Border Collie Oscar lives with a young couple who love him dearly. They do everything they can think of to give him the best life.
One thing they have been unable to overcome.
Fixating. Frozen
Oscar, in the garden, will stare at the back fence, fixated. He agitates until they open the door for him and then he charges down the garden.
Once there he won’t move unless called in (which the biddable dog does willingly).
They told me that another dog lives the other side of the fence. They believed he was focussing on the dog.
I don’t think so. He was just as fixated the previous week when the dog was away.
Something visual
In my experience it’s much more likely to be something visual. I once went to a Border Collie who spent all day staring at a wall. She was looking at the spot where a refection from an opening glass door sometimes hit the wall.
I suggested there was a gap or hole in the fence as Oscar stares at one spot. He doesn’t move. A dog the other side would be moving about. As the dog or a person moves the other side of the fence, they will pass this small gap.
We deal with this in two ways.
Fulfilment
The first is to fulfil Oscar’s life even more with ‘Border Collie’ things. Things that involve concentrating. These will also involve actually being able to catch the item. Imagine how frustrating it must be never to get it.
Enrichment will also include feeding him in such a way that he has to work for his food in smaller ‘doses’. At present it’s left down and the young lady is very anxious by his indifference to food.
A running buffet means food has little value!
Calm
They will also do all they can to keep him as calm as possible. I have found the more aroused a dog is, the more they perform their OCD behaviours.
In addition to enrichment and calm, they can deal with the problem head-on.
Dealing with the problem head-on
The first thing to do is to block any gaps in the fence.
They will no longer let him out whenever he asks, but will go with him. Maybe use a long line. They will prevent him from rehearsing the behaviour.
Whenever he approaches the fence they will divert him onto something else to chase. Something he can catch – maybe a soft toy or food. We also have a plan using a clicker.
Instead of letting him out the back to toilet, they have a side strip he can use, away from that fence.