Dominant or fearful behavior? And what approaches to take.

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to figure out if my dog is being dominant or fearful, and am wondering what are the best solutions to combat the behavior. This issue is that as of lately he has been getting into the habit of nipping at other dogs, which after lots of searching online seems that it could stem from either of these behaviors.

First off, about my dog, I have a Border Collie, he is almost 7 years old. I know Border Collies are very much dominant dogs, but I have never had too many issues with him in the past.

Almost a year ago now we had our other Border Collie pass away which he had known since he was a puppy, and unfortunately he hasn't been around many dogs since her passing. However, in the past he has gone on walks with my aunts dogs as well as played with neighborhood dogs that were out roaming around. If we ever did have any issues in the past it was almost always with the other Border Collie. Anyways, she passed away, and due to the neighborhood changing from mostly older couples to younger couples with very young children, nobody let their dogs loose anymore. So he had very little dog interaction in this time.

This past summer I recently got married and we took the dog with us. He moved houses and his daily lifestyle has definitely changed due to that. We decided that since he hadn't been with other dogs lately we should take him to my wife's parents house where they have many dogs. We kept him on the leash for awhile when we first got there to make sure he would get along with the other dogs. One dog never came outside, the other growled at him, so we immediately took her back inside. Even being growled at my dog just ignored her. He seemed fine with all the other dogs though (there were 3 others), so after about 15 minutes of being on the leash with no issues we decided to let him off. I was relieved at this point because it seemed that he was still able to get along perfectly with other dogs. They roamed around the yard together and were perfectly fine for about 10 to 15 minutes. He started to wander into an area I couldn't see him, so I called him back to me. He started on his way back to me with the other dogs in tow, following him. One of the dogs got up really close behind him, something I know border collies don't like, and my dog did a slight glance back at him and growled. This whole time my dog never stopped moving forward or even turn around, to me it seemed very much like a warning growl. Well the other dog didn't take kindly to it and pounced on him, biting him on his side right behind his front leg. The other dog happens to be a Great Dane mix, so you can imagine the damage he did. We took my dog to the vet immediately where he got stitched up and a drain put in, he had to be on three different medications for two weeks. I would say it was extremely traumatising for a dog, it definitely was for me.

Luckily, I have the ability to bring my dog into work with me. Since the vet couldn't fit any of those cone shaped collars on his head, I had to really watch him as he liked to try and pick at his stitches. So at work I kept him on a leash to make sure he didn't run off and try to get at his stitches. My plan was to eventually let him off the leash, since he seemed to get along with other dogs in the office just fine still. However, as he started to feel better over time and get his energy back, he also started to try and nip at any other dog. The neighborhood I live in now is very big, with lots of dogs. Now when we take him on walks and another dog approaches us I have to hold my dog close to me just in case. He doesn't nip everytime, but I would say 80% of the time he at least tries.

I know that this is a very long post, but if you read through it all, thank you! I feel like I have to explain things out because I know that by nature border collies are very dominant dogs, but I cannot tell if the nipping is a dominance thing in this case or if it's because of all the changes and trama he has gone through lately causing him to maybe be anxious around other dogs. I haven't noticed this behavior in the past, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there, or he had always been around more submissive dogs.

So do you think he is being dominant or fearful? And can you point me in the right direction to help correct this problem.

Thank you for bearing with me!

He is fearful and protecting himself.

Personally, I think he's just stepped up to the plate and decided to look out for himself.

It sounds like your dog was very polite when you took him to your in-law's house and told the other dog he didn't like him coming up to him from behind. The other dog ignored him which resulted in a lot of pain for your dog. What did he learn? Growled warnings don't work so now he's escalated to nipping.

Personally, I'd get a behaviourist in to help him and no way would I risk putting him into a situation again where he could get hurt

Stop thinking of Border Collies as dominant they are quite a sensitive breed. If it were me I would just give him peace by avoiding the stressful situations. He has tried to tell you. Not all dogs like to be with other dogs. They are our companions. So enjoy him being with you and not force him into situations they he obviously dislikes.

Please take out the "dominant" and "Border Collies are..." and let's look at specifics.

I'm inclined to follow @Chris and @brenda 1.

