My dog!!

[Flowerpot26]

Looking for advice please, we got our first dog 7 years ago a beautiful border collie puppy, she is a working dog but also a house dog! Which was never a problem, she loved sheep and also the sofa and cuddles, Was spolit with time and attention which she deserved, now tho I need help, I don't want to say this out loud and I love her dearly!
But .. she has become such hard work. She's knows when she is being naughty , I don't think getting a dog behaviourist in would help?
Over the last couple of years my mum's cat came to live with us(he's no problem likes his own space and to snuggle, and we've had a baby, my dog won't go anywhere near the baby, I built a doggy den under the stairs so she had an extra space, she won't go near it. I take her out all the time on walks and she just pulls, wraps herself up around the pram if on the lead, she knows how to walk to heal, I try to give her one and one time, but sometimes I think actually I don't want to, she's a pain and making things that shud be fun /easy hard work! I am one person I give everyone and all my animals all the time I have and I don't really expect much back but I know this sounds crazy but I think she's selfish, she doesn't want to cuddle, won't return a ball, won't walk to heal, won't eat her food but is permanently at the fridge which she never use to do, doesn't seem to want to be with us, but seems unhappy , I know it's prob all down to jelously but what more can I do to make her start behaving again and in return make me start enjoying her again.

My dog is not a working dog but yes, over stimulating any dog will result in a dog that can't relax and wind down.

Over the years I've had my dog I've learned exactly how much exercise is good and how much is too much. It's very obvious if she's been out too long, not even walking, just being around activity that wires her up and I will definitely notice that she will have difficulty settling down afterwards.

It seems to me like a good qualified behavioursit is exactly what you need.

With animal behaviour it's not about training your dog (as you've said she knows that) but about understanding what she's telling you. Once you figure out what the problems are eg. Baby noise, smells, attention (or whatever it is) you can work on dealing with it. Lots of training and positive reinforcement for good behaviour and encouragement. Collies are sensitive and incredibly smart but I'm sure she can improve if you can help her

I guarantee you that if I take my collie out for hours with lots of mental training on top when she gets back inside the house she will be so amped up she will whine in an effort to try and calm herself down, she will race round picking up toys and it’ll take her a while to relax.

My working cocker is the same. He rubs himself along the rugs and whines and runs about trying to calm himself down.

It's a tricky one for advice because some people get working breeds (or any dog) and don't physically or mentally exercise them at all thinking they can entertain themselves out in the garden. Then you get the other advice which is you need to walk them for hours and hours which is wrong as well so it's a balance working out what is actually happening with any thread.

May I suggest reading Culture Clash and in Defence of Dogs? I think you would feel very differently about the situation and able to help your dog and improve things for all of you if you understood dog behaviour principles a bit better. Also I would look for a behaviourist certified by the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers.

Please, unless you actually have a working bred dog yourself please stop telling people to overexercise their dog and fill their day with mental stimulation.

Where has anyone said to do that?

All dogs need mental stimulation be they working dogs, giant breeds, toys and everything in between. Nobody has suggested overdoing it - just a few sessions of training or brain games each day.

OP originally gave the impression the dog might get one walk a day. Hence the advice.

Adaline i’ve been on here a long time and any thread where it happens to be a ‘working’ breed, especially a collie, irrespective of what the problem is, irrespective of whether it is an actual working dog problem or a lack of exercise problem or a training problem the responses are always the same.

A constant barrage of ‘bored’ ‘working dog’ ‘understimulated’ ‘shouldnt be a pet’ ‘needs hours of exercise’ ‘needs lots of mental stimulation’ and I just want to scream!

Because while there are definately people with bored, underexercised dogs out there who absolutely would benefit from more exercise and training, many are not, many are already overstimulated as it is and upping their exercise and training even more because ‘it’s a working dog and not getting enough’ is not the cure and a lot of the time it can make the problem so much worse.

Yeah, but nobody has actually suggested overworking her, have they?

OP's original posts suggested the dog was only getting an hour a day - that's really not enough for most larger breeds let alone a Collie that's used to being out on the farm all day.

I have a Beagle and I know all too well how much of a pain he is when he's overstimulated - teaching dogs to settle and be calm is a really important thing, but they do need some stimulation and exercise each day too. How much and what kinds depend on the family situation, the breed, and all sorts.

Nobody has said the dog need hours of exercise and stimulation a day. OP's post made it appear that 7 year old dog, who was used to having OP all to herself, displays odd behaviour once a cat and a baby came to live with them. OP has returned and has said the dog has off lead exercise, running around the farm, and OP still takes her out for an hour's walk with the pram. This is not what I gleaned from the first post.

Collies are very sensitive and they love to be with their owner. I can see why the extra room under the stairs won't work. The dog has had a few changes. Most dogs don't like change, Collies more than most. Given the recent changes in the dogs life I would say her change in behaviour is "normal". OP says she feels the dog is jealous. That's probably true, as much as a dog can be jealous.

What posters are suggesting is OP spend a small amount of one on one time with the dog - hide and seek, find the toy etc Nobody is suggesting OP spends hours outdoors exercising the dog or hours indoors brain training.

It seems as if dog is having adequate exercise, despite original post. There is nothing wrong with posters suggesting 10 mins of indoor play with the dog. All dogs benefit from short bursts of brain games or training. They enjoy the one on one time.