i dont want to cause any worry but if she didnt recognise you from further then three meters away could she have difficulty seeing. id take her to a vet just in case. This would explain why she may be funny around strangers, particually outside.

Funnily enough I was thinking that while I was in the bath. D

hi ella
i am having exactly the same problem as you ,i have saught help from a good dog club ,we are having one to one training at the cost of 50 pounds an hour ,also he is going to the dog creche there at a cost of ten pounds an hour to help him socialize ,this is really expensive but we were worried if we didnt get it right he would land up getting him put down and my son would be heartbroken
im quite happy to pass on the training we are doing with the advice ,at least you can try it and it wont cost asit is costing us an arm and a leg but i feel it is worth it as we have waited ten years for a dog and we are heartbroken when you hear people say he is a vicious dog and vets saying it runs in the u blood you may have to put him down etc

our dog is 27 weeks old ,has nipped a couple of people ,learches forward at anything that moves but is ok in the house
the first session we had was to take him of all the dog food ,treats and not allow our food,we have a low protien food and we have to make him work for his food on his walks for a distraction and because its good for border collies to work
secondly cody would pull on the lead and learch at people ,we since have been told to get a gentle leader and he is much more under control
we also are not allowing him on furniture ,or upstairs and he has the utility room
the basis of training is to show you are the leader of the pack and he is at the bottom also that playing searching games to mentally tire him out rather than phisical training
like you i want a loving dog but i hope i acheive it as we are working so hard with him ,any more advice feel free to email me

all the best amanda

completely agree with you!
what you are seeing as "aggressive" behaviour could well actually be a confused herding bahviour. Please get in contact with a behaviourist and I wouldn't start using choke chains or spray collars as as we don't know that the problem is this could well make it worse.

I would advice APDT behaviourists or APBC behaviourists:

Check out your nearest behaviourist on their websites:

The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors
Welcome to APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK

Good luck and let us know how you get on

__________________

Hi,

Collies have very very very keen eyesight and can spot things from miles off so for your dog to only recognise it is you from only 3m away is a bit strange. They also have an above average sense of smell in the dog world so it may be worth performing the test again but approaching the dog from an upwind direction so that your scent gets to the dog before you are 3m away. If there is no barking from an upwind approach athen re-run the tests from a down wind approach so your scent is nowhere near the dog and see if the barking continues. If it does continue then perhaps the dog's eyesight is not that great and in that it may not be able to distinguish shapes, silouettes or faces all that good. This could be the reason for the behaviour as the dog is unsure of what is what by sight so feels the need to set out a barrier immediately.

When you throw toys for the dog onto grass and hold the dog back from a immediately setting off, are it's eye's fixed ont he spot where the toy landed? Does it go straight to where the toy landed? Does the dog use it's nose to search for the toy?

What is the dog's recall like? If it is a good can you lay down in the grass but have your head above the grassline so that you don't project a standing sillouette against the skyline and call the dog over? Again what sense does it use to find you?

The OP hasnt logged onto the forum for over 7 months.

Thank you everyone for your advice. We tried just about everything (behaviour classes and special trainers) but in the end we took the puppy back to the breeder. It turned out that another puppy of the same litter was aggressive also, and had been returned, so we all think it was genetic. The breeder has said that they are both a bit better as they have a lot of land for the dogs to run around on, so they don't have to come across people often. Acting as quite a good guard dog as well. I'm glad we decided to take her to the breeder, as she must be happier now and less stressed.

Just wondering.... Do people agree that a dog's behaviour is genetics or are problems which have not been dealt with correctly?

This is not a dig at the OP, I am just interested in people's opinions. x

Sounds to me as if your pupster has missed some vital socializing! I would go back to basics and try to introduce her to everything as though she were just 8 weeks old, you need to re-assure her and build her confidence, this is going to take time and patience, reward using treats,
For example when passing another dog say over and over, leave, leave, leave, and when she does reward her, you may have to try this several times before she gets it right, the more she is in contact with others the better.

I would resort in using a spay corrector should all other attempts to correct the issues fail.

Also enroling in a puppy class may help
DT