Rachel Rodgers
As a behaviourist, the possibility of pain is always on my list as a potential cause of, or contributing factor towards, behavioural problems. In the last week alone, I have seen two examples of border collies belonging to friends with severe pain or discomfort, showing hardly any signs that anything was physically wrong. And the … Read more
Border collie puppy socialisation. What does this mean? It means taking puppies out and about and exposing them to sights and sounds at an intensity and proximity with which they can cope, and feel happy and relaxed while experiencing the new environment. Ozzy here is listening and watching the children playing, squealing and running, but … Read more
Border collie adolescence is the cause of over 90% of my behaviour consultations, which tells you how challenging this part of raising a collie can be! Their problem behaviours range from aggression to owners, strangers or other dogs, to shadow chasing, chasing vehicles, lack of recall, pulling on the lead or sound fears and phobias, … Read more
Why do collies chase cars and other vehicles? Having worked with many border collie car chasers over the last few years, it’s my belief that this behaviour is most often initiated by fear and frustration. Border collies that chase vehicles often are taken too near to busy roads when they are puppies and are terrified … Read more
I don’t usually foster dogs, but Crumbie stole my heart when I very first visited! When his owners said that they were thinking of rehoming him (a decision I support) but that all rescues are full, I just wanted to make sure that he has the best chance of finding the perfect forever home! Crumbie … Read more
“Border collie suddenly aggressive” is a very highly searched term on Google and unfortunately aggressive behaviour is a common problem within the breed. There are many reasons why a border collie would suddenly become aggressive, and techniques for helping the dog to overcome its aggressive behaviour will vary according to what is causing it. It’s … Read more
Merlin is a very handsome male collie who was 18 months old when I first started working with him. Merlin’s owners first contacted me just after an incident in which he bit his owner’s hand so badly that he needed hospital treatment. They had completely lost trust in him and weren’t sure what else … Read more
Border collie shadow obsession (also known as shadow chasing, light chasing, or fixating on reflections), is a fairly common border collie behaviour, in which collies start to fixate on moving shapes on floors and walls. Affected collies may just have brief periods of shadow watching at certain times of day, while others watch shadows … Read more
I’m often asked how long before a border collie puppy stops biting! People are disappointed and frustrated that their cute border collie puppy bites a LOT and makes everyone’s life difficult. It REALLY hurts and it’s disappointing that your cute puppy feels more like a monster. I’ve been there!! It’s unfortunately a VERY common … Read more
Why is my border collie jumping up? Border collies are very attached to their owners, and when they first see us, it’s a natural instinct to want to jump up. This can cause problems, particularly when it’s wet and muddy. Or when your dog jumps all over guests in your home so that they feel … Read more