Why does my border collie love paper towels?

I have a 6 year old border collie that we rescued from a puppy mill. We just got her diarrhea issue solved (food sensitivity) and now she will refuse to eat her dog food and will instead eat paper towels. She doesn't touch the toilet paper or napkins, just paper towels.

She'll also chew on plastic, but won't eat it, just leave it in shreds for me. I've been recommended to give her a job, but she's just so lazy. She never learned how to play and she'll take a good petting over playing any day.

We've tried chew toys, but she wants nothing to do with them, even if their flavored. We got her a tug of rope that was steak flavored and she just ate the ends off and left it to collect dust. What's her deal?!

She's now teaching my jack russell these things and now I just have chaos. If I yell at her, she stops, but will go after something else in her range when I'm not looking. Help!

Asked by larsen-m.d.b. M 34 months ago Similar questions: border collie love paper towels Pets.

Similar questions: border collie love paper towels.

Change YOUR behavior! First of all, yelling at her sounds like barking to her ears -- you might be joining the fun! Rescue dogs come with baggage.

We have done it, too, and it can get very interesting. Border collies are extremely intelligent and she is bored to death. Take her for walks so she can smell the surrounding countryside (or cityside).

Every day. That is the first thing. Give her some real exercise time with interesting things.

Things to smell 'out there' are like doggie newspapers. So the first thing is to make sure she gets out and about everyday. Second, if there is a dog park or large fenced area where it is permitted, get her there several times a week to run without a leash and explore on her own.

Third, basic obedieince training. Professional or with a friend who knows what he/she is doing. This also keeps a dog mentally challenged and will help you understand your dog more.

Petting is on YOUR terms, not hers. It is a reward for good behavior. One of the rules she needs to learn is "leave it!"

Bits of cooked chicken are pretty irresistible. Put one in your hand and close your hand. Get down on the floor with her.

Have another piece of chicken in your OTHER hand behind your back. Your closed hand should be offered to her, or put near her nose with the command "Leave it! " At first she will nose around but NEVER give her the treat in your closed hand.

When she gives up and sits and looks at you, or looks away, praise her and give her the chicken in the OTHER hand. Do this several times until she figures out (and she will, rather quickly), that if she ignores the 'leave it' hand, she will get a treat from the other hand. Move on to a roll of paper towels.

Leave it. If she does, treat. If not, keep working her until she does.Do the same with plastic.

By the time you have been working about fifteen minutes a day on this for a couple of days, start eliminating the chicken and praising her instead. Give her a bit of chicken only every three or four times, then gradually eliminate it altogether. She is the kind of dog who wants to feel like a team member.

That's how border collies are. Since you also have a terrier, and they are also intelligent, you need to spend time with both dogs. Rescuing a dog only to leave them in a house all day bored is hardly a rescue.

So if you must go to work, or if you are busy all day, you MUST find time for the animals before and after work. You have two intelligent, energetic animals and they are starting to entertain and challenge themselves. You need to redirect that energy.

Do not focus on what you do NOT want them to do, but on what you DO want them to do, and reward that. As far as her not eating is concerned. She is six.

Offer her good dog food once a day and leave her dish on the floor AWAY from your terrier (preferably fed in separate rooms so she will not feel intimidated by your terrier's possessiveness -- and terriers are possessive) for half an hour. That's it. The second day she will eat.

She probably will the first day if she feels comfortable eating. Sometimes when you bring a new dog into a home where another dog has established territorial rights, you will find the new dog will refuse to eat much and that is simply because the other dog is intimidating. When we brought our standard poodle rescue home last summer we faced the same problem.

I sat on the floor with him and 'protected' him so he could eat. Now he is fine, but it took about a week as I recall. He was only a year old and the other dogs were older.

So they had 'rights' he knew he didn't have. He came in totally unsocialized and shy to the point of neurotic. He had probably spent most of his life in a cage alone.

He had to learn to play, and the other dogs helped. He is still, six months later, a bit awkward, but he's not fully mature yet, either. He's really coming along and we have bonded so closely that when I go to the store my husband informs me he pines and whines.

Because he is my jumper, I bought a kids' hula hoop and give him treats for jumping through it at different heights. At first it terrified him and now he loves it.It's a working together thing. Each of the dogs is different (we have three right now) and needs special attention in his own way.

And they get it. We are fortunate in that we have a small horse pasture which is also connected to our neighbor's horse pasture and the dogs are allowed out there when I am feeding horses in the mornings and they run their silly heads off chasing each other and sniffing out where foxes or raccoons may have gone during the night. Dogs need the exercise, the working with, the bonding, and feeling safe.

Border collies are marvelous dogs, and very intelligent. She needs to feel safe and challenged and that life is fun. It will take awhile, but if you are patient and DO NOT yell, EVER, but reward good behavior, I think you will see a giant difference.

Remember, though, she has had six years without you.It is going to take time.

" "My 14 year old Border Collie is very smart but slowing down. I want to teach him to paint-suggestions? " "my 2 year old border collie has trouble getting up from laying down, and won't sit anymore" "I need a pair of white hand towels with a lace border where can I find them?

" "my border collie is 3 years and 8 months old she as been spaded after first heat she does jumping once a week now she do" "I watched a show on skunks, They say many people love them for pets? Are they good pets? Are they hard to take care of?

" "What is your favorite brand of paper towels? Why? " "how to stop my border collie from herding a new kitten?

My 14 year old Border Collie is very smart but slowing down. I want to teach him to paint-suggestions?

My 2 year old border collie has trouble getting up from laying down, and won't sit anymore.

My border collie is 3 years and 8 months old she as been spaded after first heat she does jumping once a week now she do.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.