Border Collie Snapping

Question
Hi, I have a Border Collie who is almost two years old.  He is neutered.  We have had him in obedience training, and he is basically a good dog.  I babysit for a 2 year old boy, and yesterday the boy was sitting in his high chair, and he tapped our dog on the nose, our dog snapped beared his teeth at him (my 13 year old saw this I was making lunch).  
He then repeated it, and snapped at the boy.  

I immediately put Tucker in a submissive position (on his back) and wanted the boy to pet him.  He tried snapping again.  I kept Tucker (my dog) on his lead the rest of the day, but was wondering if there was something else I can do, or should have done.

Thank you for any help.

Answer
Hi Colleen,

Thank you for writing to me about your Border Collie.

It is imperative that you and the boy stop tapping your dog on the nose.  This is a trigger for aggression.  The more this happens the more it will escalate and eventually you have turn your dog into an aggressive dog that may have to be put down.  I know that this is not what you want.

Additionally, it is extremely dangerous to put your dog on his back in a submissive position. This is archaic advice that had at first been suggested by the Monks of New Skete who later retracted this.  Unfortunately the retraction never received much publicity.

In a pack, a dog will go down on it's back voluntarily.  A dominant dog NEVER takes the other dogs and flips it over on it's back.  The submissive dog decides to do this on his own and hopefully the dominant dog will respond by not killing the submissive dog.  

I have known of many cases where people had their faces ripped to shreds using this method. I implore you to refrain from ever using it again.

It is also likely that your dog had no idea why you did this.

Children and dogs need to be constantly monitored. A child should never be allowed to do something to a dog that the dog doesn't like, especially if there is aggressive response involved.  This may be a dog that does not like children.  Not all dogs are child friendly.

My suggestion is to find a veterinary behavorist to work with.  Contact the nearest veterinary teaching college and ask for a referral.  Specify that you want someone who is very schooled in aggression and uses positive reinforcement.

Many good dogs go bad when people respond to them in a way that confuses the dog.  It is very important to read about dog psychology so that you do right by your dog.

Here is a reading list to get you started:


-Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

-Dogs are from Neptune by Jean Donaldson

-The Cautious Canine by Patricia B. McConnell (desensitization)
 
-Your Shy Dog: Turning Your Terrified Dog into a Terrific Pet by Deborah Wood

-Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor
 
-Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs (Getting Started) by Karen Pryor

-How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks by Ian Dunbar

-Doctor Dunbar's Good Little Dog Book by Ian Dunbar

-Dogs Never Lie About Love by Masson

-Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas

-The Other End Of The Leash by McConnell

-Natural Dog Training by Behan

-The Dog Whisperer by Owens

The Dog's Mind by Bruce Fogle

The Hidden Life Of Dogs by Thomas

-Getting In Touch With Your Dog by Linda Tellington-Jones


I wish you the best of luck.

Regards,
Shelley Davis