k9diabetes

Sorry to hear that your border collie's behavior is worrisome. It sounds like there is an escalation in his aggressive behavior so very important to deal with it with a good, positive trainer as soon as possible. His age may have something to do with the development of the problem. Our rescued border collie came ot us at 1 year of age and started to develop worrisome aggression problems around age 2. Border collies can be very sensitive and fearful more often than people realize. If you spend any time cruising dog behavior blogs, you will find that a LOT of them were based on experiences with a border collie or border collie mix. Our dog seemed somewhat insecure when we first adopted him but not aggressive. As time went on, it started small and escalated. First it was being anxious or spinning. Then he started nipping at hands given certain triggers. Then he started lunging and snapping. We started working with a behaviorist and his case was identified as fear aggression. He had always had some worries about men and was somewhat apprehensive around my husband. And in the face of particular triggers, he was aggressive to my husband. They're such smart dogs... he wasn't afraid of the person and he wasn't afraid of the object that was a trigger for him - cell phones or other small items held in the hand. But put the trigger item in the hand of a male person and have that person being intense for any reason - whether personolity or late for work or upset about something that happened and he was frightened of that combination of things and would lunge and snap. Makes sense to me that restraining your guy was a trigger that perhaps put him over the top of already being insecure and being on guard about the coyotes. Good positive-based training worked very well for our dog. Eventually, the behaviorist recommended that we try medication with him because he had a 24/7 state of anxiety, constantly on guard for something bad to happen to him. That, layered over the work we did with him, has allowed him to make amazing progress. We are still careful with him because we don't want anyone to get hurt or for him to get into trouble, but we take him places and into situations now that I couldn't imagine taking him into before. He has matured, the medication has really helped get rid of that constant state of anxiety, and he has gained the confidence he needed to go out into the world without worrying about every little thing. Like you, we were new to border collies and we waited too long to address the problem. But it's never too late to start. Our dog is so much happier and more secure now - very heartwarming after watching him shrink back from everything - light poles, conduit boxes, balloons, overhangs. It was worth every ounce of effort. Hope you find a fantastic and very compassionate and kind behaviorist to work with. Natalie

I finally got around to some internet research once I figured out the right terms to use. There is some anecdotal information that nutritional changes can improve weak pasterns. Specifically, reducing the amount of protein and calcium in the diet. Which seems really counterintuitive to me. But Jack's meals have been fairly high in protein and have included low fat cottage cheese so it's easy enough to reduce the protein levels some and eliminate the cottage cheese and see if that helps. The only consensus seems to be that no one really knows if it's genetic or related to malnutrition/flooring/restriction of movement - maybe all of those. It seems to be a somewhat common problem in German shepherds so there's pretty strong evidence for at least partly a genetic predisposition. This guy's article is colorful... but also does a pretty good job of summing up what I could find about the subject in other places: carpal subluxation and weak pasterns I think providing some support when Jack exercises would also be worth trying... though I retain doubts about his tolerance for even a wrap. His problems are much less pronounced than the images in various articles. It is only when he runs that there is a significant drop. And there is somewhat of a paw flop to his gait when he runs. I will be following up with the vet about an orthopedic consult. There seem to be several resources available to us. Thanks for all the input!

What a great story! I guess she had been following along and knew exactly what to do! I'm glad she self-limited her activity at the dog park. Jack did too and I think we just need to recognize that he isn't up for more than that. When we first got him, we read so much about the need for exercise so it was a little confusing that he seemed to be done in such a short time. He's pretty happy if I include a car ride for mental stimulation. I don't necessarily think Jack is genius level border collie, which is probably a good thing or he would run even more circles around us than he does now. He's plenty smart but also not really interested in doing tricks or routines and is anxious about many things. When we first got him, he would spin and bite his tail and he didn't know how to ask to go out to potty. Now the only time he wants to occasionally spin is if he thinks I'm too slow delivering his dinner. And he's learned to let us know when he needs to go out for his business. About the only thing his first family did right for him was to give him up before he became totally neurotic. He's got some fear of men, especially if they have something small in their hands like keys or a cell phone. So we wonder if he might have had something like that thrown at him (my understanding is a wife got him and then the couple split up and she left Jack with the husband, who left him locked in the kitchen all day). We lost a 14.5 year old dog a few months before adopting Jack... please give Shonie a hug or whatever else she might like from me! Senior dogs are special. Natalie

Our boy's name is Jack. I do think he's a much happier dog now that he's with people who actually want him... and cater to his every need! He has some fear issues so does not go to dog parks anymore but I'm home with him all day and make sure he gets out for car rides and loping on-lead play at the park in winter and splashing retrievals in the river on-lead in summer. And sometimes for plain walks. We were shocked that he wears out so quickly and that contributed to our concerns about the pasterns. The vet has examined his feet in response to the crumpling episodes last year and does feel that there is hyperextension in the front paws. I was laughing because the vet said Jack would probably not do his forceful pounce on his squeaky toys if his legs hurt but I'm pretty sure he's OCD enough to do it even if it is uncomfortable! He's a lot of fun and is blossoming as he gets more secure. So I just want to make sure we take proper care of him and do anything that would help him be comfortable playing. Natalie

Thank you for the replies! We did do a blood panel as well and that all came out normal. His coat is glossy and very healthy looking. Like Shoshone, he was confined for many hours a day as a puppy. I don't know when they got him but I'm guessing by two months and my understanding is that he was kept in a kitchen, no idea how big, for 12-13 hours a day at some point and had basically no muscle tone or muscle development when he was rescued at nine months. The other odd thing is that he is quite large for a border collie. Taller, somewhat heavier boned and a... heavier or larger head... not sure how best to describe it. He's just not as delicate especially in the feet and head as many other border collies I have seen, including smooth coated ones. The rescue thought he might be a mix actually, because of his size, but having seen more of his breed and a DNA test that revealed no other influences and I think he's just a big border collie. He is an urban dog so is not working. So in that sense his lack of stamina is not a problem for us. In fact, it's probably fortunate for us - allows us to keep up with him! The shin boots sound interesting. Perhaps they would keep him from rubbing those bones together. So it sounds like this may just be the way he is built, either originally or as a result of lack of exercise when he was younger. Rather than an injury. In addition to pursuing the why, I am interested in whether moderate exercise could be damaging to his joints so maybe we should stay with lower impact exercise and any therapy that might help him. I appreciate any input! Natalie

We have a two-year-old smooth-coated border collie, on the large side at a trim 52 pounds, who has hyperextension particularly of his front feet. He is a rescue who got little and possibly no exercise up to about 9 months of age, when he went into rescue. We adopted him October 2008. Twice in the first few months, one of his front legs (one time each leg) folded under him abruptly. So we had very extensive x-rays of all of his leg bones and joints, which all looked really good. No dysplasia or other obvious problems. The vet feels that the ligament that runs along the back of the leg from the paw up to the carpals does not hold the foot in proper position. I took some video recently and the following still shots show the extension of his feet. In the past year, his legs have not folded under him but he has limited stamina for exercise. Twenty minutes of moderate loping and he is tired and ready to quit. He does not limp afterward but is not interested in any more exercise than that, even after a year of daily walks or trips to dog parks that have built up his physical condition. Anyone experience this with their dog? We are not sure if this is an injury or just the way he is built. The vet feels the main consequence would be arthritis from the bones that should not have contact rubbing together. We are interested in anything we can / should do or not do as a result. Natalie