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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Has my dog got a shit life?

77 replies

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 20:41

Young border collie. Horrendous start to life. Kindest most loyal and adorable dog I've ever known. I'm with her all day, apart from a couple of hours in the morning and evening. She has the run of the house all day (average size semi) and back yard (average size, paved, not grass). She is extremely reactive to anything outside but especially other dogs, so when we do go on walks, it's all a bit difficult and I have to pick my moments and she can never go off lead. She pulls like a train too so is in a halti. Sleeps in the bedroom with me. Is this a shit life for a dog? I worry that she's bored to tears. I kick a football around with her for a while a couple of times a day but it doesn't feel enough to me. The rest of the time, she just snoozes.

OP posts:

Floralnomad · 07/07/2017 22:23

The bottom line though is what would happen to this dog if you didn't have her , and the answer is she would either sit in a rescue kennels or be pts , the life she has with you sounds pretty damn good to me .

BeepBeepMOVE · 07/07/2017 22:23

Definitely have a look at the bike harnesses- I'm pretty sure they have some kind of safety anti-pull type thing, one of my neighbours has one for he absolute nutcase of a dog and I've seen his kids using it. I would try and google/link but am on the tube with crappy phone internet.

Could you try tiring her mentally? Ive heard that 15 mins intense brain activity is the same as an hours walk for a dog. Scent work is a great place to start? And can be done in the garden. Could get an agility course in an average garden too?

Original poster

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 22:26

Thanks so much for all your input - really appreciate it.

3 of the trainers were collie specialists and the other not. 2 in particular good in their own right but all conflicting advice.

She's recently started eating her own poo too (sorry, tmi!).

OP posts:

KoalaDownUnder · 07/07/2017 22:27

Floral makes a good point. The fact is, there are not people lining up to take adult rescue dogs with behavioural problems.

Original poster

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 22:29

Beep - I just honestly don't think it's worth the risk.shes as strong as a bull and I'd just face plant off the bike. Plus, she's a bit of a weaver on walks and has nearly had me tripping over, although I do keep her by the side of me - she's just like grease lightning though.

OP posts:

KoalaDownUnder · 07/07/2017 22:30

I would love to know how these work, though. (Will do some googling). My dog is 30 kg of muscle and launches herself like a steam train if she sees a cat. I think she would kill me if she did that while I was on a bike!!

Original poster

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 22:31

Yes, she would be pts but I sometimes wonder if that wouldn't be the kindest thing for her sometimes.

OP posts:

Floralnomad · 07/07/2017 22:32

I wouldn't do the bike thing , sounds like an accident waiting to happen , unless you are an expert cyclist .

Floralnomad · 07/07/2017 22:34

But OP from your description she's not displaying any behaviours during the day , except on walks, that would indicate that she is unhappy or distressed with her life .

KoalaDownUnder · 07/07/2017 22:34

Does she seem happy? Does she wag her tail lots, jump around in excitement, have sparkly eyes? Is she enthusiastic about life?

I don't know, maybe I'm delusional, but my dog has the demeanour of a happy dog, I think (and others have commented).

Original poster

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 22:48

I find it hard to tell if she's happy. She kinda seems it - wags tail a lot at me, very affectionate, wants to be with me all the time, gets excited about going on walks, is very friendly to people coming into the house, loves to play. On the other hand, she has moments of manic behaviour (fixating on lights, obsessively tail chasing - some of which is typical under-exercised collie behaviour) and also spends a lot of time sleeping, which I equate to boredom, lack of stimulation, depression. Plus the latest thing of eating poo.

OP posts:

WeAllHaveWings · 07/07/2017 22:54

One of my family has a rescue collie x GSD cross. Terrible start to life, his owner died when he was a pup, and someone else with 2 staffies took him in, but he was never walked, toileted in the house and was regularly left alone and attacked by the staffies (blame the owner not the breed). Very high energy and very reactive (thankfully the post woman he nipped/drew blood on came back and talked to them and was very sympathetic). Awful around other dogs. God knows why they were allowed to rescue him as first time dog owners.

She realised quickly he needed lots of mental stimulation to tire him out and spoke to a friend of a friend in an agility club and they welcomed him (muzzled). It was a long slog and 2 years on he is unmuzzled and winning rosettes and focuses on what he is trained to do while performing, but can still be reactive, but manageable, sometimes when out walking or if some knocks the house door.

Your you dog sounds similar and could really benefit from the right classes, coaching and being around other dogs.

MeltingSnowflake · 07/07/2017 22:56

She has a lovely life! But yes, she probably needs more to stimulate her.

I second teaching her tricks, etc. - and maybe doing some scent work in the house and garden. Mental challenges can wear them out just as well as physical exercise, although they of course need both - and, as you know, collies are clever, they need to work their minds.

