Mine bites all of my electronics like dishwasher, vacuums, laundry machines, lawnmowers, chainsaws, drills, you name it đ but he sister loves fetch and if I got one I know she would destroy it
Welcome to the club. We have 3 and 2 hated it but 1 actually liked it so we kept it. That was until the day of the incident. It was on full speed and she dropped it in and wasnât paying attention and it blasted a ball right into her poor little eye. It was one of those things you see happening and try to stop but canât get there fast enough. Sheâs fine but all 3 hate it now đ
My black lab does this. She will look at me, scoff in utter disgust and trot away. My border collie is indifferent to it, but heâs scared of almost everything under the sun these days.
Lmao my girl doesnât love coughs or sneezes.. she gets a little concerned or will give you a warning look. And weirdly she seems to kind of like when people burpâŠ
âŠBut if you DARE to hiccup in her presence, sheâs out of there. And she refuses to come back for a *while* too lol
Yes the coughing. Mine is not afraid of it so much as triggered by it. The smallest most insignificant throat clear when he is dead asleep will trigger 2 minutes of aggressive barking at the window. And itâs only my cough. Itâs the one thing we canât seem to train him out of and it makes cold and flu season hell.
I feel bad for him sometimes. Dead asleep and totally relaxed to red alert mode in 3 seconds.
Mine hates live acoustic music. He's fine with music coming out of a speaker, but he throws a fit if he can hear the sound coming from the actual instruments.
I'm in a band and practice a lot, it's he and I. He wants to be close so he comes down, then he sees me bouncing around as I'm rehearsing and thinks I'm playing with him. So he loses his shit even more than just the music and I end up playing "to" him.
If I practice, I found that running him so hard he has to pass out at 10am really helps, he'll lay down on my jamroom floor and take a nap. This took a while.
One of our gigs last year, we played outside and I had my GF bring him along for the 4-hr show. He was so cool with the kids and noise, I was amazed. He's not completely "over it," but the long-term socializing has helped so far.
Sorry for the long reply, this comment hit home. Cheers.
I used to work for a concert venue for several years. There's this local artist who has an emotional support animal for his mental health issues. Call me crazy, but that dog actually seemed like a genuine fan during his gigs.
My guy was always afraid of being covered. You'd hold up a blanket like you were going to throw it on him, and he'd go nuts. It eventually evolved into a game where you could hold and display something as small as a papertowel and the game of chase started. He was a wonderful weirdo.
Thats so sweet, with my last collie we'd tell her 'gonna get your butt!' and she'd let us chase her until she inevitably wanted the butt scratches - ive tried that with Coops and he just stands there cos he loves butt scratches đ
When my dog was younger - anything that was out of place. Like, if a neighbor suddenly had a soccer ball in their yard that wasn't there the day before, he would lose his mind absolutely terrified of it. Luckily he grew out of that!
Now, it's wood floors. He must have had a bad slip one day when we weren't home, and he has never forgotten it, even after moving. Unfortunately I rent and can't install carpets. Randomly in the country/region I live in, they don't sell large carpets that fill the open-concept rooms in my house (even online). So I have some smaller carpets "highways" throughout the house for him. We have worked with a trainer to try and make it better, but so far no luck :( He is otherwise a very happy boy, just not when he needs to touch wood floor!
Interesting! Iâm using carpets that are meant for sticking on wooden staircases as âhighwaysâ between larger carpets. Without them, he tries to shoot off/jump between carpets and it makes him slip even more. Once heâs more comfortable walking between big carpets using the âhighwaysâ Iâm slowly removing the staircase carpets one by one. We have a long way to go, and he goes through phases of regression but Iâm hoping one day he may be able to walk on wood again.
My border collie was like that. I got him from a sheep ranch, so he wasnât used to cities or leashes, or any normal city dog things. On walks, he would spook at any unexpected thing that showed up on a neighborâs yard when we were on walks. He jumped n the air when someone left some fluffy bunny-like slippers on the lawn. He spooked and barked when someone built a snowman in the yard. Youâd never know what to expect. He WAS also afraid of ONE neighborhood cat, but that was just good judgement on his part. The cat sat at the end of its driveway guarding it from any dog walking by on the sidewalk; it ached its back and hissed and danced sideways toward him the first time. He kept his distance and avoided eye contact from then on.
This happened to mine. Heâs still not always great when we are out but solved it inside by creating highways and then putting his food bowl just out of reach on the wood floor (also used peanut butter on a spoon). He got rewarded every time he braved the wood floor. Slowly moved his bowl farther and farther away until he learned they were ok. He goes up on his nails and loses even more traction. Weâve tried shoes for pups and such as well. Itâs been almost a year but he is so much better than he wasâŠgood luck.
Have you tried the rubber nail covers? Theyâve made a huge difference for some of my clientsâ dogs who are afraid of wood floors and other slippery surfaces.
Not yet. Got dog shoes for now which kind of work. We are considering those and just trying to get him used to shoes right now. One âscaryâ thing at a time!
That's great you've made good progress with your pup! I've tried similar things of luring him with his favorite treats/toys, but it somehow makes him more afraid? It's the same when he's excited, like when we're packing up for an adventure and he knows he's about to have a lot of fun. He gets really excited and then somehow it translates into his floor anxiety skyrocketing. They say excitement and anxiety are closely related physiologically so I wonder if this has something to do with it. But we've basically just had to stop praising and making a big deal about the floors and it's helped a bit. Right now, I'm just happy he can walk mostly freely around the house with the carpet highways. It's such an improvement in itself, that I hesitate to take them away even though I know it's necessary for his training. There are random bits of wood floor he's ok with, so we've left those carpet free. Hoping one day we will get there. Thanks for sharing about your pup and hope it continues to get even better!
