Border Collies

Question
Good afternoon Lee.
I am thinking about buying a border Collie as a pet. I have done research and I've found countless warnings about the herding instinct. My parents own a border collie named sage who is very sweet and though she chases everything, she does not bite people. I want a dog like her who I can trust, but is there a way I can ensure the dog I buy wont attack a child that runs from it?

Answer
Hi, Alison,

Thanks for the question.

One of the first things is to NOT take the dog way from his littermates until he's at least 8 - 10 wks. old. He'll learn more about proper bite inhibition from his mother and brothers and sisters that way, and will be much less likely to become a problem biter.

It's also helpful to know that any border collie, or any breed of dog for that matter, may nip a child in play, particularly during puppyhoood. But I think it's important to understand the difference between nipping and real biting. It's also important not to punish the pup for his oral impulses but to always gently redirect them back into a toy. That's basically it. When he's old enough teach him to play tug and fetch, always let him win at tug, and always praise him enthusiastically for winning. (Wait till his adult teeth come in before really playing hard with him, though.)

The truth is puppies need to explore the world through their teeth. And the more a dog gets a chance to do that, to use his teeth as a pup in a socially appropriate context, the less likely he'll be to ever bite anyone when he becomes an adult.

Here are some links:

http://www.tiny.cc/StopPuppyBites

http://www.tiny.cc/tug

Best of luck,

LCK