help. this CANNOT go on.

[Karen]

You have to rig some way - rope, weights, some way that Happy cannot get through the door when you're not there. If necessary, also put a bell rope on the door so you can instantly hear if she budges it even a bit. Wedge a chair under the doorknob if you have to - it's up to you to be smarter than she is, and block her from access to them unsupervised. And if you cannot trust her in the room with them when you're asleep - well, she'll have to not sleep in your room.

A dog with a strong prey drive is not going to "learn" it away. There is just no easy way to contradict her very nature.

My very first best dog in the whole wide world had an incredible prey drive - if it wasn't human or canine, and wasn't fast enough to get away by flying or climbing a tree, it was dead. There were no woodchucks in our neighborhood for years after she died, she had cleared them out of a wide radius - which all the gardeners loved. But all the cats in the neighborhood were quick and knew at any given moment where the nearest tree was, for their own safety. I loved my Sheba, and still do to this day, but we had no other animals when we had her, for that reason.

[cali]

I think I might make some sort of noisy collar, so I can always hear her... she has no inetion of actually hurting the critters her herding insticts is just so strong that she gets wound up and jumps at the cages, she cant touch the bird, I muzzle her now when he is out, and his cage is to high for her to care, the muzzle is just homemade right now, I will be getting her a basket muzzle as she get pretty wound up and works herself into a frenzy when she can barly open her mouth while running back and forth. but I have had to search and gather up way to many rodents lately that she has broken out of their cages.

[cali]

well, I have tied bells to her collar and decided that if she wants a boring job so ad I will give her one. from her on out EVERYTHING is obedience work, this serves a double purpose, as her obedience have been seriously suffering, her stay used to be so strong I could leave her on top of a hill and go play with another dog, and people would always ask if she was tied up there lol, I usuaed to be able to leave her in a strange building, put her in a stay, leave, come back a while later she she would not have budged, she could have been waliing away and I could say "stay" and she would freeze in her tracks. latly though I tell her "stay" and 2 second later she is walking away, when Mistys stay became better then Happys, there was a problem lol she has even pottied in the house a few times when she has refused to leave the gate or the basement long enugh to potty.

[slleipnir]

Josie was like that when I first brought a cat in the house. I had to lock her out of my room (even though she sleeps there...) and after time (in her case...a month or more) she got use to her, and now she is fine with the cats....

[bckrazy]

Definitely, I'm sure she still KNOWS how to stay but because it isn't exercised as strictly anymore it's not a big deal. That totally happens with Obedience

Personally, I'd get a nice solid crate for Happy and have her sleep in there so there's no danger of her attacking the birds. I really hate muzzles, but that's just me.

[K9karen]

This totally convinced me. As much as I LOVE Border Collies, and I mean I'm in awe of them...never to get one! They're way too smart for me and I mean that as a height of compliment. Nothing you said surprises me. C'mon, despite your problem, you have to give her credit for tiptoeing in to the room and squeezing between and under a gate to get to her prey! I'm not making light of the situation, just commenting how clever she is! Sounds like she'd make a terrific agility dog.

[cali]

lol oh ya I definatly have to give her credit for using her brain like that

I know she still knows stay lol but she likes to interpret my commands in her own way, I forgot she did that sometimes till last night I put her in a sit stay...so she stayed in a sit, she still moved around she just remained in the sit I mean in all technicality she DID listen, I did not say stay put, I just said to stay in a sit, perhaps I should have clarified? I mean what was I supposed to do? she did what I asked, just not what I meant lol there is a reason most BC websites tell you that if you want a BC you cant be afraid of your being being smarter then you