Border Collie

[Robert 324]

I have a 18 month old grandson and my border collie is very wary of him. He will walk all round the room to avoid him or will complete a standstill until my grandson has been moved out of his way.Should i be worried.

[ganesh]

i was thinking of getting a border collie and so I have been watching all questions and answers relating to them. I think they are lovely intelligent dogs but it seems they can be a bit sensitive and highly-strung and can act a bit weird if they don't get loads of excercise. Seems that lots of people have problems with them.
I'm no expert but it sounds like a dominance thing between the dog and the child who is at the age when he's capable of mucking around with the dog and it might be seen like a threat. I expect the dog is a bit jealous and only you know your dog,but he's obviously just giving him a wide berth,sounds like the right thing to do.
If the dog is normally friendly and reliable I wouldn't be worried,just keep an eye on them when they're together.

[kita1]

I would take your collie out of the way when your grandson is around. When I was a kid my auntie used to have a collie and whenever we visited she put the dog away in another room.

Your dog is obviously showing that he is uncomfortable around your grandson (at that age kids do not understand and are fascinated with dogs), I would not let them be around each other much more unless under VERY close supervision. The dog has only one other way of saying he is not happy, if he cannot get away what choice are you leaving him but to use his teeth?

I put my dog in my bedroom upstairs when I had a granddaughter visit, the little minx found that if she rattled the dogs lead then the dog would come to the top of the stairs!! She tries to get near the dog at every oportunity, so SHE has to be watched at all times - I trust my dog totally, but I NEVER trust children.

Please don't test your dog anymore, he has shown you he is not happy and if the child falls on him or torments him like I say the dog will use his teeth - it is his last defence. Then you will be left with one option and your grandson will probably be scarred for life. It really is not worth it.

Please put your dog somewhere that he can snooze happily when you have a visit from your grandson, then everyone can relax and enjoy the visit.

[Andyvon]

Your grandson is obviously in great danger from being attacked. Try to look at the whole situation from the dog's point of view. Dogs do not regard themselves as pets for humans. All dog's live in a pack and they have a 'pack outlook' on life. The collie regards iself as a member of the pack that includes you and whoever else is in your house. The collie knows its position in your pack - usually subordinate to you - and it is secure with that.
However, anybody entering your pack territory is an outsider and the collie sees them as a possible threat to the security of itself or your pack. It doesn't matter if you regard the outsiders as your daughter or grandchildren - the dog sees them as members of other packs and a possible threat. Your collie is already showing you that it regards your grandson in particular as a real threat to itself or to you. It won't be long before it decides that it has had enough of the threat and has to attack to get rid of it.
I would advise that you do not leave your grandson alone with the dog. Remember, try to look at the situation as the dog. It doesn't regard your visitors as cute and cuddly as you do - it currently feels that its own pack security is being very threatened.
There may also be that fact that the dog has been hurt or abused by children in the past and remembers that.

[RATTER15]

Keep the dog away from him, I wouldn't trust a Border Collie any further than I could throw one!! great dogs for working but they do need that work!!

[lankeela]

Sounds like he is trying to 'round him up' like he would do with sheep, but the problem is all sheep work is based on the dog really wanting to run in an nip them. Take great care when the child is around, as you may not know whether it has already done something to the dog without your knowledge.

As the dog is obviously uncomfortable when the child is around, I would take the warning and keep them apart.

[ganesh]

Yes,from all the answers I got ,it confirmed to me that I shouldn't choose this breed although I know a couple of nice ones. (and many people say I wouldn't choose any other breed). I need a dog that is very reliable with kids and cats and Roberts question shows up yet another difficulty with collies. My Golden Retriever was so affectionate with my kids and other kids,but even she growled a couple of times when she'd been pulled about a bit too much by toddlers.It's a shame though with your grandson,Robert ,because he'll soon be saying that he wants to play with the doggy and you won't be able to let him.And won't the dog be even more jealous if you put him away whenever the child is there?
Still, I suppose you can't afford to risk it,what do his parents say about it?

[Bellringer]

Ganesh. I would recomend a Springer spaniel bitch. I've never known a nasty one yet, but be prepared to give it loads of exercise, you can never tire them out.

[ganesh]

Thanks but I seem to have hijacked the question,sorry Robert I didn't mean to but yes Bellringer,they're definately on my short-list but they seem a bit hyper-active sometimes-I love their waggy tails!!

[manxbiker]

I have had two Border Collies and they are very inteligent dogs I shouldnt worry to much about it it is just that the collie is not used to your Grandson yet just give the Collie a bit of time and it will soon get used to your Grandson and they will probally turn out to be unsepratable
Hope this is of help to you