Kerrigan Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 OK, I'm not sure if this section was the best place to post this, but since I think it may have to do with more than just herding training I'll put it here. One of my dogs has developed kind of a weird fear. Kael (1.5 yrs) has been in herding training for about 8 mos. He has decided that the re-pen gate in one pasture is an evil, sheep eating monster and he wants nothing to do with it - he acts like he is scared of it. He will only get so close to it then he will run the other direction. If we bring him over to it and have him down where he should be, he freaks and runs away the minute the gate is opened. This is a larger pasture than he has worked in previously, but the gate set up is pretty much the same. There are plywood panels covering that end so that the dogs don't see the sheep for the set out. This is pretty much the same set up in the smaller pastures, arena and round pen. Why this one is bugging him, I don't know. Getting him to do a hold at the gate for a re-pen is next to impossible right now. We have showed him what is behind the gate and we have let him follow the sheep through the gate. We have had someone behind the gate give him praise and treats. He has no problem doing a pen out in the open. I thought that it was just the re-pen gate that he was afraid of, but after this last weekend I think he is afraid of certain things that makes stuff disappear. I bought a new plastic laundry hamper with a lid this last weekend - it has a lattice type design and lots of holes so you can see the clothes. He followed me into the bedroom last night and when I put clothes in the hamper and shut the lid (it didn't bang shut - I was holding on to it), he freaked out and ran from the room. I called him back in and showed him what was in the hamper, took some stuff out, put it in, then took it back out, put it in, etc. He's not totally convinced that its OK. I think he still feels that the evil hamper is eating Mom's stuff! I don't know why it is freaking him out. He saw me bring it in the house and he, along with all the dogs, checked it out thoroughly. He only seemed to have a problem with it when I put the clothes in and shut the lid. He has no problem with being in a crate or being put in a room with a shut door, he also doesn't have a problem if we put one of the other dogs in a room and shut the door leaving him out, no separation anxiety when we leave him at home. Putting things in cupboards, boxes or closets doesn't bother him. I don't know why the hamper bothers him but nothing else (that I know of). Any training ideas on how to get him over this? I plan on leaving him with my herding trainer for a month or so to see if he will get over it. My instructor has been working him and she hasn't been rough with him or given him an unfair correction. She can take him to one of the other pastures, arenas or round pen and he will re-pen. Its just this one that he seems to be convinced is eating the sheep and will eat him too. It would be kind of funny if it weren't so frustrating in regards to the herding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 I wonder if something slammed at the gate scaring him or he got stung/bit near there. My BC mix, Maggie, got scared of a few things due to coincidences like that. We just did some gradual rewarding for approaches w/ a clicker and she was over the fear in no time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerrigan Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Well, there are sheep banging around back there on and off. That's what we first thought was bothering him and it might still be it. We've showed him multiple times what was back there and brought him to investigate the gate with no sheep around. I didn't think about him getting stung though. There are bees in the pasture so its a definite possibility. The only thing is, that doesn't explain his reaction to the hamper and he's reacting the same way to it as he does to the re-pen gate in the big pasture. He acts like he thinks the re-pen gate is eating the sheep and its going to get him too. He has watched other dogs work from the outside of the pasture where he has a good side view and can see both in front of and behind the gate. He just acts like he wants to work then - I don't think he realizes the gate is the same thing that he's afraid of from that angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Freaky fears- my borderjack is terrified of box turtles. We had one in the yard a month ago and poor Riot was terrified. I finally rescued him though. Once I picked up the turtle so I can put it in the woods, Riot tried to attack it. He is a freak. And last week him and the bc pup were terrified of hawk feather. Yes I said feather... Tell me how embarrassing that is to have 2 dogs afraid of a darn feather... I have no real advice for you but I can understand the freaky fears... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy bob Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I know someone with a similar problem at that gate. In his case the dog got a big fright by a person jumping over the gate and making a lot of noise while she was working. It took a very long time for her not to worry at trials when she saw movement or heard noises in the setout or exhaust pens. I hope your dog pulls it together much faster. Good luck. muddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I think weird fears and border collies go hand in hand. My first (Starr) had fears of lawn mowers, vehicles, washing machines, briefly even the ceiling fan. Believe it or not, she actually turned out pretty normal temperament-wise by the time she was in the 2-3 year old range! I used a ball to get her through these fears. She didn't want to walk down the street because she was afraid of any cars that might come down the road. Her fear reaction was to simply jump in a ditch and collapse. She loved to play ball, so I would make her walk to the end of our dead end street to throw a ball for her. Eventually, she got so focused on getting to the end of the street that she forgot her fear. I also would tie her to a tree in my front yard around the time people would be coming home from work. I would actually leave her there to deal with it by herself. (I'd watch her from the front window in the house.) I would also tie her to a tree while I mowed the lawn leaving Duncan (her security blanket) with her for company. I'd throw the ball in the laundry room while the washing machine was running. I refused to go in there to get it for her so the only way she could get her ball was to be brave enough to go in there and get it. Maybe you could put a toy he really likes in the hamper or maybe have him spend a lot of time by the dreaded gate. I'd be really careful about working him right now on sheep while he's in a fear stage. Renee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hear is one - how do you get them over the fear of barking dogs? Yes Tempe is also afraid of barking. Let's not forget moving cars are bad, the old beagle up our street is evil, plastic bags are satan reincarnated but luckily thunder/fireworks and the such are not phasing her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrid Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 My youngest Border Collie is afraid of the big sliding door at our training building. He was standing with me when I started to close it and when it started to move and made noise he ran all the across the building and jumped into a friends lap. He is also sound sensitive about other things, but so far thunder does not freak out too badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerrigan Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Box turtles? I had to laugh at that one! Only because I could just imagine Kael thinking "Oh, no! That hard thing ate that animal! Its going to get me too - I'm outta here!" Renee ~ Just not do anything with the gate or re-pen or not work him on stock at all? I like the toy in the hamper idea, although the reason we got the hard plastic hamper with the lid was because ONE of the dogs - not sure who the culprit was - snuck into the laundry basket and ate holes in a new pair of shorts, a pair of undies, and a sock. Granted, I had treats in a plastic bag in the pocket of the shorts a few days earlier, but still - they were new shorts! I don't want him to think the hamper is too much fun - I just don't want him to panic when I put laundry in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 It's hard to say without actually knowing the dog. I've had some bc's with very dramatic fear stages at different points when they were growing up. I just worry about something going wrong while they're in that mindset and remembering it forever. I only mentioned it because you were seeing fear issues off stock as well. It's probably at the very least not the time to ask anything of him that's especially difficult on stock. Renee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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