How do I stop my Border Collie from reacting to other dogs?
Daniela Waters
2025-06-28 10:50:32
Count answers: 13
Border collie reactivity – barking, lunging, snarling, and snapping – is a very common problem with collies. Border collies, on the whole, are not aggressive dogs, but they can very easily become overwhelmed and defensive. They are bred for working on farms, in the peace and quiet of the countryside, in close contact with their owner and a handful of other collies or farm dogs that are generally respectful of each other. Contrary to expectations, border collie puppies tend to be a bit nervous of other larger animals, especially horses, cows and, surprisingly, sheep. The first few times they encounter them they may be alarmed to see a much larger animal, that does not appear to communicate in dog language, which may cause them to hide, back. Max is a 2.5 year old, gorgeous, big border collie who came to us for help with border collie lead reactivity with other dogs. He enjoyed the company of other dogs until he was about a year old, when he started to get a series of unfriendly greetings from other dogs that he met. Aggressive behaviour generally includes growling, barking, lunging, snarling, nipping, snapping or biting.
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