I picked up my border collie yesterday from a pet shop, He is quite old 4 a pup going on 7 months, He was returned to the shop because his previous owners daughter was allergic to him, I have three young kids and they twistead my arm to buy him. I got him home yesterday afternoon and he sat by the front door and refused to move, I left him alone thinking he would calm down as he looked so frightend and kept the kids away. After 4 hours he had still not moved and had dribbled a big puddle next to my front door. I thought he must be thirsty and hungry so i carried him in to the kitchen and there he stayed all night and is still there now, he's eaten a small amount of his food and one of the kids socks but every time you go near him he cowers in the corner, I'm quite worried about him + i don't like having a depressed dog..help?

hes probably really confused  why hes in a strange place
give him time hell come round.. try tempting him with some treats .

have u ever had this problem with a dog? do u own a collie? if so how do you find them?

thanks si

Collies are extremely sensitive dogs.  The poor little bugger has probably been through hell and back if he was sold from a pet shop and then returned there. The best thing you can do for him is to give him food, warmth and comfort and let him come around in his own time.  You may have a mentally scarred dog though and you will need lots of patience with him.
Sally

Hi has he had his vaccinations? I would take him to the vet to get him checked over.I would think he is really confused, taken from his mother, put in a shop taken to a home with strangers and then bundled back to the shop and once again into some ones home.Unfortunatly it is not the best start he could have and I am not suprised he is quiet.Once you have established he is healthy and been wormed.I would invest in 2 books The perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey and Understanding Border Collies by Carol Price.How much experience do you have with dogs and puppies ? He will need time but you musn't fuss him too much and make sure the children do not treat him as a toy.Start taking him out into your garden when he wakes after hes eaten and regularlly in between times asking him to toilet or or what ever phrase you find comfortable and give him lots of praise when he performs.Hopefully as he gets to know and trust you he will come out of himself and become a more happy confident puppy.Training classes and socialisation will be your next steps once he is fully vaccinated. HTH Gillian

yes i own a collie she is extremelly hard work.. they need alot of excersie and theyre lovelly dogs . the dog u have why was he returned do you know anything about his old back ground ... do you have his vet details and any other information about him

yes he came with his documents and his Vaccination form, He has poked his head out the kitchen 2 times today so he's thinking of having a look around, I hope that tonight he might be with us in the front room but we will wait and see. He must be feeling safer. We have called him Dax

sounds like hes starting to come around now! well done! keep us informed!

collies are really sensitive, hes probaley feeling abit tramatised after his experinces in his old home & the pet shop!
if he was one of mine id take him to the vets for a once over, then give him a few days to settle in.
have some really tasty treats handy so something nice happens if he approaches you,after a few days get a ball & play with it by yourself & see if he looks interested.
he may have had a bad time & not have had any socialisation or housetraining so be patient with him, collies take a little time to trust.
try to be consistent so he feels happy in a routine & dont put any pressure on him for a while.
what is his name?

I can only echo what the others have said. 

Poor little thing has lost all confidence, he may have had a traumatic time with his previous owners.  As hard as it is I would keep the children away from petting him at the moment.  Just talk to him as you walk past.  Try when you are on your own sitting down on the floor a few feet away from him, read a book or something and see if he comes to you of his own accord.  If he does, let him come to your hands, resist the temptation to reach out to him.

Looks like he will need a lot of patience and love.

Good luck with him and keep us informed.
Sandra

hi! howz Dax doing today?

Just what I was going to ask, Michelle. :)

well, I got to sleep about 5am this morning after he barked all night! So i'm not that happy with him at the mow. He has been out in the garden chewed up three pairs of shoes (including my little girls two day old trainers) tv remote, few other bits and seems to be making himself more at home, But this is the second night in a row i have had no sleep and i don't quite know what to do with him. I put him in the kitchen two nights ago and thats when he started barking, Let him out and he eats the house, lock him in and he wakes us all up! ahhhhh!

Could you get a puppy crate for him and let him sleep beside your bed?  Everything is a chew toy to a puppy so you need to put things like shoes and t.v. remotes out of his reach.  You also need loooaaaads of patience with a pup, especially a Border Collie and especially one that has not had too good a start in life.
Sally

Is your other dog in the room with him at night, or you could buy a cage and have him in your room with you. Think the lad gets into a panic when the house goes quiet.

Personally (and i know you won't like me for saying it) I think this dog needs to be in a home with an experienced dog owner, experienced in re-habbing rescue cases etc.
The drool could well be from fear, you have no idea what this dog has been through....you didn't even want a dog (you say your children twisted your arm).  I moved a couple of Staffies from a pound to a rescue over the weekend.  The female was so terrified at being handled by a human she drooled huge puddles in the back of my jeep...it was pitiful to watch her...
He chews (and you complain).  He barks and you complain....Had you no idea what a puppy would behave like, let alone a puppy who has been passed around from breeder, to dealer to pet shop to unwilling owner backto pet shop, and finally to a family who didn't really want him, weren't actually looking to get a dog and who seem to be cross that he's behaving just like a puppy.
Yes, at 7 months he should have grown out of this behaviour somewhat, but judging by his past he's not your average 7-monther.
This dog needs professional re-hab, so please get some professional help now, after he's had a thorough check from your vet.
In the future don't buy your family dog from a pet shop.  Hopefully this experience has taught you that much at least!  Do your research and get the pup from a reputable and responsible breeder, who will have raised the pup with copious amounts of tlc and expert knowledge.  The pup will be far better prepared for the outside world than Dax appears to be.  Poor Dax.
Sorry, just my personal opinion.

