Help! I recently adopted two rescue dogs sight unseen: a young male chow/shepherd mix and a 10 month old border collie. Due to the vast variation of border collie physical traits, I failed to realize at the start that she indeed is a border collie. Since then, I've been able to explain all her wierd behavior as endemic to the breed - particularly to the females thereof. Problem is now: HOW TO TRAIN HER??? She refuses to yield dominance to the male, who is constantly trying to force her to submit. Part of their roughhousing is puppy behavior; part an attempt to establish dominence. She frequently leaves "accidents" inside the house, pulls incessantly on the leash (making walks a nightmare) and goes into a frenzy when she sees other dogs. How can we establish a peaceable kingdom with all this going on????
I have 2 border collie mixes and I just LOVE the breed!
While they are very intelligent (some people say they are the smartest breed of all) they can be very annoying when they are not given works and not challenged both physically and mentally enough. That is why many border collies end up at shelters.
Do you think if your border collie is being well challenged? Don't think she is being well occupied and entertained because you have another dog. Border collies are working (herding) dogs so they need more interaction with people (YOU) ranther than other dogs. Once you establish a strong bond with her, she will be the most wonderful companion.
I am a strong believer that the relationship between you and each of your dogs should be much more important than one between dogs when you have multiple dogs. For example, my 3 dogs are good buddies and playmates one another but each of them is more attached to me than one another, going beyond the species (human and dog).
I am taking them for walk, sometimes 2 at a time but 3 is almost impossible. Whenever I have spare time, I would take one at the time (so 3 walks) to have one-on-one close time with each of my beloved dogs. I take each dog for separate training classes. I take one dog for errands, etc. It is very time-consuming but it is the best way to establish a close relationship.
What I would like to recommend is to enroll her to an obedience class. She would love going out with you, and she would love the mental challenges. You will see the difference within a few weeks. Don't forget to keep working on her at home too. Once she learns to be obedient, it will be fun to try agility, fetching, flyballs, etc. with her!
Don't worry about which one is the top dog. They will figure out or you can sort them out once you establish your position as the leader for each of your dogs.
