I have noticed more and more Vets are reffering dogs to behaviourists,is this a new trend or has it gone on for years? is it because insurance companies will pay now? Is it because temperaments are worse now than they have ever been?
Or Is it because people cant be bothered to train their Pet in the first place?
Which breed I wonder is the most reffered to behaviourists.

I would imagine it's border collies that get referred most. They are one of the most frequently seen dogs in our rescue charity (it's where we got Grumpy Collie from). The man that runs one of the kennels we use is a behaviourist and he says that the most difficult problems he has to deal with are ALWAYS caused by male border collies.

(No offence to BC breeders/owners intended. I have one myself and I love 'em, but you have to agree they do need careful handling.)

That could be why BC rescue is full to bursting point,a shame really when you see all the ones on telly doing aglity and that looking so happy.

I think that is where the problem lies with BC's. What Joe Public gets to see on the telly are these incredible dogs who dance, herd sheep, do agility and obedience and behave almost impeccably. It all looks so easy. What they don't see is the amount of training that gets them there and also just how many never get anywhere near that level of competence because their owners give up. Collies are fantastic dogs but do need the right person with the time and commitment. From what I have also seen of BC's there is also a type of person that seems to suit them better. A calm, sure steady person seems to get so much from them where as someone who is a but tetchy themselves just seems to pass that on to the dog and wind them up even more.

I know a lady who goes to my training class with her BC. Bess is amazing - she is so well behaved - but it is all down to her very calm and collected owner who knows just which buttons to press and the time and dedication she puts in - even so - Bess will still have off nights where she does what she wants.

I do think that where programs show such well behaved dogs etc - they really ought to give out a bit more information about just how incredibly long it takes to get to that level and the work you must out in.

JMHO

Pam n the boys

HI Mattie :)

I'm not sure what the answer is....but I think the insurance does help. I understand that behaviourists tend to see more aggressive Goldies, and Cockers than other dogs, but then that could also be because they are popular dogs! And yes the good old BC does come pretty high up the list, due to unsuitable people buying them and ending up with a neurotic dog that needs to be stimulated and often isn't, so ends up looking for mischief.

I think too there are more and more behaviourists around, when once they were few and far between.....whether this is a good thing i am not sure :(

The ones i know have helped with some very serious cases, and although I don't believe they can always solve a problem, if I had a problem i couldn't solve, i would personally ask for a referral - hope to goodness it never happens!!!

Another reason may be because many B's won't accept a dog unless it has had a thorough check up, due to problems such as aggression being sometimes caused by physical symptoms. NOt all of course, but enough ....

Best wishes
Lindsay

Hi Mattie,

You might find the following link useful
http://www.apbc.org.uk/data.htm
It lists all of the most commonly referred breeds to APBC behaviourists for each year from 1994, along with all sorts of stats on type of behaviour, sex, age etc. Well worth a look.

Helen

I daren't say what I think........admin may "handbag" me!!!! :D

That don't usually stop you sam !!!!!

True!!!!!:D

Could it be because we expect too much of our dogs? That they be clean in the house, not to demolish anything even when they are left alone for many hours at a time? That they play with us when we want and go and lie quietly when we don't want to bother with them? That they don't dig holes in the garden or bark for attention or to communicate that they are hearing strange noises - or even at the moon?

When I was a kid the dog walked me to school (a couple of miles) and met me to take me home again if my Mum could not do it, joined me (by jumping the fence) on all my excursions and was always with at least one member of the family, or off hunting by himself and bringing back the "spares" for my Mum.

These days neither dogs nor children have the freedom that I did to roam at will (probably a good thing!) which means that dogs are confined to house and garden and therefore need more "entertaining and training". Not many humans have the discipline to exercise their dogs regularly both phyically and mentally - could any of these be behind the reasons that more dogs visit behaviourists?

Christine

You all know me by now the mad BC owner, Molly. She is resuced by me and boy did she have problems and still has them, due to the fact she was beaton abuised abounded need I go on... she is an very sweet lass and I am very lucky to have her. I know what you mean they look so cleaver on the TV but they are cleaver off the TV if you know what I mean? Molly is on the go all day I have too keep her occupiated as much as I can walks, chuck it, (tennis ball mad her job) hide the ball you name it we do it. Of course there is not enough time in the day to play with her such as doing the washing or the dinner I will have my shadow with me constantly looking for the next job! She is a lot of hard work but she is worth it and in the summer I am looking at getting another BC. so I do agree that BC's do need a lot of understanding, if they don't get it then they develope all sorts of problems.

But I would never be without her ever...

Julieann

As you may know I'm a newish dog owner. Thistle (9 months now, lab bitch) seems very easy to train, but I have spent alot of time training her and it's no where near as easy as it looks. We were proud as punch to get 'promoted' from pre-beginners to beginners at dog training last week :-)
I was interested when I went to crufts last week to read that border collies are excluded from the obediednce, why is that? Is it because they would wipe the board and why? Also why do they have separate groups for dogs and bitches?
Jane

Did you go on Saturday - this was the day that any breed but collie teams competed in obedience. The teams including collies competed on Sunday.

I think the reason that dogs and bitches are separated in the Championship C classes is that there are Challenge Certificates (CC's) available - one for the dogs and one for the bitches.

Christine

Yes, Christine I did go on Saturday. But I still don't understand why they have a class excluding BC's. Also if dogs and bitches compete in obedience is there any difference between the 2 sexes. I'm sorry if it seems a really obvious question, but I've no idea and I'm very interested.
Jane

Don't know if it's true, but I was told that dogs and bitches are kept seperate because if a bitch is coming into or just finished a season it can put the dogs off. Ingrid

If you look at the dogs that were in the Obedience championships this year in dogs out of 22 there was one Goldie and one cross breed, the rest were Border Collie/Working sheepdogs. In bitches there was only one cross breed!

The inter regional obedience team event originally allowed just one collie and 2 GSDs to give the other breeds a chance to show what they could do. They have changed the format to now have one day restricted (no collies) and second day unrestricted (in practice mostly collies in the higher classes).

I asked my vet fpr a referal for training and he would'nrt he said there were behaviourists around but he would not refere me.
He said pro trainers usualy did not run classes anymore and even if someone was refered to them thay as often as not would not do a training course with them as they had enough to do with their own dogs and had little interest in training classes these days, he said they used to be more some years ago but they didn't take on many people even then so it's all commercial and no quality or results these days which is why he wouldn't refer me.

Hi Penny

There is a list of training clubs at the ObedienceUK website that you may find useful. If you don't then go back to the home page and at the bottom is a link to join the email lists - join the Newbies one and you may well find someone there that knows of a training group that would suit you.

HTH

Christine