Case Profile: The Border Collie
In this case profile, we explore some of the most common behaviours that clients experience in one of the UK’s most well known working dogs - The Border Collie. We see a lot of them up at the centre - so why does such a smart, trainable dog end up so often needing help for behavioural issues?
BREED(S): Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Australian Cattle Dog
Owners most commonly see me for: Volatile Reactivity and Lunging at Cars, Other dogs, Bikes and Scooters. Nipping biting and herding small children. Nervous aggression towards people and other dogs. Chronic fear of loud noises (fireworks, gun shots, crow scarers etc). Neuroticism and Inability to relax.
Most Common symptoms include: Barking, Lunging, spinning towards people and dogs, traffic, bikes etc. Pulling like a freight train on a lead.
Occasional symptoms include: Extreme levels of fearfulness and anxiety, ‘shut down’ behaviour, bolting when hearing loud noises, Aggression towards people and dogs.
Case Breakdown: Ahh, the Border Collie. I have many memories as a child hiking over the moors with border collies in tow - for every mile we walked they may as well have done four. These dogs are renowned for their exceptional intelligence and working ability, as world class sheep herding dogs, and more recently as dogs for agility, fly ball and other sports. As the saying goes, the most difficult thing to teach a Collie to do is Nothing. And as the other saying goes, if you aren’t two steps ahead of your collie, they’ll be one step ahead of you.
There are really two common themes with most of these dogs - the first being that they are at the very top end of the spectrum when it comes to being working dogs. Whilst almost every breed had ‘show lines’ and ‘working lines’, there is not a collie on the planet that doesn’t have the energy and mental capacity to work - and the overwhelming majority have strong herding genetics. Which means that there is never going to be an upper limit to exercise requirements with these dogs, and that until they have been properly trained and focused on a particular task, they will find any task of their own that releases energy and fulfils their desire to work.
Collies are not easy dogs to own, and their exercise requirements are as high as it gets. I cannot say this enough. If you own a border collie, and you are giving yourself a pat on the back because you exercise your dog for an hour every day, go for a walk and play with the ball in the park - think again.
As Seanthesheepman and Winnie the Cattle Dog’s videos demonstrate, These dogs were born and bred to be active from Sun up to sun down, and it is almost impossible to truly fulfil them in a home environment unless you are taking part in extra curricular activities. In the overwhelming majority of cases working with Collies and other herding dogs, it is a case of either excess energy, or overstimulation, or frustration in a dog that is not being fulfilled. When all that energy is locked on the end of a harness, it tend to come out in a very intense burst, towards whatever is moving around them - which we see as reactive behaviour.
The reality is that most owners of these dogs who keep them as pets will come up short on the extend to which they can fulfil their dogs, and in some cases there really are questions of compatibility between the dog and the home they are in. Thats not to say that Collie’s shouldn’t be kept as pets - not every dog can be, or is suitable to be a working sheepdog. But it is important to respect that many of these dogs come from working homes and genetics. Some collies come from stronger working lines than others - some are more bred as show dogs and have more manageable energy levels and herding instincts. But all of them come with a high baseline - so if your ideal weekend is not a hike across the moors, or a sunday morning at and Agility/ mantrailing/ scentwork/ canicross club - then you may need to think why on earth you got such an intense working dog.
I don’t expect my clients to be able to max out on their dogs need - its highly unlikely that anyone can, including me. But resetting expectations around the minimums is important for these dogs, and ‘half way towards happy’ is usually a big step forwards in terms of fulfilment for a lot of these dogs. A walk around the block is not it.
Purpose vs. Overstimulation
It is important to understand the difference between providing purpose, and overstimulation. Contrary to popular believe, it is not healthy or beneficial, or even necessary to throw a ball for your collie in the living room for 4 hours - or buy them 101 puzzle games. It is not an efficient release of energy, nor does it teach the dogs to switch off and relax.
Your dog needs to be challenged - mentally, physically and emotionally. They need to do tasks that - I guarantee you - cannot be done in the four walls of your home environment. Get out, get your dog on a good long walk. Practice obedience activities and sport. Join a club - do something interesting with your dog.
Nipping and biting in Collies and herders.
Collies are also renowned within working circles for their tendency to nip and/or bite. It is just part of what collies do - its how they herd sheep, and they often do the same towards people and small children when they get excited. There is a reason why the Blue heeler is called a Blue Heeler. You can absolutely address it and train for it - but there is an inevitability to the fact that an excited collie is going to start using its mouth in some form or other.
Fearfulness in Collies
Separate to the issues collies have with working requirements and frustration, these dogs can also be very sensitive to sound - and when they get nervous, border collies are some of the most nervous dogs I work with. One of the challenges to the breed is that as long as they are doing something, anything in fact - it is very easy to miss the symptoms of nerves and anxiety, which can left the issue untreated for a long time to get steadily worse. It also means that in situations when the dogs are no longer able to redirect there anxiety into other activities, it tends to present in a very strong way.
Steps towards resolution:
Teaching them to do nothing: The core skill for any working dog, particularly dogs like Border collies, is getting really good at being able to communicate to them when to stay calm and not ‘do’. As I mentioned earlier, its often the hardest skill to teach - but that doesn’t mean its not essential. We always start with natural body motions for sitting and lying down, including Place Work - but its normally the case that the same skills need to be taught in an obedience or ‘working’ context, so that the dogs can practice both stillness and calmness - which are not the same activity in the mind. When it comes to chronic fears and anxiety, the same skill is actually highly beneficial. Being still instead of bolting when your dog hears a loud noise, and being able to communicate the need for them to relax is a keystone piece in building calmness and confidence.
Being able to direct them to do ‘something’ at a high level, with a high level of control: The second essential part of working with Collies is that they need a job - no exceptions. So having an activity you both enjoy, which can focus their attention and drive into a game, job or sport is a huge part of counter conditioning many of then behaviours you don’t want.
Activities to Practice:
Place Work - an absolute must for managing territorial and possessive tendancies, and teaching your dog to relax in their own space around visitors.
Exercise plan - make sure you have a solid exercise plan in place so that you can drain energy to help these dogs stay calm. Exercise is a prerequisite to training with collies, not a replacement for it.
Sport, Game or Job - Your dog needs an activity which truly challenges and fulfils them - and there have never been so many available options. Find something you both enjoy, and commit to it. There is a huge different between fulfilling the body, the heart and the mind. All three boxes need ticking with these breeds.
