HELP!!! My dog's driving me INSANE!!!!!!!

HarleyzGal

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#1
Ok I've got a year old border collie/ german shepherd cross and he's crazy...I mean totally loopy!

About 9/9:30 ish pm he'll just start barking and running around, he'll be VERY agressive and start nipping and biting for no reason. He seems to be scared of something but it's totally beyond me what he's scared of.

Also during the day he'll have a mad time, he'll be barking for no reason and biting and being very agressive, my family and I have all got bruised hands from trying to stop him biting, none of us know how to stop him or much less how to help or get through to him. He's not misbehaved for my Dad though that's the only thing.

Please of anyone can help it would be greatly apriciated! We're all going mad over here!!!! :confused:

Thanks

Niki
xx
 
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HarleyzGal

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#3
??

I'm not sure, he's starting training classes on Saturday I've always thought his eye sight may not be very good...but not sure about brain prblems. He's just completley bonkers!!
 

Brattina88

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#4
Just a few bg questions... Where did you get your dog and at what age? Is he fixed?
Its hard to say what the problem is without seeing him do it... First thing I'd suggest is to see your vet so he can pin point or rule out medical / physical reasons for the behaivior. Have the vet check his eyes too, or do a simple test at home. Border Collies need to work, he might be going loony because he wants more excersize. It sounds like he could be taking a fit (like a puppy fit?) How old is he? Is he running around while he's barking and biting?
You said he seemed scared of something - The next time he does it be very obeservant... see if there is someone walking around outside, something on TV, does your clock chime? Anything. Sit down and watch him, don't interfere or get bit & maybe you'll find out his problem
 
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#5
Hmmm . . . German Shepherd/Border Collie mix . . . two extremely work/herding motivated breeds. Sounds like he may be very, very bored.

When our girls are stuck in the house because they don't want to get out in the rain or some other reason, they take a spell in the evening where they tear around in circles in the living room, bounding off the sofa, bouncing off each other and just generally creating chaos until they can't run anymore and flop down with their tongues hanging, or until Bimmer can't stand their mayhem anymore and jumps in the middle of them and reads them the riot act - whichever comes first.

Try getting that pup busy. You might want to check out some things at www.workingdogs.com to get some ideas. Agility would be a superb outlet for him, and so would droving.
 

HarleyzGal

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#6
We got him from the RSPCA in potter's Bar (rescue dog center) about a month/6 weeks ago. We don't really have any idea of his history but we think he may have been hit by his previous owners, the shelter said he's very boistrous (is that how you spell it!! :confused: ) and domineering, he has been fixed. He's happy enough at home but I'll check the site out and see if I can't give him something to do more in the eveninings, we took him for a long evening walk yesterday and he seemed a little calmer after that (usually we only take long walks with him in the daytime). Thanks for all of your help! :)
 
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#7
I'm so glad the exercise is helping. That does reassure that it's just normal energy and exuberance causing the behaviour and nothing more sinister.

When it gets too intense, just remember, it could be a whole lot more entertaining(???) There could be two of him, and he could weigh over 130 pounds! (Kharma's only 50 -60 pounds right now, but she's growing by the hour.)

I must admit, though, I get a big kick out of watching them cut and chase in the small space. They are having so much fun, and it's great for their future agility in tight places with the cattle. Thankfully, it's not an every night race. It would be a bit much if it were.
 

MEG126

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#8
i hope that more exercise is going to continues to help him behave better! sounds like you're getting a good start on it.

i saw that renee mentioned agility- i've always been fascinated by agility and it looks like a lot of fun; but my golden and i have had bigger obstacles to deal with before we can get into that- but what i have been doing is training her to jump. she loves it!! agility equipment is really expensive, but you can use practically anything as a jump. i use picnic table benches, (those are my favorites) lawn chairs with poles (those can be knocked over, which is good)- just be creative! so anyways you might want to try that- it might be a good release for your pup! in you're interested i can give you more pointers, just let me know! just remember that you don't want to scold your dog if he does something wrong with this jumping thing because it has to be fun for your dog if they're going to enjoy it. (praise him a lot and use lots of treats! ;) )
 
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#9
It's amazing what you can create with PVC pipe, and it's very, very cheap. You can design and make a fun, unique and creative agility course that could easily be taken apart and reassembled in different ways with good ol' PVC pipe.
 

MEG126

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#11
were you able to create weave polls with PVC? i guess with the right joint pieces it could be used for training purposes, or have you found some way to make the vertical poles bounce back after the dog goes through?
 
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#12
I haven't done one yet, although I've been contemplating and scribbling for awhile. Somehow the idea of a Fila doing agility is just perverse enough to appeal to me. Shiva could physically handle any course very well, but she's so big and strong that in her mind the best way to tackle an obstacle is to go right through it!