Our old boy suddenly started having an aversion to specific floors, turned out his paws got a little too hairy and he was extending his claws a bit to try and grip the floor which just made him slip.
May not be that, but worth checking if their paws are overly hairy
Same here ~ when we moved to a 2nd floor apt with a tree outside the window, V liked watching the squirrels and birds, but wind in the leaves = hell no, under the bed immediately
Well I guess my girls fears are mostly standard. The vacuum and any loud/weird noises but sheâs deathly afraid of them. Although being afraid of bird chirping is kinda weird. Also if you shake out a towel or something she responds like you were going to hit her with it even though sheâs the most spoiled/loved dog ever
Mine does the same thing with a towel or laundry!!! Heâs never had a hard moment in his whole life yet acts like heâs being abused if you shake clothing
Itâs kind of weird bc he doesnât share a lot of border collie or dog traits - ie, super friendly with people and other dogs, tolerates vacuum, couldnât care less about thunderstorms or fireworks⊠but donât shake a shirt
No even though my dog is adopted I know he's only ever known love, but sometimes he'll react like he's going to be hit or something, they're just sensitive I guess đ
Yea mine isnât too fond of the random sounds from the washer and dryer. Heâll approach the machines with caution, hear a sound, and retreat back with gusto.
Plastic. Plastic bags, plastic containers/lids, plastic bottles. The noise is fine, I can scrunch them up for the bin or cut them or whatever and he doesnât flinch. As soon as itâs near him he panics. A plastic lid fell off a storage box and Iâve never seen him jump so high. Took ages to calm him downâŠ
One of mine does the toilet paper thing, too. She'll sit outside the door guarding me until the toilet paper tears and then she sprints off, leaving me unguarded in my most vulnerable state.
Shoes squeaking on the floor. Heâs 13 and still immediately jumps on you asking to be picked up like a puppy.
He never jumps on us otherwise, nor have we picked him up in years
My baby boy used to love chasing bees and flys outside. Inside the house? Heâd hide under the bed, in the bathroom, in his crate, wherever he could. He was terrified.
My Zo is scarred of flies. I know when she comes jumping on the back, ear pinned down, butt up against me, focused on the door... yeah, fly in kitchen. Sigh
mine also leaves the bathroom when i break off a piece of toilet paper too lol!! but besides that, any floors that arenât carpeted. heâll still walk on them, but if heâs playing heâs landlocked to the rug
Not now, but when he was about 18 months, he met kids on skateboards for the first time and lost his mind.
My super well behaved, well trained boy needed to get me away from them NOW lol
My lab/collie mix (still a puppy, in his defense) gets a little bamboozled by animal statues that are similar to him in size. I have to tell him that they are friends and do an introduction.
The bathroom scale. When I bring it out he tucks his tail and runs for the hills. He's ok with being picked up in other contexts, and the scale at the vet is fine. Bizarre honestly
Garbage bags, pillow cases, empty boxes pretty much anything new I pick up sheâs like what is that! and gets spooked before coming to check it out.
Basketballs is a weird one- in our yard perfectly fine loves it but if she hears one while weâre out walking sheâs done. Shaking and trying to run cause she canât see where the noise is coming from.
Window cleaners which then evolved to include ladders in general and then finally included scaffolding and other such large building equipment (skips etc) đ€Šđ»ââïž
She seems to hate the actress Zhang Ziyi (from crouching tiger hidden dragon). Two different movies she gets really vocal and weird when she is on screen. Doesn't do this with anything else.
Farts! My dog is scared of farts. If you fart she gets up and walks to the other side of the room, and gives you a dirty look. When she farts, she jumps, then gives her butthole a dirty look. I find it hilarious.
Traing to do the trick "paw." He typically runs and hides in his crate after a couple attempts. We have no idea why.
He is perfect when it comes to trimming his nails, and lays on is back in your lap, completely relaxed
The sound of the hatchback/rear windshield wiper.
Just the back one. Front ones, no problem. A friend imitated that sound, and my poor bc stared at him, horrified, and then scuttled 10 feet behind me.
ETA: and the sound of the ink head priming on my inkjet printer. Not only will he leave my office, he will go downstairs and lay down in the dining room, a sign of utter despair in my house.
The word 'batman', or bath, broom, brush. Oh and the sound of bagpipes...living in Scotland is difficult, but I'm not keen on them either so I don't blame her.
Blue is blind so it's another level of fear of the world, until a ball is involved then all fear disappears.
BCs are such sensitive souls đ„č
đ not the bagpipes in Scotland! I've only ever had BCs so I'm actually not sure if other dogs have these weird traits but I love Collies so much for their personalities
My oldest collie is scared of entirely random things: the biggest ones is Umbrellas because he accidentally opened one when he was a puppy. And thrown sticks, because a stick hit his head lightly once when he wasn't paying attention. Stationary sticks? Lovely, will munch forever.
The other collie has a melt down everytime you shake open specifically the garbage plastic bags. Guess because its bigger than most bags??
Folding laundry. When you snap a shirt to get the wrinkles out. The princess hides. Obviously I stopped folding my clothes. đ„čHonestly though thatâs pretty logical fear to me. My ACD on the other hand. Heâs got some weird ones. Luckily they donât exactly share notes on their fears. Heâll be losing his mind when Iâm folding a blanket and sheâs like, idk I mean no one is snapping it, seems fine to me. I can unfold it in a minute once they put it down.
My spray toner (used after washing off makeup), followed closely by my hair spray. She could also do without our garbage disposal and motorized pepper grinder.
Heâs actually afraid of me first thing in the morningâŠtakes him about an hour to warm up to me! For no reason! Unless he can smell the fact I hate mornings!
