hi, for those of u wanting full info on this post, pls visit the visitors board with topic of the same name!

in answer to some of the questions on the other board........

maiya was bought from a working farm, (not a puppy farm)

info the behaviouralist gave us was along the lines of a BARF diet, what to do when visitors come (she has improved), what to do when walking her off the lead (this used to be a problem, and now isnt), how to talk to her, how to behave around her.

maiya does get walked off the lead on a massive field where we can freely throw balls/frisbees for her

parents appeared not to have any problems

havent had her BAER tested, but she has the hearing of a wolf lol...can hear someone walking past the front of the house frm miles away lol. but could be an option!

we're in the process of doing modifications to the house, and a front porch + an outside mail box will definately be on the list! this should help things along.

she aggressively goes for people while on the lead, it doesnt seem to be the same as when she tries to 'herd' the cats along lol

she hasnt had as much exercise as we would like due to the behaviour difficulties. its quite a liability taking her out of the house, and is pretty stressful for everyone in the general area (including her and us!)
but she does get walked off the lead on a big field (again, not as much as we would like) im sure this is causing some of the problems. i did take her to training, but she basically bit the instructor, who then refused to have her back''''i had explained maiyas behaviour on the phone to her beforehand, and she didnt seem to think it would be a problem. i had maiya muzzled when we went in, but trainer told me to take the muzzle off. and she bit her. oh dear. so we were expelled from training, and to be honest with you, ive been a bit negative about taking ehr back to training since. also, this goes for training like flyball etc too - im just scared she'll do someone a major injury.

thanks for the digging pit idea - sounds good. we're also considering decking and patioing the whole garden, so its not an option in the first place.

the dog goes for the child when he is being affectionate or playfighting with me.

have tried everything with car journeys. she will ignore any kind of food or treat, and will sit and bark no matter what. have done things slowly, bit by bit, but no difference.

she does have a clean bill of health so the vet doesnt feel it is a major problem that she cant come in, and just said to take her in if things are an emergency - unfortunately, she is due her booster vaccination this month, so she needs to be seen.

hope that answers just about all the questions i got in response to my post - thanks so far, feel free to ask anything else!

jo.

Hi Jo,  If Maiya is from working parents then like most Border Collies she needs a job to do or she will go self employed.  Lots of collies are workaholics and don't know when to switch off and relax or will only rest briefly to recharge their batteries.  Everything that she is doing is work to her.

Have you contacted the behaviourist and updated him?  What was his advice regarding the aggression?  I ask this because sometimes it will depend on how you deal with one problem as to wether it causes it to emerge somewhere else.

When she is getting her off lead walk is it just free running after the ball all the time or do you train her and ask her to do things with the ball as a reward and will she switch off, chill out and just stroll and sniff if you put the ball away?

Probably not the answer you want to hear but if she is going for the child when he cuddling or playfighting you then best not to do those things in the presence of the dog. - For the time being anyway.

Does she bark if you put her in a stationery car with out the engine running?  Try in her cage covered with a blanket and a meaty bone to chew maybe????

Sally

I'd agree with Sally - there doesn't seem to be a lot in this girls life to occupy her very adequate brain - training can be done while watching the TV (so long as the dog gets good timing on the rewards) or even sitting on the toilet..........  Lots of session during the day will work her brain and stop her looking for stimulation elsewhere, which with collies is often innapropriate :(

Although I asked some of the questions first asked of you Sally has said everything I would have done and more. Because of the aggression IMO you need someone to look at the situating in your home as it is difficult to understand what is happening without seeing for oneself. If you were happy with the trainer/behaviourist you employed before, go back to them, if you are not then Sally may be able to direct you to someone who could help with a home visit, but you may have to do this by private message as she will need to know where you live.

have you read carol prices book, understanding the border collie?

as far as im concerned Border collies are the best dogs in the world, BUT are not easy,& things can get out of had quite quickly!!!
as shes farm bred it sounds like shes got alot of drive there,especially as shes herding! you need to start to do stuff with her,keep her muzzled for saftey if shes likely to be aggressive.
when you go out take her with you,
even down the shops in the car, activty balls or kongs are good, or play hiding games with a buiscuit or her toys. TRY to TEACH her stuff these dogs love to learn, it dosent have to be anything formal,get her to learn positions, sit-down-sit -stand in all differnt orders, build a obstactle course in your garden with different things to jump over ,go under,through,on to!
teach her to hold, mine collect the post, get the tv remote & tv guide ,slippers etc!
teach her words for different toys
the more you do, the happier shell be & youll get a brilliant bond,which will help with the rest of the problems.
dont concentrate on the bad stuuff, build on the good behaviour, dont give up on her!

best if you find a "collie" dog trainer,as not all trainers understand or like collies!

they can be odd though
Tara hates loud noises etc
Nellie sings,hates any gundog breeds(thinks they play funny!)
flynny hates it if anyone sneezes or blows a raspberry!......................so she may never be completely normal!!!!

Maiya is a working collie who sounds really bored. She needs to work.  Farm working bred collies should not be homed to pet homes - unless the owners are very clued up on BCs and do agility, etc with them.