Temperament Theory

BOLD STORY: Mac is a big bold guy I first met when he was about seven months old. His owner brought him for an evaluation because he was driving her and her family straight up a wall. He was so focused on his own agenda that just about the first thing I did with him was a simple test to rule out deafness. He wasn't deaf, he just didn't figure that people had anything pertinent to say! Basically, I gave him over to Moss and Bessie to train. They taught him to listen to his elders and to respect female Border Collies' possessions. Then we gave him some jobs to do at home. After a few months, he was turning out to be a nicely dignified pack leader type. And then his owner fell in love with a little shy gal I had here in rescue named Nellie. I let Mac and his owner foster Nellie so we could see how everyone got along. They came over for a visit two weeks later and I couldn't believe the difference in Mac. Having Nellie to take care of turned him into the Border Collie version of the Lion King.

THRILL: Perfect accomplishment of a task or goal.

ANXIETY: Losing control. Responsibility anxiety, which is an anxiety shown when the people or animals this dog has taken into his/her pack leave the area of his/her control.

BOLD
Approaches new situations with a sense of certainty, eagerness, and fearlessness.

BOLD/WARY
A dog who goes towards a new situation (action) and expects the situation
to contain danger (feeling).

BOLD/UPBEAT
A dog who goes towards a new situation (action) and expects the situation
to be a positive experience (feeling).

SHADOW
Shy. Will over-react to a fearful situation.

SHADOW STORY: Moss threw himself under the chairs at an obedience class. I finally figured out he had a problem with a man there who had a brown beard. I took Moss around guys with beards and asked them to be nice to my dog. I started out with guys with gray beards because that didn't bother him. With lots of tiny positive practice sessions, Moss completely got over his brown beard mania. Later, I met his breeder's son, who had a brown beard. He must have inadvertently teased the pups in some way that left a shadow reaction in Moss.

Val Maurer's Moss. Photo by Rena Stevens

TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS: Dog Logic: Companion Obedience by Joel McMains. Learning to herd is vital to a Bold's maturity and growth. A Bold constantly desires to learn new things, but needs to go through the awkward stage of learning away from pack members. Does not appreciate looking awkward or foolish in front of anyone or anything s/he is responsible for. Needs an hour of quiet time after learning something new. Needs time away from his/her responsibilities to be with the main human partner. Needs time in a safe place to get deep sleep as they do not sleep well while guarding the pack members' slumber. See also Herding Behaviors.

TRAINING EQUIPMENT: Small or fine pinch collar. Twenty-foot lead. Training stick (aka power stick). Clear body and verbal language from human partner. An e-collar for any dangerous habits.

CLICKER TRAINING: This is not the sort of dog for whom a clicker should be a primary tool. However, it can be useful in certain situations -- to teach advanced exercises or very complicated tricks, for example. And this application is especially useful if the dog has to be kept physically quiet for some reason, such as an injury. Lisa taught her Bold dog Oliver to use a child's Busy Box while he was on extended crate rest due to a serious shoulder injury. Giving Ollie something mental to do kept him quieter and more content with his lot than if he had had all of his outlets shut off.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Quiet respect for jobs well-done. Small rewards for huge accomplishments; this type of dog loses respect for people who give them high-pitched, loud verbal praise. Compromise between what the dog desires and what you desire. If you've raised this dog to be a good pack leader, learn to respect this dog's opinion when it differs from yours.

PROBLEM PREVENTIONS: Jobs. Create or encourage lots of jobs for a Bold to concentrate on. Expect perfection from an adult Bold for all serious tasks this dog undertakes.

AGGRESSION: A teaching-type of aggression. When all else fails, a Bold will use aggression to teach manners to any creature s/he feels responsible for. A Bold will also fight to protect all pack members.

HUG: Lots of hug therapy during puppy-hood and the teen stage. No hug therapy, especially the part about lifting the dog off the ground or exposing the belly when s/he reaches adulthood. If the dog initiates hug therapy, respond positively to this bonding request.

DRUG: Extremely Bold dogs with little attachment to humans are put on high doses of Fort Dodge brand Acepromazine during the first two weeks of working with them. This is not to calm the dog, but to slow down the dog's reactions, making this dog safer to work with while we're giving him opportunities to get attached to people.

CAREER CHOICES: Any job where action, responsibility, and problem-solving are involved, such as careers as farm dogs, teaching rescued dogs their manners, and pack leaders.

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BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS: A TEMPERAMENT THEORY Bold Dogs

by Val Maurer

BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS:
A TEMPERAMENT THEORY
Bold Dogs