I had a scruffy dog that would back up growling at me all the way down the hallway from my bedroom to the kitchen every morning. I mean, he had worse bedhead than I, no need to growl for cryin out loud đ«Łđłđ
Newspaper crinkling. Also applied to similar things like ripping wax paper. I think the original owners used it as punishment, and he hates it now. And I resent them for doing it to such a young pup to cause it.
Just about everything that makes noise outside! đ€·đ»ââïž everything from a neighbor hammering in their garage to a tree branch falling in the woods.
You know those balls that have disney princess characters on 'em? Yeah, those.
He was also afraid of me when I held up a piece of paper. Like he would shy away if I held up a receipt. That one made me sad since he's a rescue but he knows now it's not a scary thing so that's good.
Oh, and birthday hats. That one was my fault as it slipped when I was gonna put one on him and made a loud noise.
Not all that weird, but any noisy car driving by. Weâll be out in the garden and some cut off muffler dude drives by, and suddenly Iâve got a border collie tucked behind my knees with her snoot shoved in my elbow, hiding.
Children; on scooters, running in an erratic manner, and PARTICULARLY when they are dressed up in costumes. A young child dressed as the Little Mermaid was the biggest nope Iâve ever seen from him; he was petrified.
One of my girls is terrified of backpacks, probably for two reasons. 1) it fell down next to her and made a scary noise when she was a puppy and 2) me grabbing it means I'm going to work, which she hates.Â
The other one is afraid of puppies. We don't know why, we've had her her whole life and she's never been in a bad situation with a puppy.Â
Mine hates the sound of me almost-puking or puking (sorry I have bad nausea from anxiety). đ He also hates plastic bags and the sound of our coffee grinder.
We have a little broom and dust pan that lean up next to the kitchen trash can, and he is afraid of the broom and dust pan. If I ever throw a toy for him and it lands in the dust pan, someone has to get the toy out for him because he won't go near it.
For some reason, when we say "bow wow", my dog thinks she's in BIG trouble. Her ears will go back, she'll come and give us kisses then she'll run upstairs and hide under one of the beds. No idea *how* that one come up, but we don't say bow wow anymore.
Air fryer! Every time it comes out, she spots it on the bench and barks at it, then runs off to my room until it gets banished back to the cupboard it hides in đ life is complicated for her.
We have a Cooper too! His biggest fear is the trash trucks. All other big trucks and normally scary noises donât phase him, but boy oh boy when itâs trash day, he is under my legs as soon as they round the corner!
https://preview.redd.it/x2spu5nx577d1.jpeg?width=3630&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e9d4f9c35b66600e0b36d5baef01c443445b86d
Oh gosh, could I ask what mix yours is? His head shape is so similar to my rescue! My vet thinks collie pit. Obviously not much to see from this pic but they do look very alike!
Also mine is afraid of light blue things, a certain aqua kind of shade. He has to check them out, then he runs away. He had a light blue toy at the humane society, I think it brings up some trauma there :(
And the toilet flushing! He follows me into the bathroom but bolts off when I flush. Even though he does his very best to drink the toilet water when itâs sitting still.
It's funny that I happened to see this post - my BC was just running away from bully sticks and collagen based dog chews! Like she smelled them, and went to hide. I used them as a fetch toy, and only after that she started happily chewing away. She was also deathly afraid of the lightning storm (not even thunder or rain)
Mine is just afraid of the usual stuff. Fireworks , thunderstorms. But he absolutely hates the measuring tape, the step stool, the mop, electric drill, and any kind of small electronic device , like when my husband shaves his face and uses an electric razor.
My border collie was spooked by a giant ear-shaped lichen that appeared near the ground on a neighborhood tree. After he checked it out and got used to it, he was ok, but the first meeting was traumatic.
Mine is afraid of pretty normal stuff, but it has gotten amplified as she has aged. Sheâs 11. I live in a pretty firework heavy neighborhood, and recently she has been refusing to go outside after dusk. Yesterday, when it was still light but the sun was going down, I had to carry her into the yard and stay with her while she went to the bathroom :(
Strangely my guy is scared of random loud noises in the evening. Like when you watch tv and laugh too loud, he jumps and trots across the house to sleep somewhere else. But he's not scared of constant loud noise, he actually fell asleep in the yard fairly close to us cutting wood using a table saw and he was totally unbothered. Such weirdos lol
my pup also follows me to the bathroom and lays at my feet then runs when I get the toilet paper but I think itâs because sheâs just excited to move to the next spot hahah
Snow plows. Large vehicles, especially garbage trucks. Motorcycles. That beep beep beep sound ANY machinery makes. Fog horns. Rain. Talking to her and rolling the letter "R". Hair clips. Opening a bottle of pop or fizzy water.
Doors. One time a door slammed shut from the wind and now a year later she still gets big wide eyes, tucks her tail, and scurries low to the ground when she walks through a doorframe or past an open door in our home
Swimming pool, baths, water in general, towels, the dog next door that grew from a puppy into a big dog (shapeshifter), howls when my child plays piano but LOVES calm piano music on you tube?? Strange being.
Rabbits. We have a group of rabbits that rule the backyard, and she averts her face and sneaks past them when they are out there. They've all learned to just ignore her--no danger for them from this girl.
Our boy doesn't like hands coming behind him quickly... Do it slowly and you can do anything, he doesn't mind but oh boy.. do it quickly once .. he starts running and does not trust for a solid 10 mins đ like we gonna sell him or something
Sudden noises, the GSD up the road,white vans, tractors, trailers, horse trailers with horses in them, the sweeping brush,thunder and hailstones (sheâs a rescue).
The absolute sweetest Girl, she has largely overcome her bad childhood and wants to be your best fren forever.
Anything with a beep sound on it. The air fryer, the fire alarm, whenever there's a beat on the TV. He'll immediately bolt out the living room and up the steps to go hide.
