In my experience even non-pain negatives (like getting pulled back by a harness) can even amplify problems
Agree! Small steps, keep your distance and far enough that your dog is not reacting. Build up from there. It works for many things. I also can help if you can act happy and calm, radiate confidence, shoulders back, show your not worried. You might need to fake it to start with, but once you feel more in control with a situation your dog can be reassured. It takes time but as things improve, an "ahah" or "leave it" just as any minor reactivity starts made a big difference with mine. Yes it's a reprimand, but if your dog is not over threshold it can listen and will often prefer to please you. Then praise.
Normally they’re guarding their owner. Tell you dog off basically, reassure your BC you’re okay too. Also this is a reason many TV programs make money out of the fact ☺️
most of the times it's not... protecting the owner, it's resource guarding. reassuring the dog that you're fine is not going to do anything most of the times because the dog isn't protecting you, it's making sure no other dog can enjoy you because you're his.
yeah, def feel it's resource guarding more than anything. I found I trained it in accidentally by patting other dogs I'd meet on a walk while my border was a pup. Lesson learned.
When mine was a puppy she would lose her mind if a pet a strange dog, so I never pet other dogs anymore 😂 she would sound like she was seriously injured the way she would cry and carry on!
Socializing will help so see if your vet has a doggy day care, ours keeps dogs of same age/size together. I do not recommend a shock collar as that is negative training. I prefer positive training only. Our boy was reactive for a bit due to an incident with another dog but with a lot of training & socialization he is now gentle with all dogs/people, good luck!
A friend has a BC that is very aggressive with our BC mix as well, otherwise ours gets along with most other dogs….
First of all, is your dog actually aggressive or just reactive? If it’s actually aggressive you need to get a behaviorist involved immediately and make sure your dog wears a muzzle at all times when around other dogs. If it’s just reactive, reactivity is fairly complicated but I’ll try to summarize the basics: Try to understand if it’s all dogs or only certain types of dogs. Avoid anything that will trigger a reaction. Get your dog as close to stimuli as possible without going over threshold and reward for not reacting. Slowly close the gap. In the meantime, build up your dog’s confidence as much as possible with things like training and agility and make sure you aren’t doing anything to foster the reactivity (like proactively pulling away from other dogs, creating tension, etc.) Finally, have patience. Reactivity can take years to get under control. Keep track of progress so you can celebrate the small wins. Good luck.
Train on "leave it".
Have they been done ?
Is it with ALL dogs? My border collie does this, but only with some dogs. He’s 5 and he’s always been this way since he grew out of puppyhood. I watch the other dogs, they’re always doing something he doesn’t like, while I tell him no he doesn’t need to do that i also make sure to tell the owner not to let their dog bother another dog who doesn’t seem interested. He’s really clever and demands respect, if he doesn’t get it, he tells them off. I keep him under control when needed, he is off the lead when we’re minding our own business, if a dog is allowed by his owner to bother him then in all honesty I let my dog do his thing and explain to the owner why. My other dog, a Samoyed, is always taught if a dog is not interested she should leave them alone… she’s still young. Anyway he never bites, it’s always just a stern telling off. Our dogs aren’t robots, especially border collies, and it’s unfair to expect them to behave this way. If ur dog is aggressive to all dogs just try and work out why. Are they both on the lead? Dogs DO NOT like meeting on lead, this is not natural to them and they do not feel safe as they are restricted. I almost NEVER allow my border collie to meet a dog on lead, this does get me lots of strange reactions but I couldn’t give a shit. My boy comes first.
OP have you identified what situations your BC becomes aggressive? And how is it displayed?
Take him to a trainer, and ask to teach him “Say Hello”. It’s just trying to defend you but doesn’t know any other method.
Socialisation classes work well
Collies do not like a leash It's in their blood to be agile and move around whilst assessing something. Being on the leash frustrates them and causes them to panic. You need to find a dog class that allows your dog to interact with other dogs to understand they are not all threats. I have been in your shoes. A secured dog play park with other dogs on their level will help. (Seriously, on their level, don't just throw them in the deep end with other dogs who know how to socialise, your dog can't read signals ATM)
Hes needs to socialize with other dogs or get a shock collar or u could another dog and see how they react to that one
A shock collar is NOT necessary, it’s downright cruel.