Training a sheepdog isn’t always as straightforward as you’d think. When is a lack of confidence a more serious mental issue? And can a nervous collie be trained for work?
Nervous sheepdog Nell is a work in progress. She’s been here for four weeks now. She is desperate to work and showing power with sheep, but she’s quite terrified of strangers and new surroundings.
Warning signs
When she first came to us she showed all the usual signs of a very nervous dog. She was pulling back on her lead. Then (if she had no other choice) she would shoot through a gap as though the very devil were after her. Of course, these actions in themselves can compound the dog’s fear. Especially when it shoots through the gap so fast that it swings by its neck as it reaches the end of the lead.
When I first saw her I suspected that poor Nell’s nervousness meant she’d spent a great deal of time being extremely bored. The scabs and lack of fur on the end of her tail (caused by chewing) were testament to that. After she’d been here for a few hours we noticed an even more worrying habit. Her previous owner hadn’t mentioned Nell’s habit of walking around in anti-clockwise circles when she’s bored or stressed.
We give Nell something else to think about
Fortunately, keeping Nell occupied with regular training on sheep, housing her in a pen alongside other dogs, and taking her out for regular runs with everybody has reduced the circling considerably. At first, we couldn’t let Nell run free with the other dogs because she’d run off to the sheep. So, when we took all the dogs out for their twice-daily run, we put Nell on a rope and attached it to the branch of a tree. This allowed her to move around without getting tangled or wrapping the rope around the tree trunk. Then we’d play with the dogs close-by, in the hope that Nell would take an interest.
A slow start
At first, Nell just lay down and looked dejected. Sometimes the younger members of the pack would pester her by playing tug with the rope, but Nell showed no interest. After a few days, though, much retrieving of frisbees and balls caught Nell’s attention. The accompanying excitement shown by the other dogs attracted her, and she started to socialise with them a little. We found that if we attached her to the rope, but left the other end free, Nell stayed around reasonably well. At first, she kept her distance and observed. But occasionally, she’d come closer to the others for a while before retiring to a “safe” distance again.
Occasionally we had to retrieve her from the fence between the main part of the field and the paddock where the sheep are. Fortunately, she didn’t jump over the fence so she couldn’t chase the sheep. But she’d run up and down the fence and wouldn’t come back if we called her. It was a bit tiresome but, eventually, she wandered off less frequently. She even began to come back when we called her.
Signs of progress…at last!
At last, we feel we’re making progress. Nell’s much more obedient. She will actually come to Gill for attention when they’re in the field or the yard and will even jump up to her. However, (possibly because I’m male), she won’t come up to me yet. She clearly wants to though. She comes to within a metre but no touching yet! It’s just a matter of time and patience. The best way to get a nervous dog to come to you is to ignore it, so that’s the stage Nell and I are at just at the moment.
Her sheep work is improving rapidly. At first, Nell was aggressive with the sheep and refused to go clockwise. She used her anticlockwise flanks as a form of distraction by going absurdly wide and refusing to stop. This meant she completely lost control of the sheep on occasions. However, regular training has improved her no end. The aggression is all but gone and, although she still doesn’t like going clockwise, she will do it. The anticlockwise flanks are becoming more sensible too. Nell’s stopped biting her tail and the scabs have healed. Occasionally she’ll circle when it’s close to the time we take the dogs out. But it’s nothing much, and she’ll stop if we tell her to.
A foundation to build on
Even though she won’t come to me in the field, I feel there’s mutual trust building between us. Now that she’s no longer on a rope when she goes out into the field with the other dogs, Nell will sometimes wander up to the sheep paddock and have a look at them. But she can be trusted to come back on her own, and usually comes straight away when called. Progress indeed! Soon she’ll make a really good sheepdog, for the right owner.
For more information about training and working with a shy or nervous Border collie sheepdog, see our tutorials: Calm But Firm; Starting a Reluctant Dog; Starting a Non-Starter.
BORDER COLLIE SHEEPDOGS & FRIENDS – STILL OFF DUTY! (DVD)
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