Dog started chasing flying birds...invisible fencing?

[Stuel]

Has anyone found a way to stop a dog...ours is a Border Collie, from chasing flying birds?

He is seven months old and just started doing it last week. How incredibly scary...nothing distracts him when he does it and he only focuses on the bird.

Our solution has been to keep him tied up.

Has anyone had luck with the invisible fencing?

Thanks.

[ginger899]

So true.
I know a Border Collie very well. They are by nature "working dogs" and ought not to be underestimated. They are indefatigable and very intelligent. No-one should own a Border Collie who isn't a dyed-in-the-wool outdoors person, capable of walking miles each day, or giving a heck of a lot of their time and energy -sometimes even to the point of  tiredness- to give their dog what it needs. That is -to run for miles, to play and fetch and chase, and burn that brilliant energy.
Agility classes is a good thing to do with these dogs. Also anything that will provide physical and mental stimulation.
A good strenuous game of frisbee for at least an hour is a good thing. But you had better be prepared to do this at least twice a day. Preferably more.

[ZMama07]

This is pure instinct.  It is in their DNA.  Border Collies are bred to work.  They require a lot of mental and physical stimulation.  MORE THAN ANY OTHER BREED!  This makes them very difficult to own in a residential setting.  If they cannot act on their need to work and run they will pick up a lot of undesirable habits like destroying things, barking and chasing.  They get great emotional pleasure from the thrill of the chase.   The emotional reward that is triggered in their brain for chasing is greater than any treat you can offer or any punishment you can inflict.  You can however train them to focus this energy on something else.  You could train them to retrieve.  You would have to start inside without any distractions.  Always end the game before he gets bored and always keep the toy out of reach when not playing the game.  Use a trigger word like “toy”.  As time goes on slowly introduce distractions during the game (don’t start with birds but maybe other dogs or kids).  With enough consistent hard work sooner or later the toy will take on a greater value than the birds.   You will be able to say toy when he is chasing birds and he will stop and come to play because he knows he has received a greater emotional reward from this game so the birds will be less important.
Also, long walks with a weighted dog vest can wear some of he energy out of them quicker and gives them the metal satisfaction of feeling like they are working.
Another must are treat despencing toys.  Border Collies are the smartest of all dog breeds.  These types of toys are metally stimulating and provide a great emotional reward for your dog.
Advanced training classes and agility training/compititions are also a great outlet for these dogs and they create unmached bonding oppertunities their owners!
Now regarding the fence… I am not a big fan of invisible fences… especially for dogs prone to chasing… Once they are fixed on something it is hard to stop them and once they run through the fence in their adrenaline fueled craze it only zaps them for so long then stops.  They are very smart.  It only takes once for them to figure out this great little secret and then it’s impossible to stop them from taking advantage of it.  Not having the adrenaline of chasing something to help run back through the shock they will be essentially locked out.  Another reason being, an invisible fence does not keep other dogs out!  This can be very dangerous.   My Aunt went through about 5 brands of invisible fences because her jack Russell would just hop the existing fence and sprint far away from the invisible one until the collar stopped shocking him.  Sometimes he’d be gone for days because he couldn’t return to the yard.  They received numerous tickets, complaints, and even had to pay for damages to a resident’s eaves trough because he ripped it off the house chasing chipmunks. lol  They ended up finding one that was well above the rest.  I wish I could remember the brand but I cannot.  So if you do go the route of the invisible fence Id make sure to do a lot of research on the different brands and their strength and distances.  I also know that you can make barriers around objects like trees if you are scared of him running into one while chasing bird… so this could be a benefit too.  
Good Luck!!!

[Jaybay]

I had a mixed breed (about a Heinz 157!) who did the same thing.  Whe he never, EVER ran into anything I don't know.  He'd tear around the yard and along the pool deck with his snout pointed straight up and never once fell in the pool, tripped or collided with a thing.  It was always the flocks of swifts and swallows high in the air that got him going.  He was beautiful to behold when he got into chase mode as he had perfect balance - much like a dressage horse - and would do one-beat flying lead changes while trying to decide which direction to head into next.  

