martnmagik 68 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 i have a 5 month old border collie and it NEVER sleeps! i have tried sleeping it indoors and out, i have walked it untill it just has the energy to stand and still he wont sleep. he just runs around like a looney when he is indoors and when in the kennel and run just goes mental barking,howling and chewing like a nutter trying to escape. it will occasionally have a 5 miniute kip but that will be it for the next 24 hours! its driving me mad. has anyone any ideas? or has come across this type of behavior before? thanks mart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,174 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 I've only come across this in dogs which were either intolerant to certain types of food: think hyperactive kids with food intolerances, or one that sadly really had something wrong with its brain. Wasn't wired up right, but before you think you've got a nutter, what food are you feeding the pup? I've known a case where a totally hyperactive dog changed virtually overnight (well not quite, took a couple of weeks for the additives and stuff which were making the dog hyper worked their way out of its system) into a calm and sensible animal once it was being fed raw natural food. Collies are mega sensitive to a lot of things, so I'd try natural feeding before you start paying for brain scans! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martnmagik 68 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 well the diet is good as he is raw fed already and he seems to be all there in the head as he responds well to basic commands. knows when to go to the door for a pee etc. its just his sleep problem that is getting to me Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,174 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Could you give him the run of the yard or garden with access to the kennel when he eventually wears himself out? I've found that some Saluki types are like that: they hate to be caged or penned up. As they get older they learn to cope with it better, but never really like it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martnmagik 68 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 he has run of the garden and half an acre of land that he runs around in with all the other dogs and the kids, daytime i dont mind so much its during the night! ive even tried(against my will) to sleep him next to me when im in bed to try and get him to settle but he wont have any of it, is it possible to have insomnia in dogs lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 6,916 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Give him a hash cake before bed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,174 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Maybe he's got ADHD! I know this sounds daft, but you can do a relaxing massage for dogs: I did try it on a very scatty lurcher pup many years ago: only just remembered that just now, but it did help: she did eventually calm down, sort of: she is now 9 years old and still a bit daft, but she never really settled until she started working hard. Just had another thought: what way bred is the Collie? Trials bred, show bred, agility bred or working bred? There's some pretty bonkers Collies out there and if the parents were like that it may just be an inherited fault. I'm no expert on Collies, but I have heard that some of the agility bred ones are pretty hyper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martnmagik 68 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 he is a worker x agility ! his parents are fairly laid back as are the rest of the litter. although his sire has endless stamina while out working. but once home is as chilled out as they come. and gnipper ive considered trying "calms" but not sure how they would affect a dog both short and long term Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 6,916 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 my mates nans hyperactive heeler stole and ate an eighth off him while he was house sitting and it slept for a couple of days Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Casso 1,264 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 i have a 5 month old border collie and it NEVER sleeps! i have tried sleeping it indoors and out, i have walked it untill it just has the energy to stand and still he wont sleep. he just runs around like a looney when he is indoors and when in the kennel and run just goes mental barking,howling and chewing like a nutter trying to escape. it will occasionally have a 5 miniute kip but that will be it for the next 24 hours! its driving me mad. has anyone any ideas? or has come across this type of behavior before? thanks mart how long have you had her ,has she always been like that ? what have you done with her up til now?,,have you given her a focus for her energy, Dont do anything with her in the house, not a thing, no stimulation of any sort, pick a specific place in the garden and play there,nowhere else, play tug with her in that spot, and let her win every-time,, keep her on the lead to start with and get her to retrieve to play again,, it may not be the answer but it will give her energy a focus and an association of where to play in her mind, i'd say more than likely its relating to her drive,, best of luck with it,, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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