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Hello, My boy is two and a half years old. He was rescued from a shelter at 5 months and I have no back story on his life before we got him. He is a very friendly dog, loves people and other dogs, completely housebroken, doesn't bark too much. He knows sit, lay down, stay, come (although not reliable and he is NOT off leash), but I am really struggling to train him anything new. Every time I put him in a sit to try something he just lays down and gives up instead of trying to do what I'm asking (even with a treat lure). Sometimes he even gets a weird vibe and just leaves the room and goes and lays down (even if I have treats out). We have never used physical punishment, never yell at him, nothing like that but he is so timid with us. He is pretty noise phobic about sneezes and raised voices (even if never directed at him) and the typical dog stuff like thunderstorms and fireworks. I just want him to trust me and feel confident that I have his best interests in mind. I'd love to get him into agility or herding but without being able to train him/keep his attention I don't know how that would be possible. Anyone out there with a shy BC? How did you build trust and confidence?

Laddie (my border collie) is 2-3 years old and is very energetic. She is friendly and has a big heart, but we have been facing a few problems on our hour-long walks lately and I just wanted some advice on how to lower her aggression levels and how to over-all create a better atmosphere for the walk. I try to take her out as much as I can. It is mostly everyday, but sometimes it is eroded to every other day. I do not have time to take her out in the mornings. That is absolute. I have tried the treadmill, but Laddie did not seem pleased with the idea, so that was scratched. I am usually out of the house for most of the day, and I get back at around 4:00. I immediately take Laddie, out, and for about 10-15 minutes I ride my bike around my large yard, with her following and running along beside. I do this so that on the walk she is tired and spent of any energy, but that does not work. Still, I start off with that, then when she seems tired I hook on her leash and doggy backpack filled with weighted knickknacks. We start our hour-long walk, but when we start getting into a rhythm Laddie plows ahead of me. I reign her back and keep the leash about a foot long so that she stays beside me (I have had blisters from this part because the leash is so taut it slices my fingers). It's hard to hold her back, and I try to keep my energy calm-assertive, but she seems oblivious to my inner struggle for control. Apart from pulling, Laddie is aggressive with other dogs on-leash. Off-leash she is okay, not overly friendly but not aggressive. When we are on our walk, however, she goes into attack mode. When a dog comes into view, I tug her to the other side of the road, so they are not walking towards eachother. But Laddie has her gaze set on the other dogs, and her hackles and shoulder-fur start to rise. Nervous at this point, I try and snap her out of whatever trance she is in- gently nudge her, click my tongue, call her name, clap my fingers, poke her ear, touch her hackles, whatever I can think of. I have even held a treat out in front of her, but usually she just ignores it and stares at the other dog, her muzzle going crinkly as she bares her teeth. Then when the other owner and dog are close enough, she goes into a flurry of barking and lunging and growling. She tugs so hard on the leash that when I pull her back, it makes her stand on her two back legs. At this point, I am thoroughly embarrassed and try and walk her forward, but she refuses to budge as she portrays aggressive behavior toward the other dog (One time, she was so excited that she accidentally tripped me). When the owner and dog walk quickly away, I am thoroughly irritated and hurry to finish the walk, and this whole process repeats over again. Advice on how to correct this aggressive behavior would be appreciated. Thank you!