Recently over the last couple of days my border has become aggressive when eating. This is worrying. When she is eating she is rushing her food as though it will be taken off her ! and rushes towards me growling, even in the middle of eating ,there has never been any problems before. I also have a cat who eats in a different room from her, they are unable to see each other eating.When she hears the sound of the food being put into the dishes she growls and barks in a way that is different to other types of barks she normally does.  I feed my border on Burns . She is being fed the correct amount as well as raw veg . Please can anyone offer advice on this aggresiveness as she has always been ok and i cannot think of anything that could have changed this behaviour. She is taken on long walks so i dont feel that boredom is an issue and i dont have children apart from my husband ! so there as never been any teasing etc

Jackie, could she be due in season?  Mine gets very aggressive towards my dog when when in season especially at meal times.

Hi Sandrah and Archer,thanks for your speedy replies. I shall certainly try what you suggested and give her a few biscuits at a time in her dish and i hadn't thought about her coming into season ! what kind of other symptoms have you wittnessed before the actual event ?

Jackie, How old is she and has she had a season yet?  As this has only just appeared it sounds so much like it could be her hormones all over the place.  My BC turns into the devil dog around her season :rolleyes:

It would be very unusual for her just to turn like this without a reason.  Just before her season her vulva might be swollen and if you dab with a tissue you will find a discharge which will become blood coloured.  These symptoms can start just before she is showing any signs though that is why I wondered what her age is and if she has had one.

Megan is 5 months old, just ! as i said earlier there hasn't been anything i could link her change of behaviour to, apart from the cat bicuits going into the cats dish that i have since done outside to stop her from hearing the rattle. I think that she thinks i am giving away 'her' food.
She is 'normal' when it is our meal  times, in fact she is very well behaved.
I will look further into what you suggested about coming into season. She has not had one yet.
Is the 'rolling eyes' a clue also ? ha ha it sounds a pmt classic ! poor you, have i got this to come ?

When you feed her put only a few biscuits in her bowl.When she is finished put a few more in and let her eat them.Continue till she has had her full feed.She will then associate you with getting more food and not a threat
Archer

Five months might be a bit young for her season, although mine had her first at five and a half months. 

It could just be a phase she is going through, I would do as archer suggested and feed her by adding a little by hand, don't make an issue out of it or give her any eye contact, just treat it as though it is normal.

Keep us updated
Sandra

Thanks for your ideas, i will keep them in mind and i will definately try archers idea.Many thanks to you both and i shall keep you updated. If you or anyone else has any ideas i am open to them. Its so beneficial to know i can get sensible advice here ...

Is it possible that she has a sore mouth and thinks you will remove her food before she can eat it. Sudden changes in behaviour are often caused by a health problem so it may be a good idea to let the vet check her over.

If there is nothing wrong with her then I would put the empty bowl on the floor and add one third of the food at a time so she has to wait for you to give the food to her. Would also increase her food in case it is that she is hungry and how often a day are you feeding her. Sorry meant to say if she growls then walk away and try again a little while later do not feed a growling dog you will be rewarding her for doing the wrong thing, feed when she is sitting quietly waiting for another handful.

I was going to suggest the same thing about the teeth Jackie, but the owner did say she gets food possesive even before the bowl goes down...........  I think you've also got to be careful of walking away when she growls, as this may just be what she wants and becomes a different type of reward for the unwanted behaviour - timing is the key ;)

I meant walk away and do not give more food, if you walk away and leave an empty bowl I doubt that is what she would want, guess I did not make myself clear.

Do you normally stand close(ish) to her whilst she eats?

Have you done any kind of food bowl training with her at all, or do you normally just give her her food, or just ask for a sit and release to eat?

If this is literally an overnight change it does warrant a visit to the vet as suggested by Jackie. Very sudden changes in behaviour can sometimes be due to a health problem, the very worst scenario being a brain/neural problem. A friend has just referred 2 dogs to the vet and in both cases this has sadly been diagnosed, thankfully it is starting to become more recognised. Please don't panic though, only a small percentage of dogs have this kind of problem but it is best to just be aware so that if necessary, this can be ruled out.

