Jealous Collie

Hi,
My 6 month old coliie has recently become very jealous and at times aggressive towards me.

He used to be very attatched to me and if my husband was to so much as kiss me the dog would be over on my lap trying to lick my face or hand.

About a month ago, he tried to steal food off my plate and i shouted at him to get down and he bit my hand drawing blood and since that night it is as if i hardly exist to him.

However, my dog now follows my husband around and if i so much as sit next to him on the sofa, the dog jumps up snarling at me. The other day, i had a nap on the sofa and woke up to the dog on my chest again showing teeth and snarling. My husband can discipline the dog without the dog going in a huff with him.

I know h's still young but i want to knock this problem on the head as soon as. I've only ever had older dogs before so i'm not sure how long this will last in a puppy.

Any tips?

Sorry your having problems with your Collie. It seems to me, and I'm no expert that he has decided that he has become above you in the pack order. You have to assert your authority otherwise it will get worse. When I say assert your authority I dont mean aggressively but with assertiveness.
If you look on the training and behaviour section I'm sure you will find some posts there which are similare to what your going through.
Also I'm sure that someone on here with more knowledge will post you a reply in the meantime check this out.

Hi there.

Have you owned a collie before? They need specific handling as they are so bright and if they don't respect you, they can be a nightmare.

Generally collies respond best to calm, gentle handling; the more you raise your voice at the moment, the more oblivious they will become to it, so you have to make them want to do as you ask. Equally they can have quite a stubborn streak and for the most part trying to force them to do something doesn't work - you have to persuade them that it is fun/beneficial for them to do it.

I would go right back to basics with you pup. Do fun things with him where doing as you say gets him the rewards but you don't need to be stern or heavy handed with him. I am a great believer in dogs learning through play.

Does your pup like toys and if so, are all his toys available to him all the time? Personally I would leave a couple of toys out and keep the rest so that you decide when he is to play with you with the toy. In order for the game to start (and continue) he must do as you ask.

For example, our older rescue collie, Hoki, was very bad mannered when she arrived - she had been used to getting her own way and could be quite a stroppy madam. Some commands she just didn't even know, others she knew but but would please herself whether she did or not. I have spent a lot of time with her, but wouldn't say that i have 'worked hard' as 90% of training her has been by way of games. Now I'm not saying that I never have to raise my voice at her, but it is fairly rare - usually a calm 'no' will stop her doing something she shouldn't - then we do something fun to praise her for complying.

The other thing that should help is the Nothing In Life is Free approach. Basically you (and your OH) should not let the pup have anything the pup values without doing something for it. This includes any treats, his meals, affection and play. It doesn't need to be complicated - for example, before feeding you just ask him to sit (I assume he does know this command) - he doesn't get his dinner until he does. You can then build up to sit and stay. You may also want to consider whether to stop him being allowed on the furniture for the time being - or at least only to come up when invited.

Do you take him to training classes - if not, I really think you should, but choose the class carefully. Try to pick a class that uses positive methods of training - ie rewards with treats/toys rather than 'strong discipline' methods. It would also help if the trainer does have experience of collies.

Excellent advice already given. Good luck and I hope you manage to turn the relationship with your dog around.

Well Hali took everything out of my mouth....

Collie's are brainy dogs, and believe me it takes split seconds for them to work something out...bad and good.

Sorry I didn't see anything about you taking him walks, if he was mine I'd take him out alone...just me and him, have some treats in hand and start back from basics build up that relationship you once had from scratch.

I agree too with elianeb, likes like he has put you below him in pack order.

Calm voice with Collies works brilliantly, I've owned them all my life and as Hali said, they are a breed that love to ''want to do something'' they tend to not want when raised voices are used......and a nasty Collie can mean business

To be honest, I'd be calling in a reputable trainer or behaviourist for this one, as it would be money well spent as this dog is so young!

There is also a fairly good book called Understanding the Border Collie by Carol Price - I don't agree with everything in it, it's a bit too much into pack leadership but it'sa good book for getting to grips more with what a collie is all about, so I do still recommend it.

There's some good info in it

I suspect that although much can be done by asking for good manners etc (and it's what I do myself) somewhere along the line there is a problem more with the actual relationship which may need a more professional eye as it were

Good behaviourists/trainers can be found at
http://www.apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp

http://www.apbc.org.uk/regions.php

Lotsa luck

Wys
x

Please take notice of what Hali,moobli and young stevie have said You need to take advice from people that know and own collies, too many behaviourists lump all breeds in together and treat the same. Collies can be very sound sensitive and the approach to training is different.


Jann

I think some behaviourists (who aren't very good ) might do that but the good ones will be experienced in most of the more common breeds at least.

Good ones won't use equipment or methods that would cause sound sensitivity: I don't understand that bit

Wys
x