You might try redirecting this behavior to something more acceptable.  Our bird chaser would usually go for playing "soccer" with a basketball.  We used a basketball because he couldn't puncture it as easily as a soccer ball.  Playing soccer puts the herding instinct to good use and also provides a great opportunity for him to play alone, or even better, with his humans.  Some dogs have a natural aptitude for using their snouts to push the ball - maybe yours has undiscovered talents as well.  :-)

In any case, these high-energy breeds need a "job" to keep them mentally as well as physically challenged.  Think along the lines of what it takes to keep a toddler safely challenged and occupied and you'll have a good idea of what your dog needs.  Even regular walks twice a day can help keep him worn out enough to mostly ignore the birds.  Never forget: a tired dog is a good dog.  :-)

[skydnsr]

I think you are right to at least consider alternative placement as an option.  Your dog is still young enough that it should be fairly easy to find him a good home.  Later on, it will be harder.  Puppies always have a lot of appeal, but the older they get, the harder it tends to be to place them, and the more you tend to have to compromise on who you give them to.  

A good home for a border collie could as easily be in the city as in the country, though.  Active breeds that like to work -- and a lot of border collies actually NEED to work -- will usually do well with anyone that will spend a lot of time and training on them.  They don't necessarily need room to run, as long as their minds are kept active and they get to spend lots of hours of the day in companionship with their owner.  

I'm on my second Aussie and have enjoyed them very much, even though I live in town and have never been able to let them work livestock.  But my dogs live in the house with me, I obedience train them, and I take them everywhere I go.  (I have only had one at a time, so I don't really mean "them," as far as that goes.  I'm a serial monogamist with my dogs.)  I believe my two herding dogs have been as happy with me as I have been with them.  But I don't think they would have been happy living tied up in the back yard.  

For more info about living with a border collie, you might try any of the books by Jon Katz.  He started out with Labs and ended up with border collies, and it was a bit of a rocky transition.  Reading something by him might help you make your decision.  Border collies are pretty and smart, but they aren't for everybody.  They make very challenging pets.  

And don't feel bad if you end up placing your boy elsewhere -- as long as it is a good home, where you believe in your heart that he will be happy.  It is possible that, in the big scheme of things, your home was just a waystation along the path to where he very was supposed to be, all along.  Maybe a local rescue organization can help you, if you decide to go the route of placing him.  

The things that I think you would need to do, in order to keep the dog make this situation work, would be to fence your yard and to spend lots of time with him.  If he is not going to be a working stockdog, he needs to be part of the family.

Good luck, and thanks for writing in.

[veryworriedmomdad]

Good luck!!  Our sheltie likes to chase cars!!!  Not a good combination!  He has gotten better over time (lots of time).  He finally listens to his name.  Also, if he listens right away, I reward him with a treat!  He even hears the word "treat" and his attention is easily diverted.  

On skydsnr comment about electric fencing- she's right on- our 2nd sheltie would run right through, get shocked and then sit on the other side until you took her collar off.  That way she knew the coast was clear!  They are not stupid!

Also age, time and maybe behavior training classes will help.  

Good luck!
Patty- veryworriedmomdad

[Stuel]

Thanks for replying. At lest your dog stays in your yard...I could handle that. Ours goes as far as he can when he chases the bird, across a busy highway. Very scary to watch. He does not listen at all when trying to call him back.

[Stuel]

Thank you for replying.

Interesting to know that some dogs go thru the shock but won't return thru it... and his age is when his herding instinct kicks in.  Yikes, it's in their DNA sounds so defeating, but it's also the truth. He has been more than a handful when I compare him to my other dogs. I hate to give up but maybe a farm would be a better home for him.

[Stuel]

Thank you for your reply. Keeping him busy is certainly good common sense!

This is my forth dog and believe me, until you have one with as much energy as this one has, you have no idea how different they are from the ones who are calm! It's been a learning experience. :)

[auntiemissa]

im not familiar with this breed but maybe try to keep her VERY busy with walks,training classes etc. just reading about "puppy behavior" in general(i just got a puupy) im finding that by keeping them busy etc will break bad habits. if herding is an instinct im not about that one!

[skydnsr]

P.S.  Adolescence -- six months to a year or so -- is when the herding instinct starts to really kick in for a lot of the herding-breed dogs.  Your dog is right at that age.  I don't know any way to train it out of them, because it's in their DNA.  It's what they do.

[skydnsr]

I have an australian shepherd that will do the same thing.  

Invisible fencing might or might not work.  Some dogs that are highly motivated (and doesn't that describe a border collie that is chasing something?) will run right through the shock, but then they won't run back through it again to return to their yard.  

[lindapalm]

I have a part border collie, and she does the same thing.  A couple of years ago she was looking up chasing the birds, and slammed into a tree.  We had to take her to the vet for a mild concussion.  She is older now and doesn't do it as often, but still does.  Luckily she stays in our yard when she does it.  The fencing sounds like a good idea if it will work.  Good Luck