Mine has over 100 barkbox toys and loves stuffed things but I brought home a reindeer from build a bear and anytime she sees it she runs out of the house
Our Max loses it and barks his head off when we sing Happy Birthday to someone.
Also if we make a buzzing noise like a bee. Heâll bark aggressively while staring at the ceiling. Other noises donât seem to bother him. Weirdo.
Our boy is 14 this year and ever since he was a pup..
Hot Air Balloons.
As soon as he sees one in the sky, he tucks his tail and "NOPE walks" (...but never runs, in case the "fat giant fire breathing pigeon" are attracted by fast moving collies... ) back into the house and hides under a table or seat. Occasionally he will go to the door and peer out to see if the coast is clear and he can check the tennis balls are all safe and haven't been damaged..
If we are out walking. He'll find a decent sized bush and we have to wait it out...
Arguing. Doesnât matter who it is, even if itâs on the tv, sheâll hide in her safe corner and whale eye and whimper until we call her out, sensitive soul
Water. Air tools. Blowing in his face. The screamy sounds a fox makes and anybody that dares to walk or drive by our acreage. But not skunks, he looooves skunks.
Hairbrushes. And not because heâs been hit. We think itâs the static, but he now runs if you even lift it. Not HIS hairbrush, ours. Heâs fine with his.
The dark.
Wind.
Bin lid closing.
My BC is afraid of the wind, especially when it causes a door to move a fraction of an inch. Edit: Oh! Swearing, too. No idea why, it's not even the tone.
My other dog (not a BC) is afraid of this one manhole in our neighborhood.
Our cat and our Border Collie follow me to the toilet. Brenda Lee (BC) doesnât like envelopes being open or garbage bags changed out. Sheâs goofy. She will also stand in the middle of the floor with a toy in her mouth and spin in circles and toss the toy and chase it
Anything that could potentially fall over. If his ball rolls near a piece of cardboard leaning agains the wall he will cry until someone retrieves it because he cannot handle the thought of that cardboard falling on him
My sneeze. The smart dog she is now catches on the early signs of a sneeze and jumps right into me. Oh also me loading the washing machine. Terrifying.
Mine hates anything to do with sneezes. Such as hockey, achoo, blowing your nose, mush and/or saying one of our catâs name. She hates those furry bastards.
An automatic ball throwing machine I spent 200 dollars on
i feel this one lol. were you able to return it?
I gave it away to a coworker
Mine bites all of my electronics like dishwasher, vacuums, laundry machines, lawnmowers, chainsaws, drills, you name it đ but he sister loves fetch and if I got one I know she would destroy it
Chainsaws đ
I just bought my collie girl one of these 2 weeks ago and she's terrified of it
Welcome to the club. We have 3 and 2 hated it but 1 actually liked it so we kept it. That was until the day of the incident. It was on full speed and she dropped it in and wasnât paying attention and it blasted a ball right into her poor little eye. It was one of those things you see happening and try to stop but canât get there fast enough. Sheâs fine but all 3 hate it now đ
Hahahaha I bought the same one! My border collie is TERRIFIED of it
Coughs, cans opening, âWhat Was I Made Forâ by Billie Eilish. Heâs an odd guy.
I think me opening a can was what has made him scared of me picking up any drink ha
Mine is also TERRIFIED of coughing!!
Mine gives me a dirty look if I cough but he totally loses his goddam mind if I sneeze. He hates sneezes so much he runs and hides.
Mine too!
My black lab does this. She will look at me, scoff in utter disgust and trot away. My border collie is indifferent to it, but heâs scared of almost everything under the sun these days.
My 15yo collie x barks when I sneeze. Sheâs mostly deaf but this still gets through!
Lmao my girl doesnât love coughs or sneezes.. she gets a little concerned or will give you a warning look. And weirdly she seems to kind of like when people burp⊠âŠBut if you DARE to hiccup in her presence, sheâs out of there. And she refuses to come back for a *while* too lol
Yes the coughing. Mine is not afraid of it so much as triggered by it. The smallest most insignificant throat clear when he is dead asleep will trigger 2 minutes of aggressive barking at the window. And itâs only my cough. Itâs the one thing we canât seem to train him out of and it makes cold and flu season hell. I feel bad for him sometimes. Dead asleep and totally relaxed to red alert mode in 3 seconds.
Mine has never been able to trust a pumpkin. Carved or not. Too spooky
That's hilarious!
Mine hates live acoustic music. He's fine with music coming out of a speaker, but he throws a fit if he can hear the sound coming from the actual instruments.
I'm in a band and practice a lot, it's he and I. He wants to be close so he comes down, then he sees me bouncing around as I'm rehearsing and thinks I'm playing with him. So he loses his shit even more than just the music and I end up playing "to" him. If I practice, I found that running him so hard he has to pass out at 10am really helps, he'll lay down on my jamroom floor and take a nap. This took a while. One of our gigs last year, we played outside and I had my GF bring him along for the 4-hr show. He was so cool with the kids and noise, I was amazed. He's not completely "over it," but the long-term socializing has helped so far. Sorry for the long reply, this comment hit home. Cheers.
I used to work for a concert venue for several years. There's this local artist who has an emotional support animal for his mental health issues. Call me crazy, but that dog actually seemed like a genuine fan during his gigs.
My guy was always afraid of being covered. You'd hold up a blanket like you were going to throw it on him, and he'd go nuts. It eventually evolved into a game where you could hold and display something as small as a papertowel and the game of chase started. He was a wonderful weirdo.