Quite awhile back I found and posted some web addresses on the subject of agility equipment, and I think one of them was a site that showed how to build your own. I'll look for it later, but if one of you finds it first, why don't you start a new thread and re-post it so we can find it again more easily.

And that makes me think, CHAZHOUND, any chance of setting up a search capability here? It would be great if we could run searches within the forum using key words.
 

DJ Lucid

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#13
Hi MEG126, just a quick suggestion. We've got a young border collie X spaniel who sometimes gets very excited as you described your dog does, and we think the reason is that he gets agitated or bored. He is a very lively dog and very hard to wear out as I'd imagine your dog is. We take him out for two runs a day on top of normal lead walks. We used to just walk around with him and let him play on his own, but a little while ago we tried a ball on a rope and have found that he really loves playing fetch - and he comes back from his walks pretty tired out now. At first we had to use two seperate balls to encourage him to drop them for us, but now he is really good with them and it's improved his behaviour while we're out - he's not so interested in running across the other side of the field to meet the other dogs! Also we have been trying to train him some basic tricks to keep his mind working. We've definitely found that the more time we can spend either physically or mentally stimulating him, then the less excitable he gets.

Anyway, good luck with everything.
 
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MEG126

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#14
yea- i've taught penny some pretty neato tricks (i could be sort of biased though) like taking bows, and she gives fabulous high fives- also now that she's learned what 'over' means from our little jumping training, i can get down on all fours and she'll jump over me. that's my favorite. and it's obvious she's really smart and she can catch on to these tricks- (any other suggestions of new tricks?? anybody??) we're just having issues with the whole come thing because we trained her wrong and now we just need to take the time to re-train her- i've already gotten great advice on here about how to go about doing that, just need to get to it! (i think i need to start that this week- sounds like a plan!). people have always said that goldens calm down substancially after a certain age and i think penny (she's just turned three) has finally started to do so.. (i'm getting more ideas in my head, so i think i might actually start a new thread for this) but she still has lots of energy and playfulness (calm certainly doesn't mean do nothing!) so i'm gonna have to concentrate on getting this re-training of 'come' started so we can get that acomplished asap. :)
 

Kbob

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#15
Agility training sounds like a great idea for your dog. Those two breeds are indeed high motivated working breeds. Your dog needs a "job" to do and training could be the answer. One of my dogs is a mixed breed that we got from a rescue group. We were originally told she was part Lab and part Golden retriever. After getting her to the vet....it turns out that she part sighthound, with maybe some spaniel, pointer or some other type of hunting dog. What you describe in your original post above sounds like our dog when we first got her. She was NUTS. She would want to play all the time and if you walked by her and tried to ignore her she would lunge out and bite you on the behind. I was at my wits end until I finally talked with my vet. She suggested obedience classes and it's made quite a tremendous difference. That was two years ago and she is a wonderful dog now.

Good luck!
 
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#16
Renee750il said:
And that makes me think, CHAZHOUND, any chance of setting up a search capability here? It would be great if we could run searches within the forum using key words.
Sure, If you look at the top of the page there should be a 'search' link in the forum menu bar. Click on it and just type the keyword in the box and it will search the forum. Works great. There is also an advanced search.

Chazhound
 

RD

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#17
Personally, I wouldn't put an aggressive dog in agility. Neither would I feel comfortable attending an agility class in which there is an aggressive dog. My advice is to find out exactly what his problem is, first. If it's just a lack of exercise, then he's fine. If he doesn't stop completely when he's getting plenty of physical and mental stimulation, there's a behavioral problem beyond just boredom.

In the meantime, RUN HIM until he drops, and then make him "sit, down, sit, down, sit, down" for mental stimulation, and he can't be biting you when he's sleeping, now can he? :)
 
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#18
You can do agility on your own, in your own backyard. It isn't necessarily a team sport. It's probably easier to learn without the distractions of other dogs, too.

Going through training reviews is a good idea, but for many breeds, and many individual dog personalities there's a boredom threshhold they reach pretty quickly if you're just repeating the same things over and over. Some dogs are completely happy to do just that, but others (like my bunch) will look at you like you've lost your mind and either yawn and ignore the whole thing after awhile or will do their best to get YOU distracted!
 

RD

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#19
LOL, true, Ripley always winds up giving me that "aw, c'mon, lady, not this routine again" look.
This sounds like a smart dog, so if that bores him, don't waste your time. ;) Also, I think you mentioned he was part Border collie? Teach him some cool tricks!! Nothing stimulates a dog's mind like learning new tricks, and he'll enjoy the treats and praise he gets in return. Plus, Border Collies and BC mixes are usually smart as whips, and learn in a flash.
 

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