Hopefully/probably it is just a behaviour thing, hormones etc and will respond to training :)

Lindsay
X

Thanks to everyones thoughts on the matter.
I do feel it could be related to the clinking noise of the food going into the dishes when feeding the cats as they have biscuits also. This has been an issue for a few weeks.
Megan as charged at me twice , both on the same day ,during her eating, both times i was in the next room { it is one large room but was two and an archway in between} she was in the dining room with the patio doors open,i was in the front room, as i walked from that room  she charged towards me growling and barking.
Im not sure what is mean't by bowl training ? but i have always made her sit before she eats, it has never been a problem.
When we first got megan i would sit in an easy chair in the same room as her whilst she was eating, i do still do this usually in the morning when i first get up. She has her Burns and i have a cup of tea.I dont take her dish away until a little later in the morning.
I have already spoken to Burns and they say the amount she is eating is right for her weight and to top her up with veg.
She looks very well, a good size and shape, her coat / skin is very healthy. The vet is happy with her progress. The point about her gums being sore is right ,she is still teething and she looses  the occasional tooth when chewing, borders are aggressive chewers i have been informed. has one comes out a new one is on the scene. Seems abit like "Alien"
This morning when feeding Burns i did as archer suggested.putting a small amount into her dish and topping it up in stages by hand until shes had her amount. She was fine ,making her sit as usual. I have also done this with the veg.  i tend to give her this by hand during the day.  

Just another point,when Megan charged at me in the middle of her eating i said NO very loudley. She rushed back to her food and carried on wolfing her food. What do you think i should have done?
Once she had eaten she was ok !
jekal and hyde !

hiya
The thing with aggression problems like this you really are much better off getting behaviourist to come to your home ,advice from the internet is great ! and there are sooooo many people with years of expriance to help but with a problem like this its hard to comment with out seeing her , i think that your first port of call should be the vets to rule out any obvious causes ,then after a check he should be able to refer you to a behaviourist that can help you
its really best to nip these things in the bud so to speek as the longer shes getting away with this ,the harder its going to be for you to stop it 
i hope this helps and good luck

It might help but I have two BCs.  One had started to scrounge alot at about 7 months old.  He is fed Burns and was wolfing them down to the point that he was choking himself.  On the advice of the person I train with I upped his food and that has cured the wolfing food down.  He didnt become food aggresive at all!  He is now 9 months old and is on the same amount food as my 18 month old dog. 

Claire

Hi Claire, thanks for you input.
You have done what i have been thinking of. The amount Burns have recommended doesn"t seem much when its in the dish.
I have spoken to them about this but they say she needs no more than the amount specified in fact the say borders can do with even a smaller amount !
I feed Megan 250g over two meals she weighs 12 kg and also give her veg although i have upped the amount of veg since Burns said to increase the veg not the Burns.
She does look well but i do feel there does seem only a little in her dish ! since she has been getting more veg she has not charged at me , but this was done only on two occassions on the same day. We still have trouble every day when she hears the cats food going into their dishes.
She barks and runs to the dog gate seperating the dining room from the kitchen .She is so intimidating to the cats and they are fed on the drive way now to ease their stress levels.
We have been advised by a dog trainer to use a water pistol to stop the unwanted behaviours, a short sharp shot of water has worked in the passed when she was chewing stuff she wasn't supposed to ,carpet etc. but i think this is something slightly different and needs dealing with . .more food etc .
She has been really good generally but the charging at me the other day was a concern and thankfully this hasn't happened since. I have done what archer suggested ie putting small amounts of food into her dish and topping it up, giving her the knowledge that i am here to give her the food and not take it away.

the charging is strange,if you are feeling brave enough next time she does it dont say anything,just look away.
collies work on a lot of eye contact,
i would sprinkle the burns over the floor so shes not guarding just one area

Wow! If it were my dog, it would find out really quickly that that aggressiveness WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. I don't care if the dog is in season, has a split toe nail, has sore teeth. I don't care what the dog's problem is. I would not allow that to happen to me. Fortunately, my dogs have always figured as much and have never come anywhere remotely close to being aggressive...not a minute hint of it. Why is everyone so afraid to just say, "NO?" If you look away, walk away, ignore, do nothing...that dog is learning that it will take the upper hand and chase you away from it's food. First it's the food, then what next? That dog needs to learn his place and some manners.

Carrie

What archer has suggested is ideal.  Dogs need to believe that hands near their dish is a good thing so adding something really nice is how we got over our elder one.  He was from a large litter and had had to fight for food.  We used to give him his usual meal and then gradually add say a piece of chicken two or three times through the meal.  Now I can put my hands in and he wags his tail as he sees this as something good to happen.

I personally dont feed solely Burns.  They have Burns in the morning and then Burns with some naturediet in the evening which they seem to do really well on.  This has enabled me to add extra as and when it is needed. As I said before the younger one does get fed more than the older one at the moment.  I know some people have said on here that if you feed too much Burns it can come out the other end runny.  I have not experienced that myself but maybe someone else can throw some more light on the subject.