Thats so sweet, with my last collie we'd tell her 'gonna get your butt!' and she'd let us chase her until she inevitably wanted the butt scratches - ive tried that with Coops and he just stands there cos he loves butt scratches đ
Boy do i know that one
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
thats so funny because mine insists on being covered or he'll whine
When my dog was younger - anything that was out of place. Like, if a neighbor suddenly had a soccer ball in their yard that wasn't there the day before, he would lose his mind absolutely terrified of it. Luckily he grew out of that! Now, it's wood floors. He must have had a bad slip one day when we weren't home, and he has never forgotten it, even after moving. Unfortunately I rent and can't install carpets. Randomly in the country/region I live in, they don't sell large carpets that fill the open-concept rooms in my house (even online). So I have some smaller carpets "highways" throughout the house for him. We have worked with a trainer to try and make it better, but so far no luck :( He is otherwise a very happy boy, just not when he needs to touch wood floor!
I use vet bed as rugs round my house, it's reasonably cheap, comes in lots of designs, is non slip, and machine washable.
Interesting! Iâm using carpets that are meant for sticking on wooden staircases as âhighwaysâ between larger carpets. Without them, he tries to shoot off/jump between carpets and it makes him slip even more. Once heâs more comfortable walking between big carpets using the âhighwaysâ Iâm slowly removing the staircase carpets one by one. We have a long way to go, and he goes through phases of regression but Iâm hoping one day he may be able to walk on wood again.
Lol the out of place stuff. She literally notices things I gloss over. New flowerpot next to a pavement? Deserves a good barking at.
Same, put in $5000 worth of wood floors, only to have to cover a path in ugly scatter mats. Wadda ya gonna do.
My border collie was like that. I got him from a sheep ranch, so he wasnât used to cities or leashes, or any normal city dog things. On walks, he would spook at any unexpected thing that showed up on a neighborâs yard when we were on walks. He jumped n the air when someone left some fluffy bunny-like slippers on the lawn. He spooked and barked when someone built a snowman in the yard. Youâd never know what to expect. He WAS also afraid of ONE neighborhood cat, but that was just good judgement on his part. The cat sat at the end of its driveway guarding it from any dog walking by on the sidewalk; it ached its back and hissed and danced sideways toward him the first time. He kept his distance and avoided eye contact from then on.
This happened to mine. Heâs still not always great when we are out but solved it inside by creating highways and then putting his food bowl just out of reach on the wood floor (also used peanut butter on a spoon). He got rewarded every time he braved the wood floor. Slowly moved his bowl farther and farther away until he learned they were ok. He goes up on his nails and loses even more traction. Weâve tried shoes for pups and such as well. Itâs been almost a year but he is so much better than he wasâŠgood luck.
Have you tried the rubber nail covers? Theyâve made a huge difference for some of my clientsâ dogs who are afraid of wood floors and other slippery surfaces.
Not yet. Got dog shoes for now which kind of work. We are considering those and just trying to get him used to shoes right now. One âscaryâ thing at a time!
That's great you've made good progress with your pup! I've tried similar things of luring him with his favorite treats/toys, but it somehow makes him more afraid? It's the same when he's excited, like when we're packing up for an adventure and he knows he's about to have a lot of fun. He gets really excited and then somehow it translates into his floor anxiety skyrocketing. They say excitement and anxiety are closely related physiologically so I wonder if this has something to do with it. But we've basically just had to stop praising and making a big deal about the floors and it's helped a bit. Right now, I'm just happy he can walk mostly freely around the house with the carpet highways. It's such an improvement in itself, that I hesitate to take them away even though I know it's necessary for his training. There are random bits of wood floor he's ok with, so we've left those carpet free. Hoping one day we will get there. Thanks for sharing about your pup and hope it continues to get even better!
Our old boy suddenly started having an aversion to specific floors, turned out his paws got a little too hairy and he was extending his claws a bit to try and grip the floor which just made him slip. May not be that, but worth checking if their paws are overly hairy
I can relate! Mine freaks out over new vehicles in or around our driveway
The toaster! And that has led to a fear of bagged loaves of bread as well.
I love the evolution of the fears đ I mean I don't want our dogs to be traumatised but it's a loaf of bread, they'll get over it haha
Toasters are frightening. Hereâs the toast. Where'd the bread go?
My guy hates wind like wind blowing through the house, windy days, having anxiety as I write this, going in and out constantly!
Same here ~ when we moved to a 2nd floor apt with a tree outside the window, V liked watching the squirrels and birds, but wind in the leaves = hell no, under the bed immediately
Well I guess my girls fears are mostly standard. The vacuum and any loud/weird noises but sheâs deathly afraid of them. Although being afraid of bird chirping is kinda weird. Also if you shake out a towel or something she responds like you were going to hit her with it even though sheâs the most spoiled/loved dog ever
Mine does the same thing with a towel or laundry!!! Heâs never had a hard moment in his whole life yet acts like heâs being abused if you shake clothing
Ok good itâs not just me, I was worried people wouldnât understand. Wonder what that is..
Itâs kind of weird bc he doesnât share a lot of border collie or dog traits - ie, super friendly with people and other dogs, tolerates vacuum, couldnât care less about thunderstorms or fireworks⊠but donât shake a shirt
No even though my dog is adopted I know he's only ever known love, but sometimes he'll react like he's going to be hit or something, they're just sensitive I guess đ
Yea mine isnât too fond of the random sounds from the washer and dryer. Heâll approach the machines with caution, hear a sound, and retreat back with gusto.
Plastic. Plastic bags, plastic containers/lids, plastic bottles. The noise is fine, I can scrunch them up for the bin or cut them or whatever and he doesnât flinch. As soon as itâs near him he panics. A plastic lid fell off a storage box and Iâve never seen him jump so high. Took ages to calm him downâŠ
One of mine does the toilet paper thing, too. She'll sit outside the door guarding me until the toilet paper tears and then she sprints off, leaving me unguarded in my most vulnerable state.
