Hi, my partner and I are first-time owners. I have always had a soft spot for border collies (as relatives dogs) so we've adopted an adolescent collie from a rescue who had a history of disliking other dogs, but the rescue observations of him with other dogs were fine and they thought he'd be appropriate for first-time owners.
In the house, he's a sweetheart and settles well so long as we keep him confined to one room (doing the usual first week settling in quiet environment, no visitors etc.)
However, on a few occasions now either when we've been in the back garden or on the grass that's outside our back gate (which is used by local dog walkers), he's been reacting badly to the sight or sound of other dogs, which I understand most collies can be antisocial, but he explodes into biting the (now a chain, previously rope) lead, snarling, growling and it's difficult to drag him away. He's now worked up from this incident last night, but I have taken him into the garden today to do his business, and he wasn't happy to be brought back inside (on the harness and chain lead) so he sat down, refused to budge, bared his teeth, even dropped his favourite ball and again biting the lead and growling, this time very much directed at me with eye contact ather than the lead itself.
I've quickly become rather scared and uneasy about this dog, who it's my responsibility to look after in the daytime (work from home). We have rung the rescue, who came across as a little short with us, just advising us that we haven't let him settle properly if he's already been seeing other dogs, although that is just the set up of our property as it is next to a dog walking area and that is the only place he seems to be able to go to the loo.
I'm physically quite shaken by his reaction just to me and I'm not sure that I have the confidence to work on training. At the same time, I feel rather humiliated by the rescue's tone on us ringing for advice and dread the idea of approaching them now to hand him back, but surely it's better to make this call sooner rather than later? I think the dog has now become highly strung and is now focusing the growling at me holding the lead, rather than the lead and the other dogs, it has only happened once for a brief while and I know they need absolutley ages to settle in, but I now feel uneasy around him and surely that isn't a good sign?
Help gratefully received, thank you.