Claire

Hi Claire
I also gave megan naturediet with burns when she was younger 12 weeks but was advised to drop the naturediet and just feed the burns. This was at a time when i was uncertain about what to do for the best. They say nothing should be added.
She has the venison and also the lamb flavour. I had to stop giving her the chicken and rice as this was upsetting her stomach, the vet said some dogs cannot digest chicken well especially borders so i have stuck with just burns and the other flavours aswell as lots of raw veg.
 
I know meg looks well ,weight.coat etc and i would feed naturdiet again if i felt this is what she needed.
When i was younger and still at home our dogs were always fed on meat and biscuits so it seems strange that dried food is better for them.I think that is probably the root of our problem.After speaking to the vet and other peoples views over the past 3 months dried seems to be best but there are some people like yourself who mix the two. Surely there are no hard or fast rules about feeding ! i think as long as your dog is thriving well there shouldn't be any problems. You obviously know whats best for your dogs ! its still in the back of my mind to give her naturediet mixed in with burns. I'll let you know what happens. I wonder what others views are on the matter.

Hi Michelled,
Fortunately that was the only time she did this and it certainly threw me for a while trying to work out why !
Thanks for the idea about spreading the burns around the area, i will certainly try that if it happens again .
I do feel a little wary now as i put the food down. I stay focussed and tell her to sit .. say good girl etc... she is doing ok but i am on my guard for if the situation arises again. She is a lovely dog and just want to get this right while she is young.
I have been reading other peoples questions and find so many things that i can relate to . it makes you feel that you are not alone with your own problem.
Megan has always shown her like / dislike for wheels ..bikes..cars wheelchairs..pushchairs .
I have bought my husband a bike to get her to be a little more confident about wheels.
It has been useful to read what others have done to help the situation or to play it down.
thanks again for your help.
jackie  

The way I conditioned my dogs to not have a worry in the world about their food was to take something very special...a hunk of steak, liver or a chunk of cheese, something that smelled very good and would put it in their bowl while they were eating. I'd move the dish over a few feet and do it again. I'd pick it up and replace it. I'd do this about twice or thrice a week. I wouldn't do it so much that it was harrassing to them, but just a little bit sometimes. They saw that my hands meant something good. I'd sit on the floor and hand feed them some pieces of food that I'd scoop right out of their dish while they were eating out of it. I'd stroke their heads while they ate. I also made my Dobe sit and wait for a few seconds before he got to eat. (didn't do that with the others)

If you think your dog might bite you doing those things, do not only what the other poster suggested.....tossing kibbles on the floor or into the bowl (whatever that was...good idea) but also you can take a long handled serving spoon with some cottage cheese on it and make a big point of adding it to the kibble in the bowl. The dog sees that only good stuff is coming his way when you're around. That way your hand is not too close. Then when he gets use to that, try adding pieces of goodies by hand. Be careful not to give him goodies if he is growling or snapping so he doesn't feel rewarded for that. Wait till he calms, then add it.

Same idea with toys.... trade them, but do what you have to do confidently and unafraid. He should get to where he wouldn't dream of doing that sort of aggressive stuff with you. I hope things will smooth out. Good luck.

Carrie

hi jackie,the real problem with collies is that they really easily develop obbessions & phobias,even "negative " feedback can be rewarding for them,so i always try to totally ignore if possible,obvisley this is not always safe or practical. what i think you need to do is to devolop a behaviour (such as a simple bow,weave thruogh your legs,a twirl etc) that you can use to get her mind off of the wheels so its more rewarding for her to be doing something that you could control,or really get her "turned on" to a special toy that you can whip out & have a play with to divert her attention,give this toy a name so you can say"ready for billybally"-or whatever,in a really exciting voice.
with the feeding you could also try this,sit on a chair with the food in your lap(not nesscecarily in the bowl to begin with,maybe build up to that) throw a bit of food out let her cchase & get it,call her back give her abit out of your hand,throw another bit out etc etc do this a few times ,5or 6,then say something like "jackpot" then give her the rest on the floor,
i feel all this will build up your relationship again,make you very exciting & interesting & also nonthreatening.
collies are SO sensitive & mine pick up on the slightest tension,so if you are feeling even abit tense then believe me she knows it.
good luck ,believe it or not they ARE the best dogs in the world,but arent as easy as they seem!

