Mayor_McCheese Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 I was wondering if Regular Collies have a tendency to use the same stare that Border Collies use when herding. I have a Collie mix that stares at our other dog but then bites and attacks her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 A straight-forward "hard-eyed" stare in many/most dog breeds is generally an aggressive action, which probably explains why it precedes your collie's attacking and biting your other dog. It sounds like you need to see the aggression coming (when the staring begins or when a situation makes it probable) and redirect your collie's attention to something else (yourself, a toy, a desireable behavior) BEFORE the aggressive behavior (stare) continues and erupts into an attack. The sooner you can avert the behavior, the better it will be. Just by the way of clarification, what are the ages of your two dogs and what is the breed of the second dog? My previous comments were assuming both dogs are adults. Just my opinion, and best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayor_McCheese Posted July 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Great tip, thanks I have been trying to do this with a snap of my fingers or a little noise to divert her attention. I am finding that doing this is a full time job. I'm wondering if this will stop her from going after our other dog. Our other dog won't move from the couch. The dog doing the attacking is a Mixed collie, shes spayed and 9 months old The othe dog is a terrier mix (pictured in my avatar) she is 6 years old and spayed. She is very submissive and very docile. Currently she will not come in the house or walk around the house unless she knows for certain that the other dog is not around. She is also smaller than our Collie and hasn't been socialized very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 It sounds to me like the young collie has correctly summed up the older terrier's inability to stand up for herself and is now simply a terrorizing bully to the older dog. I am not a behaviorist but it does sound to me like you need to be pro-active and stand up for the older dog by doing more than just letting the youngster know that you disapprove of her behavior. Since her unacceptable actions are not resulting in any significant punishment or deterrent, she has learned that there is no negative consequence to her bullying behavior. Perhaps you need to confine the young dog for some periods of the day, if nothing else than to give the older dog some freedom to roam the house and feel free of fear. Make sure that your diversions are not a form of reward for this unacceptable behavior by offering her positive attention for her "bad" behavior. I am a fan of positive training but it sounds to me like some adversives are called for here - in other words, consequences for these actions that are negative. I hope someone with better understanding and knowledge of aggression issues will chime in on this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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