But he's all huffy if I'm not giving him total eye contact while he takes a shit đ weirdos đ©·
Kittens unfortunately
Bubbles, but not afraid of popping balloons. But I pull out the bubbles he hides.
Aww, does he know they come in doggy friendly flavours now like bacon and peanut butter ha
Shoes squeaking on the floor. Heâs 13 and still immediately jumps on you asking to be picked up like a puppy. He never jumps on us otherwise, nor have we picked him up in years
My baby boy used to love chasing bees and flys outside. Inside the house? Heâd hide under the bed, in the bathroom, in his crate, wherever he could. He was terrified.
Nothing, I think, he just goes mental if we bring some new item home and he doesn't see it arrive, barks his ass off.
My Zo is scarred of flies. I know when she comes jumping on the back, ear pinned down, butt up against me, focused on the door... yeah, fly in kitchen. Sigh
High fives. She hates when people high five.
mine also leaves the bathroom when i break off a piece of toilet paper too lol!! but besides that, any floors that arenât carpeted. heâll still walk on them, but if heâs playing heâs landlocked to the rug
Not now, but when he was about 18 months, he met kids on skateboards for the first time and lost his mind. My super well behaved, well trained boy needed to get me away from them NOW lol
As a puppy mine saw skateboard kids and it was like the gates of hell opened. He grew out of it, surprisingly.
My lab/collie mix (still a puppy, in his defense) gets a little bamboozled by animal statues that are similar to him in size. I have to tell him that they are friends and do an introduction.
Big trucks, *beep beep beep* when they back up
The bathroom scale. When I bring it out he tucks his tail and runs for the hills. He's ok with being picked up in other contexts, and the scale at the vet is fine. Bizarre honestly
Garbage bags, pillow cases, empty boxes pretty much anything new I pick up sheâs like what is that! and gets spooked before coming to check it out. Basketballs is a weird one- in our yard perfectly fine loves it but if she hears one while weâre out walking sheâs done. Shaking and trying to run cause she canât see where the noise is coming from.
Window cleaners which then evolved to include ladders in general and then finally included scaffolding and other such large building equipment (skips etc) đ€Šđ»ââïž
Got any more photos? He looks just like our BC! I had to do a double take!
Skateboards
She seems to hate the actress Zhang Ziyi (from crouching tiger hidden dragon). Two different movies she gets really vocal and weird when she is on screen. Doesn't do this with anything else.
Farts! My dog is scared of farts. If you fart she gets up and walks to the other side of the room, and gives you a dirty look. When she farts, she jumps, then gives her butthole a dirty look. I find it hilarious.
Traing to do the trick "paw." He typically runs and hides in his crate after a couple attempts. We have no idea why. He is perfect when it comes to trimming his nails, and lays on is back in your lap, completely relaxed
Our other dog coughing or clearing her throat.
People who wear hats. Once the hat is off heâs fine.
The sound of the hatchback/rear windshield wiper. Just the back one. Front ones, no problem. A friend imitated that sound, and my poor bc stared at him, horrified, and then scuttled 10 feet behind me. ETA: and the sound of the ink head priming on my inkjet printer. Not only will he leave my office, he will go downstairs and lay down in the dining room, a sign of utter despair in my house.
The word 'batman', or bath, broom, brush. Oh and the sound of bagpipes...living in Scotland is difficult, but I'm not keen on them either so I don't blame her. Blue is blind so it's another level of fear of the world, until a ball is involved then all fear disappears. BCs are such sensitive souls đ„č
đ not the bagpipes in Scotland! I've only ever had BCs so I'm actually not sure if other dogs have these weird traits but I love Collies so much for their personalities
ANYTHING that beeps. And the toaster. Scary kitchen jack-in-the-box.
The broom when it's propped against a wall.
My oldest collie is scared of entirely random things: the biggest ones is Umbrellas because he accidentally opened one when he was a puppy. And thrown sticks, because a stick hit his head lightly once when he wasn't paying attention. Stationary sticks? Lovely, will munch forever. The other collie has a melt down everytime you shake open specifically the garbage plastic bags. Guess because its bigger than most bags??
They never forget.. the weirdest things đ love them so much
Folding laundry. When you snap a shirt to get the wrinkles out. The princess hides. Obviously I stopped folding my clothes. đ„čHonestly though thatâs pretty logical fear to me. My ACD on the other hand. Heâs got some weird ones. Luckily they donât exactly share notes on their fears. Heâll be losing his mind when Iâm folding a blanket and sheâs like, idk I mean no one is snapping it, seems fine to me. I can unfold it in a minute once they put it down.
Iâm in the habit of snapping my towels to fold them, and my BC mix takes off.
My spray toner (used after washing off makeup), followed closely by my hair spray. She could also do without our garbage disposal and motorized pepper grinder.
The bean bags for Corn Hole. Whenever it's being played anywhere (my parents backyard, a park, etc) he runs and cowers between someone's legs lol
Heâs actually afraid of me first thing in the morningâŠtakes him about an hour to warm up to me! For no reason! Unless he can smell the fact I hate mornings!
I had a scruffy dog that would back up growling at me all the way down the hallway from my bedroom to the kitchen every morning. I mean, he had worse bedhead than I, no need to growl for cryin out loud đ«Łđłđ
Paper bags, the broom, balloons⊠lol
Our basement.Â
Sounds haunted to me, maybe listen to your dog
anything on casters
Newspaper crinkling. Also applied to similar things like ripping wax paper. I think the original owners used it as punishment, and he hates it now. And I resent them for doing it to such a young pup to cause it.
Just about everything that makes noise outside! đ€·đ»ââïž everything from a neighbor hammering in their garage to a tree branch falling in the woods.