Giving her mind & body as much exercise as possible will also help redirect her anxiety, which could be contributing to her reactivity.

ZivaDiva · 07/07/2017 23:04

I have a border collie and he sometimes gets more than an hour a day walk but not often. What he does get is brain games, sprinkles, hide and seek and scent work.He is a very calm dog at home and only reacts in the garden if a cat jumps on the fence. Walking he is more reactive but a lot less than he used to be.
Someone once told me that is you walk a collie for hours you just end up with a fitter dog.
I also don't use the ball too much as he just becomes obsessed with it and never ever sticks unless you want to a dead dog (personal bitter experience ).
I do find that collies need somewhere dark and safe to hide, mine has a crate with a blanket over it and is currently curled up in there, with the door open.

Original poster

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 23:06

I do scent work with her - hide food in house and garden and send her off to find it. She's phenomenal at it! Maybe she's a police sniffer dog in disguise!

I'd love her to do agility but she really cannot cope around other dogs and exposure to them makes it all worse not better.

OP posts:

houseinamess · 07/07/2017 23:09

Agility training is the best thing for collies, but if she is very reactive she might not cope. If she has something to focus on and work at, she may be less reactive though. Definitely not getting enough exercise. i think most collies need at least 2 hours a day, and a good amount of that off lead. I don't know what the answer is, but at least you are giving her lots of love after such an awful start, and trying to do your best for her.

Original poster

Truckingalong · 07/07/2017 23:19

Yes, I've been told similar about collies - that they need brain exercise far more than physical. I just can't shake that feeling that she needs both. She's loved it when she's been off lead in a secure area.

OP posts:

Totallyoverwhelmed42 · 07/07/2017 23:33

Get a car crate and go seek quiet places , they do exist just sometimes takes a while to find them.

Original poster

Truckingalong · 08/07/2017 09:06

I said before, a crate won't fit in my car. She's a big collie and I have a small car.

OP posts:

user0000012378 · 08/07/2017 10:37

I have a rescue, hugely fear reactive on walks to other people & dogs, & even things like a leaf blowing across the road unexpectedly! We have a one to one trainer working with her at the moment. I also mentioned that I was worried it was limiting her amount of exercise, the trainer said no walk is better than a fearful reactive walk. And I agree to some extent, if the dog is petrified on the walk then they're not benefiting from it. We've been clicker training her & it's working wonders. Soon as she locks eyes on a person/dog we sound the clicker &a she gets a treat. We carry on until whatever it was is out of sight. It starts giving them a positive association when seeing other people/dogs. Please try it, it's really working. Instead of taking her for one long walk, we split it up into several shorter ones. It's easier to cope with for her & not as overwhelming.

Kongs & puzzles are also a definite. Instead of giving her her dinner in a bowl, we sprinkle it across the garden & she spends ages hunting it out. It's something like 10 mins of scent work is equal to 45 minutes of walk/exercise.

Yes she would benefit from more exercise but please don't feel guilty. You are quite obviously working on it by getting behaviourists involved, &a she will get there. It's extremely hard having a rescue with all their issues & being fear reactive. You will get a lot of people who have no experience of it telling you to 'just walk her more'. It damages the dog further to just keep chucking them out there when they are so scared, it needs building up slowly with treats & positive reinforcement

Bubble2bubble · 08/07/2017 11:36

Totally agree that getting her attention is key. Getting her focus on you, and clicker is great for this, before she starts reacting is your long term goal ( though as you have realised this means you have to walk on constant high alert and come home exhausted:( ) .

She needs to know that she can trust you to protect her from the scary stuff by whatever means necessary, so that eventually she will look to you when she sees one of her triggers. I am guessing you are still a long way off from this, and theory is all very well...and I am guessing this is what your behaviourist has already told you.

Getoffthetableplease · 28/07/2017 14:48

I know this is an older post but I just want to say I don't get the people saying you're not enough for her. You're working on her issues, she gets walked, played with, toys, a comfy place to sleep and near constant company. That sounds great! How long have you had her OP? Do you know much about her previous situation?

InvisableLobstee · 28/07/2017 14:58

What about a dog treadmill. I know not as ideal as a real walk but might help. It's not cheap but maybe you could find a way to buy in instalments.

babyblackbird · 28/07/2017 15:47

Get off I'm with you !i was a little taken aback by the judgmental posts on here. At the end of the day the op cares enough that to post. That in itself implies the dog does not have a shit life. Without a doubt there are dogs who have far worse and the op is doing her best. Sometimes dogs have to fit in, particularly when you have children. My children will always come before my dog and I make no apologies for that. Unleash the flaming !

applesareredandgreen · 28/07/2017 22:52

No, I don't think your dog has a 'shit life '. Perhaps it's not ideal but she is loved, fed, played with and has some exercise. If she's snoozing rather than misbehaving I would say she is happy enough.

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