BC Crazy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) Hi Everyone, Sorry but have another question regarding Stella. If she hears a lawn mower/ whipper snipper/ out board motor being used or even about to start she goes absolutely crazy. Barking & growling. Trying to chase & bite it. Doesn't matter if she is on lead or not, same response. I have tries to distract her with food or her favourite toy but she goes from zero to 100 in half a second. She is oblivious to me & anything else apart from the mower. As soon as it stops or we are lucky enough to make it past say the person mowing we are fine again. Very frustrating I'm sick of trying to avoid them & I want to be able to take her out on our boat next month on holidays. She would probably drown us ATM on the water with her commotion. Has anyone else had issues like this? Any help or advice would be very appreciated. Edited October 26, 2011 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Yep my dogs go into a frenzie when I start the lawn mower, ride on, or whipper snipper. Luckily once the machine is started they all go and chill out and 10 seconds after starting you would never know anything had happened. At this stage I leave them locked inside and mum lets them out once I have pulled the cord. I still don;t know what it is that pushes their buttons - ? the noise, its not the movement as the machine is usually still stationery, and I can't even say its the action of pulling the cord as the ride on is key started. Sorry but have no suggestions what you can try - but will pass on my invitation to come for a boat ride ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 My youngest goes crazy at the hedge trimmer ... I have to lock him away while it is running as he tends to jump up at it. As a puppy he cut 3 toes by jumping up while I was trimming the hedge. We do lock them in the other side of the yard when we are mowing and using the whipper snipper (for safety) but they have no reaction to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Yes, sure you don't want to come for a spin on the water My other boy goes off as they are about to start but then he is fine but my girl gets to a level that last alot longer. I don't know if it is the noise or the movement either. It is doing my head in. Before I even head out on our daily walk I'm all ears for anything that remotely sounds like a mower e.t.c. which isn't good cause I don't want to pass my anxiety on to her & make matters worse if that is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 How is your girl with cars starting or driving past? and if you separate your boy and your girl does it make a difference to how they react? I know with my kids its one or two initally reacting that send the others into a frenzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 How is your girl with cars starting or driving past? and if you separate your boy and your girl does it make a difference to how they react? I know with my kids its one or two initally reacting that send the others into a frenzie She has a glance if loud cars/bikes go by as we are out walking but it is just a glance though, no barking or chasing. I haven't separated them to see if that has any bearing on her behaviour, interesting idea Ptolomy. I am going to try that one out of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasha Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Every dog I have had here does exactly the same thing. They are all Border Collies and Kelpies. Any starting of any machinery sets thenm off. Whipper snippers, mowers, chainsaws, water pump. No reaction from cars, trucks. Mainly the cord pulling but also the key start mowers. They usually bark in real close to it, then redirect it on the horses so they then race off to the horse and try to bit them on the legs and nose, then about 15 seconds later, all over and they go sit down. Its just the starting thing. Someone once told me a lot of working dogs do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 My border collies just run straight to the horse paddock A couple of my baby ponies used to run around when I mowed the garden so the dogs would have fun running up and down the fence line. Last pony here was an old broody and she would just look at the dogs like they were nuts. Even with no horses the silly dogs run and look at the paddock in a hopeful manner. After that they go and hide somewhere. I had one border that went mental at air compressors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) At home it doesn't bother me as much, just out them inside but when I am walking them & someone starts a mower it is shear Kaos. Both of them lunging at it trying to bite it, barking & growling, going completely nuts. If the mower is turned off. Silence!! Like 'Ho hum' look up at me, "well were done, lets go" . It drives me nuts. There has to be some way I can condition them not to react but when it is happening all they see/hear is the mower So it is a working dog thing I hear. I thought I was the only one with mower rage. Edited October 25, 2011 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 It's been a boy thing at my place - and Rory wants to grab the wheels when I start the mower (my previous BC boy did the same - and I think the first BC boy, and the KelpiexBC girl woiuld do it too). I used to put them away in the house, but now Rory is pretty good about getting out of it when I tell him - once he's about a metre away from the wheels, I start mowing, and then he just chills and hangs rouind watching. Kirra couldn't care less - she's not a huge fn of the noise, so she usually watches from a distance. Rory will do the same at friends' places if there's a mower being started, but again, I can stop him pretty quickly now. And he has occasional thoughts about attacking noisy trucks on the road when we're walking - but he's not the confirmed wannabe car chaser that Kirra is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Now I think back pretty much all of BC's have done it too. Both girls & boys though, but not on lead like these 2 buggers do & yes it's at the wheels with my boy. Even when I move the wheely bin he tries to bite the wheels on that. URRRR. !!! Edited October 25, 2011 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Can you get to K9 Pro? It might be quicker to get him to help you. I imagine he could get it sorted pretty quickly. Edited October 25, 2011 by JulesP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigsaw Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 What're they like if the mower is not turned on but moving? Counter conditioning and giving them an alternate behaviour to do can usually help, building up distance. I'd work each separately initially. Not sure how you're going to go with the boat as you've got boat movement as well. Just make sure you've got a life jacket on your dog, just in case! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 My kelpie cross foster did this at first, with the mower (all dogs are put away when i have the whippersnipper or brushcutter out , for safety) but after she worked out that whenever she went apeshit at the mower she was sent to her pen and locked in she stopped doing it and now ignores it all together. If you don't have a pen and he gets out of the house then perhaps you could try tethering him? Off topic slightly but - one of my pugs used to loyally traipse after me when I was mowing and always looked like she had green socks on mowing day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Dont have it here with the Malinois, both are working line prey maniacs. Considering the extreme safety risk of a dog self rewarding its prey drive or (as some have seen) the danger of redirection they all get taught these items are NEVER a prey item. If it means a correctino they get one for showing any interest. They're in the yard when I do the garden and they just meander off and do their own thing. I have to get the dogue up otherwise he wont move for the mower If you can get a hold of a good trainer for a session it would be a great idea then you can transfer it over to other items they go bananas at. Basically it will come down to shutting down drive on unwanted items and then showing the dog what is acceptable items to show prey towards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Yes JulesP, Nekhbet ,that was going to be my next move. I can't get to visit Steve at K9 Pro but I had in mind to get some help from him via Internet. Hope he isn't to busy. He has helped my out once before with Stella when I had an issue with her when she was little & was fantastic so I will let you know hopefully we will make progress in time. Edited October 26, 2011 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 What're they like if the mower is not turned on but moving? Counter conditioning and giving them an alternate behaviour to do can usually help, building up distance. I'd work each separately initially. Not sure how you're going to go with the boat as you've got boat movement as well. Just make sure you've got a life jacket on your dog, just in case! Yes jigsaw, If the mower is turned off & not moving they just look at it then look up at me like"come on, pull that cord". If it is off but moving a little reaction, mainly following it. I think I will be separating them to try to fix this issue cause I think the little girl is feeding off the older boy's reaction & barking at him more than at the mower e.t.c. As for the boat, my boy is great in the boat apart from the actual starting of the out board motor which he barks at for 5 seconds & then he is done & that is on the improve. Stella has not been in the boat yet so I am hoping to get some professional advice before we attempt our first boating trip & hopefully she will enjoy it as much as Sonny does. Both my kids have life jacket's for their own safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) My kelpie cross foster did this at first, with the mower (all dogs are put away when i have the whippersnipper or brushcutter out , for safety) but after she worked out that whenever she went apeshit at the mower she was sent to her pen and locked in she stopped doing it and now ignores it all together. If you don't have a pen and he gets out of the house then perhaps you could try tethering him? Off topic slightly but - one of my pugs used to loyally traipse after me when I was mowing and always looked like she had green socks on mowing day!! Ha Ha, both my kids must shop at the same sox shop as your loyal pug,they have green sox on mowing day too. Edited October 26, 2011 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonniebank Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Every dog I have had here does exactly the same thing. They are all Border Collies and Kelpies. Any starting of any machinery sets thenm off. Whipper snippers, mowers, chainsaws, water pump. No reaction from cars, trucks. Mainly the cord pulling but also the key start mowers. They usually bark in real close to it, then redirect it on the horses so they then race off to the horse and try to bit them on the legs and nose, then about 15 seconds later, all over and they go sit down. Its just the starting thing. Someone once told me a lot of working dogs do it. Well I think they may be right Dash. ;) Exactly the same thing with my German Coolies (one in particular) and even just the pull on the cord to start the house paddock mower, starts her off. Again, no reaction from the cars or the tractor but the mower, snipper and vacuum cleaner (smaller machinery) sends her into a barking frenzy to the point where she and one of the others have fought over/about it!! We have to put her inside on her own at these times so that there won't be a fight. We've tried many things but found the only solution is to put her in where she can't harm herself or the other dogs. Not exactly "training" I know, but a small price to pay instead of a vet bill. Guess I'm not much help but don't like ppl to feel they are alone. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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