To really hate this dog?

[Needle]

I should start by saying that i've never had a dog before, so this might be totally normal, but I need to ask, as i'm rapidly reaching my wits end.

My dh has a border collie, 6 years old, male, not neutered (sp?!). it is the neediest, most neurotic animal you will ever meet, and literally follows dh every step he takes. When dh goes to the loo he sits outside the door and whimpers till he comes out. When he leaves the house he sits by the door and howls for 20minutes. We can't leave any doors open, ever because he simply goes into a room, trashes it looking for food (he's perfectly well fed) then pisses on the wreckage. His favourite trick is to push against the bedroom or kitchen door till it opens then either go through the bin and shower rubbish everywhere or roll on our bed, so I'm having to change the sheets several times a week. He sheds like you wouldn't believe, I Hoover every other day and have to empty the cleaner everytime because it fills so fast.
Despite bring walked 4 times a day, if dh is half an hour late with his morning walk he'll simply s**t in the house. He bashes his way into our room every night and tries to get into bed with us and basically, I hate him. Is this what all dogs are like? I've got enough excrement to deal with from my 6m old daughter. This is pushing me over the edge!

I have a Border collie, and she needs constant stimulation to keep her from 'trashing rooms'
You'd almost swear she does it as revenge when you don't pay her attention.
They are incredibly intelligent dogs, but as a result get bored and become very naughty if not trained & entertained.(mine is currently chewing my foot because i'm typing & not giving her love)

Maybe try a food ball to keep her occupied? Any good pet shop will have them, also bones & chew toys etc etc etc are good. Mine love anything like that to devour.

As for peeing & crapping in the house this needs to be addressed, Maybe living in a flat with a young child and dh isn't the ideal situation for a dog, really he should be able to go out in the garden to pee whenever he needs to, imagine if you were only allowed to pee 4 times a day? You wouldn't be happy if your first one of the day wasn't on time.
But collies are incredibly intelligent and usually learn quickly when taught

collies are also very possessive (or at least mine is) that behavior can be worked on, but you will have to learn how to train the dog or its not fair on you, or the dog, he's clearly distressed by the situation too, used to having your dh to himself he's now got to share! As i've said collies are easy to train, but do need a firm hand to keep them in check.

Best of luck x

Half the problem is the OP does not like the dog and probably pays it no attention when the DH is not around.

It is no wonder it is playing up.

MotherJack - was it an older episode you saw? I know she used to be quite into the pack theory stuff but to her credit, did change her views. The recent stuff I've seen hasn't mentioned pack theory once.

Ah, that could well be it, Kate. It was on something like Virgin or Sky One or whathaveyou so quite possibly a cheap repeat from aeons ago. Even though she espoused pack theory, her main techniques still seemed to be based on reward for positive behaviour.

Bit like me, in the garden, waiting for the "golden moment" in the howling wind whilst the bedding is going around in the washing machine, nice and warm [smiling through gritted teeth]

Anyway - sorry to hijack, OP

Hi ladies,

I typed a massive post earlier, but now I see that my phone ate it, so it hadn't gone up.

Thank you, all of you for your genuinely helpful suggestions. I certainly have s better idea of where i'm going wrong, and will have to make more of an effort. I should point out that I was in a foul mood when I wrote OP. as I said, I've never wanted a dog, so its been a huge shock to the system however, dh had his mother from a puppy and delivered dog and his brothers. the family always bred their own collies- they're a farming family

My dh is not a bad man, or a cruel dog owner. The fig gets at least 2 hours of walking, off the lead with a ball e set day and is allowed in the yard otherwise. He's not a snappy or angry dog and has so far been fine with the baby. The problems only arise in the evening when we've gone to bed really. I would never expect dh to part with the dog, because he loves him so much, and the dog adores him, but I needed to know what was reasonable and how much was just my not being a dog person.

thank you to everyone for their advice. I'll see how we get on.