Your collie was being polite. He was coming towards you, as requested, and another dog came too close (into, or too close to, his personal space). He said "you're too close" and the other dog went for him, and damage was done.

This is not fearful or dominant, this is your dog being normal and polite and being mugged for his trouble. What he's now doing is remembering what happened and insisting on a bigger personal space. He really needs to be able to trust before he lets another dog close and if they don't respect his "wishes", he's "making the point".

You say that if "another dog approaches us I have to hold my dog close to me just in case", so YOU are remembering the incident, you are possibly creating tension by pulling him in towards you and giving him the message that YOU are bothered about the approach of the other dog. He responds to your uncertainty and takes a more defensive stance because "Dad's worried".

In your situation, you already have a good recall, I'd be inclined to really work at "Walk with me", "Look at me" and "Leave it".

Your forward vision is better than your dog's, his peripheral vision is much better than yours so, in general, you will see another dog coming towards you before your dog sees it.

Manage your situation.

If, as the other dog gets closer, you position yourself so that you have dog-person-dog when you pass, you are taking charge. Your dog has to go past you to get to the other dog, ditto the other way round. You are making yourself a physical barrier, you are ensuring that your dog's personal space is not being infringed.

Keep moving. Your dog doesn't have to greet everything he sees. The other dog's owner's view on that point is irrelevant. You are keeping your dog safe and secure while he recovers his confidence. Because you are a physical barrier, you are reducing the likelihood of nipping because you are reducing the incidence of close proximity.

Training "Walk with me", "Look at me" and "Leave it" and using these in the various situations will mean that you will have more and more opportunities to leave your lead slack, which, in turn reduces tension, etc., etc.

With regard to your in-law's dogs, protect your dog. Don't let the situation arise. From what you've said, it's not YOUR dog that caused the problem!

Thanks. We're definitely not taking him over there again for a long long time. I've thought about getting a behaviorist, but I've heard people talk so mixed about them that I'm not sure.

I know they can be and are a sensitive breed, but I also know they were bred for herding, so they have to have a sense of control. Maybe dominant isn't the right word, just what most people revert to. And I definitely try to avoid stressful situations, but I can't prevent another dog from coming up to us while out on a walk. It is in these situations that I want to learn how to keep him from nipping. When I'm at work I keep the office door closed and he seems perfectly content and plays with his toys. I have never walked him up to another dog and tried to make them liked each other.

I guess I should have been more clear on the dominant or fearful part. That was in reference to the nipping he is doing now, not the growl he made at the other dog. I also consider that growl to be a polite way of communication for a dog. Also, I have only recently started to hold him close to me when other dogs approach. I didn't do this at first and he still always nipped the dog that came up. I will definitely stop doing that though if that is not helping the situation. I have also been working on "with me" etc. etc. when walking and have been noticing an improvement. So I will continue to do those things and the other things you suggested. Thanks!

When out on a walk keep your dog on lead unless you know there are no other dogs around in which case yes let him off to play with you and a ball etc. If on lead and another dog approaches then make your dog sit and call the owner of the other dog and say something like call your dog away please or just explain briefly that yours can be a bit anti social because of a past experience. I went through this with my collie years ago and it has taken a long time for my collie to understand that I will be there for him if a dog is not being well behaved. You are his protector so be there for him. I have had collies for over 30 years and each one has been different in its make up. Not all collies are bred for working sheep. Some are bred for showing and other disciplines eg: obedience, agility etc. Good Luck with him, at his time of life he needs to be enjoying you and his space. He has gone through a lot of changes recently with losing his friend and you getting married and then another dog plowing into him. Time to try to get his happiness back with you and your new feller by finding somewhere peaceful for walks.

Thanks! Yeah, I keep him on a leash when he's not in our fenced in yard playing with the soccer ball (he's obsessed with that thing) or in the house. Luckily where he gets most of his walks in is in an area with little to no dogs. Really the issue is just in our neighborhood, but as it is getting colder out people are keeping their dogs and themselves inside more often, so the areas been more calm.

Also, how long do you think it took your dog to understand you'd be there if a dog isn't well behaved? I know like you said, all dogs act differently, so it will be different with mine.