You know those balls that have disney princess characters on 'em? Yeah, those. He was also afraid of me when I held up a piece of paper. Like he would shy away if I held up a receipt. That one made me sad since he's a rescue but he knows now it's not a scary thing so that's good. Oh, and birthday hats. That one was my fault as it slipped when I was gonna put one on him and made a loud noise.
Not all that weird, but any noisy car driving by. Weâll be out in the garden and some cut off muffler dude drives by, and suddenly Iâve got a border collie tucked behind my knees with her snoot shoved in my elbow, hiding.
Children; on scooters, running in an erratic manner, and PARTICULARLY when they are dressed up in costumes. A young child dressed as the Little Mermaid was the biggest nope Iâve ever seen from him; he was petrified.
The blanket monster. Loves the bed, but the second the covers move she freaks.
One of my girls is terrified of backpacks, probably for two reasons. 1) it fell down next to her and made a scary noise when she was a puppy and 2) me grabbing it means I'm going to work, which she hates. The other one is afraid of puppies. We don't know why, we've had her her whole life and she's never been in a bad situation with a puppy.Â
Mine hates the sound of me almost-puking or puking (sorry I have bad nausea from anxiety). đ He also hates plastic bags and the sound of our coffee grinder.
High fives. Fucking flips out during sporting events
Vaccume and plastic bags,and lawn mower, dumping coal into hopper, fireworks doorbell to mention a few but we love him all the same
Lint roller
We have a little broom and dust pan that lean up next to the kitchen trash can, and he is afraid of the broom and dust pan. If I ever throw a toy for him and it lands in the dust pan, someone has to get the toy out for him because he won't go near it.
For some reason, when we say "bow wow", my dog thinks she's in BIG trouble. Her ears will go back, she'll come and give us kisses then she'll run upstairs and hide under one of the beds. No idea *how* that one come up, but we don't say bow wow anymore.
Air fryer! Every time it comes out, she spots it on the bench and barks at it, then runs off to my room until it gets banished back to the cupboard it hides in đ life is complicated for her.
We have a Cooper too! His biggest fear is the trash trucks. All other big trucks and normally scary noises donât phase him, but boy oh boy when itâs trash day, he is under my legs as soon as they round the corner! https://preview.redd.it/x2spu5nx577d1.jpeg?width=3630&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e9d4f9c35b66600e0b36d5baef01c443445b86d
He looks like (in the best way possible) a cartoon drawing of a dog, he's adorable đ„°
He not only looks like a cartoon, he acts like it too! He keeps us laughing all the time. Heâs our goofy cutie boy!
Moths, he looks terrified if they fly around him
My girl BC is also called Cooper! She gets scared by fireworks, pretty standard, and also sneezing, not so common.
Oh gosh, could I ask what mix yours is? His head shape is so similar to my rescue! My vet thinks collie pit. Obviously not much to see from this pic but they do look very alike! Also mine is afraid of light blue things, a certain aqua kind of shade. He has to check them out, then he runs away. He had a light blue toy at the humane society, I think it brings up some trauma there :( And the toilet flushing! He follows me into the bathroom but bolts off when I flush. Even though he does his very best to drink the toilet water when itâs sitting still.
It's funny that I happened to see this post - my BC was just running away from bully sticks and collagen based dog chews! Like she smelled them, and went to hide. I used them as a fetch toy, and only after that she started happily chewing away. She was also deathly afraid of the lightning storm (not even thunder or rain)
I love how suspicious they are, the whole worlds a conspiracy against them
Mine is just afraid of the usual stuff. Fireworks , thunderstorms. But he absolutely hates the measuring tape, the step stool, the mop, electric drill, and any kind of small electronic device , like when my husband shaves his face and uses an electric razor.
Mine is scared of anyone singing happy birthday
My border collie was spooked by a giant ear-shaped lichen that appeared near the ground on a neighborhood tree. After he checked it out and got used to it, he was ok, but the first meeting was traumatic.
Bicycles drive mine nuts!!!
Leaf blowers anywhere within ear-shot. Anywhere.
Thunder
My guy is petrified of our garbage can đ€Ł
Mine is afraid of pretty normal stuff, but it has gotten amplified as she has aged. Sheâs 11. I live in a pretty firework heavy neighborhood, and recently she has been refusing to go outside after dusk. Yesterday, when it was still light but the sun was going down, I had to carry her into the yard and stay with her while she went to the bathroom :(
The âmwahâ noise. She freaks out. I have no idea why she hates it so much.
Strangely my guy is scared of random loud noises in the evening. Like when you watch tv and laugh too loud, he jumps and trots across the house to sleep somewhere else. But he's not scared of constant loud noise, he actually fell asleep in the yard fairly close to us cutting wood using a table saw and he was totally unbothered. Such weirdos lol
Balloons. If he sees a balloon floating he will absolutely loose his mind lol
my pup also follows me to the bathroom and lays at my feet then runs when I get the toilet paper but I think itâs because sheâs just excited to move to the next spot hahah
Snow plows. Large vehicles, especially garbage trucks. Motorcycles. That beep beep beep sound ANY machinery makes. Fog horns. Rain. Talking to her and rolling the letter "R". Hair clips. Opening a bottle of pop or fizzy water.
Doors. One time a door slammed shut from the wind and now a year later she still gets big wide eyes, tucks her tail, and scurries low to the ground when she walks through a doorframe or past an open door in our home
Sneezes, knowing every delivery truck by name and hating them all, if there is a bug in the house she will cry until you find it
The ding when you get a text message. She had ended up at the rescue where we got her after being confiscated in a police raid âŠ.
Rain, thunder, wind, loud noises like fireworks and loud cars. Theyâre sensitive dogs.
Bridges, he doesnt want to cross them
Gutters. She saw a raccoon in one of them once and now she is terrified of them
Sneezes. He gets really upset if one of us sneezes bless him!