Actually I ended my post with "or let me have him" but then I deleted it.

I am sorry you are having problems with him, but with his background I suspect you have a 12 week old puppy in a 7 month old body.

If you want to perservere with him, I too would get a cage for him to sleep in, put it beside your bed, cover it with a blanket on all sides but the door.  This should give him a cosy den and make him feel more secure.  I really do feel this is an insecurity issue rather then anything else.

As you have learn't, all chewable items must be out of his reach, he is only being a puppy and has never learn't right from wrong. 

A lot of quality time has to be spent with this pup on a one to one basis, you need to earn his trust.  If you are not prepared to do this, then I agree another home should be found for him quickly as he is confused enough.

If you do decide to re-home him, let us know, we won't criticise you for it, but point you in the right direction so he is homed through a Border Collie rescue who have experience with these type of situations.

Sandra

i agree with sandra, treat him like a new puppy! 8wks not 7months! if you get this right with him youll have your best friend ever!
all mine chewed things if i wasnt carefull, so make sure you & the kids dont leave anything vaulable lying about!!!& try a kong with some food in to keep him occupied.
best of luck. what area are you in?

Hi I agree with what has been said already please let us know how you are going on and if you do decide he is not for your family look to his best interests and rehome him through one of the border collie rescues. Gillian

Hello might be able to help we have a 2 year old border collie when we first got him he chewed shoes toys even the kitchen table we always gave him a firm comand of no he is still a very nervous dog but i think this is common of the breed but do not under estimate their intelligence they are veryy clever and like alot of attention and lots of walks once you have that bond it will last forever start as you mean to go on as once he trusts you he will be like a child and test his waters and they know their routines quite quickly i have 2 very small children and he is like my 3rd child hope it all works out be patient and good luck   

Well all the good news is I had a good nights sleep last night, I gave in to dax and he is now sleeping on my bedroom floor in his bed. He did not make a sound so i think a solution to my lack of sleep has been found, However I went to put my work trousers on this morning he had chewed a big chunk out of them. ummmmm! well what can you do he will chew everything in the house except his chew sticks i bought him, he's starting to work out a very exspensive dog. I have always had dogs when I was younger living at home and have had two border collies (cindy and samy) , a rottee (bruce) and a shitsue (charlie). My borders were very active if not a bit quiet as they were both rescue dogs one of which was chucked from a car window when he was young. The rottee was a great dog but very protective and did not like strangers in the house, the shitsue has less brains than my goldfish and was and still is a chewer who lives with my perents as they decided big dogs were too much for them now. So i think its just the cewing i need sorted now, I was told by a friend that his dog liked to chew cabels so they covered all the cabels neer the floor in mustard, alas i only have one pair of work trousers left and don't fancy smelling of mustard all the time. I would like to thank you all for taking your time to add your comments

Don't you feel better after a good night's sleep? Sleep deprivation is a terrible thing :D
The only way I've found to get my OH to be tidy is to have a puppy in the house! He can't complain if things get chewed because he should have put them away in the first place. We've got 3 pups in the house at the moment & there's no shoes, coats, overalls, magazines, car bits or even dirty socks anywhere to be seen. (Pity about the toys, bones, empty milk cartons & old leads though ..........................)

when flynn was a puppy he chewed through the middle leg of my bed!

he grew out of chewing in time!

Try using vicks, oil of cloves or a spray like Bitter Apple to stop him chewing furniture, and hang all clothes and valuable/precious personal items out of the way. Get into Kong stuffing - have you tried these? Someone cleverer than me will probably give you a link to a Kong site.

Lindsay

Hi Simon,
Vick didn't work with my dog, she liked the taste of it and smelled lovely when I came home. The chairs unfortunately were beyond repair:) Hey ho she lived to a grand age of 12 years. Not bad for a gsd. Anyway I would imagine the chewing is from teeth still settling or frustration, so you could try a flannel soaked in water and then frozen. This helps the inflammation of the gums and gives the dog something to do. Stick with it, it is always worth while in the end.:) I have had Border Collies for the last 20 years. They don't all have a chewy problem. One has never chewed a thing, another chewed through a new bedroom carpet and other various items. She is 7 years old now and still loves chewing. So, she has lots of smoked bones, nice white teeth:) If you can get a sterilised bone from the pet shop and fill with cream cheese or peanut butter, (suggested by John Rogerson) or paste, this might help. Good luck.

i will give them a go thanks

Hi hows he getting on?