Problem house training and agression in collie.

I have a 9 month old border collie who still isnt house trained, if i leave him for ten mins he will poop and wee, i have to crate him when im not in but also if he thinks i have gone(when i havnt ) and he isnt crated he will bark and generally wind the other dogs up trying to play but it always ends in a fight, he also rips things up.

He has never been totally clean during the night, it did help when i confined him to my bedroom but he now sleeps with my son and for some very strange reason this room is very appealing to all the dogs to relieve themselves in????

3 weeks ago he started pooing and weeing in the kitchen up to 4 times a day and i was always home when it happened and most times the french doors in the living room were open, he even relieves himself right in front of me.

I got him at 8 weeks old from a rescue centre, all the litter had been abandoned they were in a terrible state, very very thin and total bervous wreck. I dont think he had ever been in a house before i got him, he was petrified of everything. Quite strangely he would fight with my adult dogs from 8 weeks old, when the other dogs warned him and warned him to back off it was just like he had no idea of dog language and when they snapped back he retaliated and there woudl be a fight.

Its quite obvious he had had to fight for food, i coudlnt even allow another dog in the room while he ate but obviously he has never been hungry since so has no problem with food now.

His agression intensified and he will walk round just and just curl his top lip up for no reason.

He used to be petrified of people, i couldnt get him to walk past anyone he would drop to the floor and wee, he only recently stopped doing this if people speak to him but he dosnt like being aproached. Once off the lead, two old men walked round the corner and he went wild he charged them heckles up barking like something possesed, fortunatly they accepted my apologies but whilst in puppy class training outdoors a stranger walked past and he did in front of the trainers, then then advised he must be muzzled and never allowed off the lead.

He did lack socialization as there was a problem with his vaccination and he ahd to start right back at the begining, i did carry him places but he was so distressed he would just wee all over me.

He will go for a walk now at a push, i cant get him past buses/tractors etc i cant get him in the car for anything, he lies down on the floor thats if i can actually get him out of the house.

He HATES other dogs despite growing up with three others, i took him to puppy class but he went for everything we had to sit in the corner because out of the blue he would suddenly lunge without warning and if within striking distance he will bite.

by sheer coincidence his ssiter was also at puppy class, they coudlnt house train her and she had the same fears as Bracca, they had trouble walking her etc she was also deaf and partially blind she didnt however have agression problems.

Its a very stressful household, there is tension with the other dogs, i cant walk them together and his agression with othe dogs isnt a threat its real, his attitude to people is worrying im not sure if he would bite but a dog charging barking is classed as a dangerous dog.


He used to wet himself if i touched him without warning, but he seems to be quite bold and happy around me now. he adores kids but is very fearful around adults.

Sorry its long winded but two vet practices and a trainer have given up on him. His toileting is driving me insane, is he insecure?
I want him for agility but his nerves would hold him back and im not sujre a dog club will accept him because of his agression.

Any help anyone, advice is so varied and conflicting so hard to know what to do.

Everyone has suggested very bad breeding and he may have a mental problem but this dosnt help solve the issues.

oh my gosh, what a stressful situation for you.

I'm afraid it will be difficult for anyone to give you definitive advice on the web, other than to suggest seeking a behaviourist (rather than a trainer). Given the situation, this might well be a sensible way foward, though make sure that they are APDT qualified and that they have specific collie experience.

Otherwise, all I can do is give you some suggestions that I've found to have worked for my dogs.

Firstly, to get anywhere, your dog has to respect and trust you and your judgement. How is his basic obedience? Does he listen to what you ask him - do you do much training with him?

If you find that he challenges/ignores you, personally I would employ the NILIF technique (nothing in life is free). This means that your dog doesn't get anything - no food, no treats, no affection, no priviledges (e.g. allowed on furniture) no toys etc. - without doing something to 'earn' them. 'Earning' can start off very basic, just as simple as having to sit and wait for his meal, wait to be invited on the furniture etc.

I would also stop him sleeping in your sons room until his behaviour improves.


Now this doesn't mean that he has to live his whole life like this - the better he becomes, the more you can relax the NILIF approach, but it is a good way of making them understand that they need to listen to you.

With regard to house training, I'd take him back to basics. Go out with him regularly, watch until he does something and then give him lots of praise. If he does it in the house, unless you actually catch him in the act, don't tell him off, just clean it up and ignore him.

Spend time teaching him things (rewarding with treats and/or play) so that he builds a stronger bond with you and is more willing to listen to you and respect your judgement. IMO Its not until you've reached that stage that you stand a chance of tackling his other issues of fear towards people and aggression towards other dogs.

When you do reach that stage, you need to find something that he loves above everything else. With one of my dogs, its the water pistol, she will do nearly anything to get to play with it! It might be a really tasty treat, or a favourite toy (which only comes out for special training sessions and is not left for him to play with). If he can focus on that and get it as a reward, learning to ignore the things that he is scared of will come easier.

But actually dealing with this aggression is a whole other topic and too big a one for me to cover in this post. As I say, for the time being, I would concentrate on his training and manage the situation re strangers and other dogs so that you don't put him in the position of him feeling that he has to deal with them himself.