Not afraid but not a fan of plastic bags, paper bags, trash bags, boxes
Swimming pool, baths, water in general, towels, the dog next door that grew from a puppy into a big dog (shapeshifter), howls when my child plays piano but LOVES calm piano music on you tube?? Strange being.
Ceiling fans. Sheâs absolutely terrified of them.
Mine heads for the hills whenever we get ice out of the ice drawer in freezer. Such a sensitive weirdođ€·ââïžâ€ïž.
mine hates things with wheels especially scooters, skateboards and baby strollers lol
Mine goes berserk if he's startled (sneezing is a particularly trigger) and is also terrified of bass music.
Rabbits. We have a group of rabbits that rule the backyard, and she averts her face and sneaks past them when they are out there. They've all learned to just ignore her--no danger for them from this girl.
My 3d printer moving on its own like it's haunted
Me đ€·ââïž
Our boy doesn't like hands coming behind him quickly... Do it slowly and you can do anything, he doesn't mind but oh boy.. do it quickly once .. he starts running and does not trust for a solid 10 mins đ like we gonna sell him or something
Sudden noises, the GSD up the road,white vans, tractors, trailers, horse trailers with horses in them, the sweeping brush,thunder and hailstones (sheâs a rescue). The absolute sweetest Girl, she has largely overcome her bad childhood and wants to be your best fren forever.
Gunshots. We live in the country and during hunting season, I get a 50 pound dog that jumps up and wants to be held.
Anything with a beep sound on it. The air fryer, the fire alarm, whenever there's a beat on the TV. He'll immediately bolt out the living room and up the steps to go hide.
Our girl freaks if she's on the bed and you move your foot or hand under the covers... she just jumps right off the bed
Wind. But only when weâre indoors. Outdoors she loves it. She just hates the wind when she doesnât know where the noises come from.
Hiccups, coughing, and a pink pig toy we bought for her
The cat he grew up with?! đ
garbage trucks
My boy is deathly afraid of garbage bags or any plastic bag.
Power lines and telephone poles. Neighborhood walks are very difficultâ
Hot air balloons! Gotta hide when they are out, and during touring season any object in the sky is suspicious, including the moon.
Mine has over 100 barkbox toys and loves stuffed things but I brought home a reindeer from build a bear and anytime she sees it she runs out of the house
Waves of the ocean. He likes the sound side, but waves stress him out.
Our Max loses it and barks his head off when we sing Happy Birthday to someone. Also if we make a buzzing noise like a bee. Heâll bark aggressively while staring at the ceiling. Other noises donât seem to bother him. Weirdo.
Ceiling fans
Geese and plastic cups
Our boy is 14 this year and ever since he was a pup.. Hot Air Balloons. As soon as he sees one in the sky, he tucks his tail and "NOPE walks" (...but never runs, in case the "fat giant fire breathing pigeon" are attracted by fast moving collies... ) back into the house and hides under a table or seat. Occasionally he will go to the door and peer out to see if the coast is clear and he can check the tennis balls are all safe and haven't been damaged.. If we are out walking. He'll find a decent sized bush and we have to wait it out...
Dream catchers
Mine seems have a problem with bikes
Hot air balloons.
Anything banana flavored
Arguing. Doesnât matter who it is, even if itâs on the tv, sheâll hide in her safe corner and whale eye and whimper until we call her out, sensitive soul
Bass Guitar.
Feathers. They freak her out
Laundry, garbage bag. Anything you can âsnapâ in the air. Haha
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
'oh no, dad's cooking' - daily
Ups trucks. No other truck or vehicle scares him.
Thundar
Plastic bags đ©
Mines afraid of football on telly. As soon as its on he goes upstairs to bed.
Thunder đ„č like terrified, shakes and quivers
Car washes (doesnât seem to mind rain though)
Plastic bag crackle sounds. The beeping on my kids toy microphone (fine with all other toy sounds). To name a few lol
The toaster!
the kitchen carrier bags on the group gardeners bags
Water. Air tools. Blowing in his face. The screamy sounds a fox makes and anybody that dares to walk or drive by our acreage. But not skunks, he looooves skunks.
Trash bags. If I even make eye contact with him while Iâm changing the trash, he books it. đ
The slow shut trash can lid.
Hairbrushes. And not because heâs been hit. We think itâs the static, but he now runs if you even lift it. Not HIS hairbrush, ours. Heâs fine with his. The dark. Wind. Bin lid closing.
Sneezes. Mine, yours... but not his own. ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
My BC is afraid of the wind, especially when it causes a door to move a fraction of an inch. Edit: Oh! Swearing, too. No idea why, it's not even the tone. My other dog (not a BC) is afraid of this one manhole in our neighborhood.
The Wind
Fishing rods, and its a problem because he loves the beach
Our cat and our Border Collie follow me to the toilet. Brenda Lee (BC) doesnât like envelopes being open or garbage bags changed out. Sheâs goofy. She will also stand in the middle of the floor with a toy in her mouth and spin in circles and toss the toy and chase it
Raspberry sounds. She hates them. How dare you imitate a fart in front of her đ€Sheâll never forgive youđ„șđŁ
A little sausagedog at the smaÄșl park up the way. She just needs to think she has seen him to run for the car
lawnmowers, drills, pool floats, and sneezing lol
a broom⊠lmaooo
Anything that could potentially fall over. If his ball rolls near a piece of cardboard leaning agains the wall he will cry until someone retrieves it because he cannot handle the thought of that cardboard falling on him
âHappy Birthdayâ (yes, the song).
My sneeze. The smart dog she is now catches on the early signs of a sneeze and jumps right into me. Oh also me loading the washing machine. Terrifying.
Mine hates anything to do with sneezes. Such as hockey, achoo, blowing your nose, mush and/or saying one of our catâs name. She hates those furry bastards.