we have a 3yr old border collie(m,neutered) who is brilliant with us,our kids,visitors,other dogs-even dogs in his own house!he just has a very bad habit of behaving badly when i`m at work.what he does is this..if my wife lets him out in the morning he goes ballistic and runs at the back fence barking then spends 5 mins tracing same path.if i let him out he trots out and does his bis quietly,also paces house when i`m out and wife in house.he did the fence thing when we took him in(rescued @ 9 mnths) but it stopped for 1yr.the dog is well excercised daily and has a 2yr old bitch as a companion(mongrel) who has none of the above behaviour quirks. for a collie he is brill with cars,bikes anything that moves etc it`s just the way he goes nuts when i`m not there that is stressing my wife out, who incedentley has had dogs all her life as apposed to my 12 years.i understand he see`s me as boss and frets when i`m gone but how do you stop this dog fretting??any ideas? judging by the response this is obviously a tough one !!

Why is this stressing your wife? Dogs behaving differently with people of the same house-hold is common. A quick run and bark in the morning doesn't sound abnormal, unless the neighbors are complaining. As for the pacing, the dog is showing some separation anxiety. Have your wife work with the dog, obedience training and lots of playing. This dog needs to bond with her. Let her feed the dog and give it treats. The dog will always see you as the pack leader, but may soon think of your wife as right up there close to you.