some good ideas, thanks. i like the idea about the bowl on the knee and make it into a liitle game for a short while.
we already play the games when in the garden, shes always enthusiastic and ready to take part.
we haven't done when out walking round our local ponds where she sometimes comes across bikes etc... we will certainly start to do the game thing then. i'll keep you informed...

brill jackie,good luck! just really try to focas on her good behaviour,if she switches off or ignores you,then YOU have to be more interesting,if she finds wheels more interesting than you,then YOU need to try harder, these collies need to be "doing",& if shes looking for something "to do" on her own,like focassing on the wheels then you need to give her more to do,that you can control.
saying that wheel obsessions are very common collie obsessions because they move & rewards the herding instinct.
teach the instant down,as this could save her life one day (road/wheels/cars)

develop the games you have in the garden,with a special word, if i say "are you REEEADYYYY" to my three they are there waiting totally focassed on me

good luck!!

Jackie, What Michelle has suggested is a great idea.  As to the wheels try to get her obssessed with something else.  With my two BCs its their tennis balls.  They dont get that home and only get them when there is something to distract them such as bicyles.  Now they have got to the stage that they look for the ball as soon as something like that appears. 

Patience is the name of the game with Borders.  But they are the best and wouldnt have them any other way.

Claire

Hi michelled and claire
thanks for your reply .
we play great together in the house and garden and i do say get readyyyy 1.2.3 GO her concentration is excellent.
Also to let you know that i took her frizby on our walk today. this is a great place for dogs once you leave the pathway where bikes etc are at times. she played fantastic for all of the time whilst we were there.throwing the frizby after saying get ready 1.2.3 GO we dont usually play with it at home so i can keep this game just for when we are at this place or similar spacious places.  Has you say my game has to be more interesting than the wheels, i feel this is really true and will stick in my mind in the future.
I do find it very difficult to get her to 'down' she is pretty good at sit /stay but i know its down to patience and treats. as you say it could save her life .this i have always been aware of the wheel thing ! if you have any ideas about the 'down' just let me know.I always have her on the lead in areas that could heighten her obsession or put her back on her lead when we have had our 'walk' away from home where i have driven somewhere.

Hi Jackie

I am not sure about the down thing but you could try a whistle.  As I have two BCs I need to ensure that I have them both on recall at my fingertips so instead of an instant down I use the whistle.  It gets their attention immediately and another different blow of it will get them both to come back at the same time.  Quite easy to train along with your usual recall.  I personally found they took more notice of it than my shouting at them especially as we walk up on Dartmoor a fair bit and the wind is quite often in your face!

Claire

I bought a whistle a little while ago, she did hear it but didn"t take much notice of it.
Unfortunately the two parts of the whistle came seperated and was lost .
I must admit i havn't replaced it because i couldn't seem  to get meg to respond to it.I know i didn't use it as well as i should have and to be consistant.
i have spoken to a few people i have met while out walking their dogs and they tell me /and i can see they have mastered the skill quite well. all dogs have been alot older than megan , so experienced. I have thought about buying another one while she is young and learning.i shall have to look at a more reliable whistle that doesn't come apart. it was like an adjuster screw type so you could alter the pitch.
How old are your dogs and did you train them to a whistle yourself ? do you have a treat waiting for them when they do recall or are they just as happy witrh praise now?

with the down,its really easy,first just do it close by your legs with her bally/toy as a lure,once she goes down pat her back & say "good down" & titbit,then realease & throw her toy,then do it walking around,you have her ball ,show it to her,then when you are ready say "down",it shouldnt sound harsh at this stage,just a happy command,just deepen your voice abit. if she does it act as before,but you really need to only reward the best fastest efforts,if shes slow,just say "uh oh" or "try again" & dont reward.
then you can start throwing the ball out a short distance & downing her before she gets it,go up titbit then let her get it,once you built up the distance you dont always have to feed,just now & again to re-inforce,
good luck!

Morning Jackie

I did teach it myself thanks to the advice I received on here.  I used a Buffalo whistle.  We would just blow the whistle then call them back.  Rewarding them for it.  Then gradually started to blow the whilstle and leaving it before we called them back.  Took only about a week for them to learn it.  My BCs are 19 months and 10 months old so they are only youngsters themselves.  Probably taught the younger one at six months old and he picked it up better than the older one.  I now dont have to reward every time just now and then reinforce.  I really knew we had it when they went to chase the seagulls and I blew the whistle and they just turned tail and came back it.  It is a great feeling!

Claire