Rachel Rodgers
As a behaviourist, I am trained to recognise the behavioural symptoms of border collies in pain or discomfort, and I can work with owners and vets to get better outcomes for any animal that could be in pain. But so often, when I can see signs of pain or discomfort in a collie I am … Read more
What are abnormal repetitive behaviours? Abnormal repetitive behaviours, also known as compulsive or stereotypical behaviours, are defined as repetitive, constant, and appear to serve no obvious purpose. In border collies they can often be repeated over long periods of time, and some dogs can spend up to 90% of their waking hours carrying out these … Read more
Border collie repetitive behaviour, also know as compulsive behaviour or stereotypical behaviour is defined as “repetitive, constant, and appear to serve no obvious purpose”. Examples include: shadow or light chasing/fixating, tail chasing, spinning, fly snapping, repetitive licking of legs and feet, digging or scratching at the floor and pica (eating inedible items such as stones). … Read more
When discussing anti anxiety meds for dogs with owners, some may be keen to give it a go, others are a little more wary and some owners absolutely do not want to use it. As a dog owner myself, I completely understand this concern about what we are putting in our dog’s bodies and how … Read more
Our border collies can be inclined to be a little fearful of novelty, sometimes anxious about unfamiliar people as well, and, as a breed, they don’t always enjoy being handled. So having to go to the vets where they may encounter novelty, handling and strangers in a small enclosed environment can be extremely stressful for … Read more
I have been asked several times recently “When should I spay my border collie bitch”? This is a big question and a big decision, and there’s some very divided opinions. You may have heard different opinions from friends, family, strangers on walks, vets, trainers and behaviourists, not to mention the various and often contradictory information … Read more
One very good way of stopping your border collie barking is to use a no-attention discriminative stimulus. This can help dogs who bark and whine for attention and become very frustrated or anxious when their behaviour doesn’t result in the anticipated reward. Their anticipated reward could be being thrown a toy, being stroked, or even … Read more
Border collies are fantastic dogs, and can make great companions, but there are often very difficult behaviours to navigate from puppyhood through adolescence and on to early adulthood, often as late as 3 years old. They can become aroused by different things to other breeds, mostly focused around movement. Border collie jumping and biting behaviour … Read more
Ozzy is now 25 weeks old, or 5.5. months. I’ve seen no signs of adolescence yet and he is basically my dream dog. Is this the calm before the storm?!! Biting This has practically stopped now. He occasionally starts but is quickly stopped with an “ah ah” followed by standing still for a few seconds … Read more
Border collies and Christmas: One of the busiest times of year for me is after Christmas, and a lot of this is due to aggression incidents that happened over the Christmas period. There are many things that can cause stress and anxiety for your collie over Christmas, so it’s important to be aware of these … Read more