Tess the Border Collie 

Tess's owners contacted us as they were slightly concerned about some behaviours their new puppy, Tess, was showing. Tess was a new addition to the family from a working farm in wales.

Tess had settled well into the family environment and was adapting well to the changes and the new environment. However, when Tess had objects that she got excited about or want to keep, she would grumble and snap at her owners.

First Assessment

It was found that at times Tess would get fixated on one activity and would become obsessed with the item, that when the chance of the item disappearing was possible, she would get frustrated and would perform the unwanted behaviours. Frustration control and self-control are things that we need to teach puppies. In addition, with her having a less restrictive environment, as a puppy from a working farm, she might not have experienced these situations before with people.

Treatment

We introduced some management around when Tess has objects, to ensure she doesn't practise the behaviour. We also introduced some drop behaviours for when she has items, handling work to get her used to touch and some self-control/frustration-control exercises. We also looked at her sleep schedule to ensure she doesn't get too overtired, thus not making mistakes when tired. Tess loved having these new tasks, as she is very much a foody loving to rewards!

Outcome

Tess has already progressed so much in a few weeks. There have been no more incidents around the house or objects. She is becoming a sweet girl who enjoys her garden time and playing with there other collie. She is currently having puppy classes local to her too, to help socialize and continue her learning.