About Sue Expertise I can answer questions regarding general dog care, training, collie specific questions, food and nutrition, and breeding. I will refer all immediate health questions to your local veterinarian. Questions need to contain background information on health status, training dog has received, and any information known about the dog and the question being asked.
Experience I have owned collies for over 40 years. I am an officer and active with the local collie club (conducting 2 Collie Speciality Shows a Year). Have served as an "expert" with another PetCommunity.
Education/Credentials My educational background is in animal science and medical physiology possessing three degrees.
Expert: Sue Date: 9/8/2007 Subject: getting vicous when walking
Question our puppy is 6 mouths old we didn't socializ her much.when we take her out for walks she barks and snaps at anything moving and trys to chase and round up cars . we don't know what to do and fear things may get worse help!
Answer Hello Haylii,
I do apologize for the delay in answering this as I have a horrible bout with the flu. Actually, at six months you can still socialize her gradually. Dogs vision is quite different from ours. Here is an article that will better explain about dogs vision: http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/davis2.htm
As for the rounding up cars, and obvious herding instincts...this may partially be an inherited trait. Collies are herding dogs and will herd if the chance arises. However, chasing cars or anything that moves quickly and invades their territory is a natural instinct and if this bad behavior is allowed could cause permanent unwanted results. The key here is to remove the ability to chase which means probably a choke collar and lead for a while. I once had a collie pup that loved to chase only trucks! I found that training this pup well to voice commands and body language certainly helped with this problem. You have not mentioned if you have begun training the pup but now is the time to take even a half hour break to begin making training fun for your pup. The same site I referred you to previously is one that contains a wealth of information regarding dog training. The pictures at the top of the page are the icons that will lead you to additional pages. Here is the main page: http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/dog.htm#cont
Again sorry for the delay. I hope this information will assist you with resolving the pups training problem.
Should you need further assistance, please write us again.
