Hello and if anyone could spare some advice...

[Collieboy]

I have a 5yr old bc and 2 springers- my bc goes everywhere with me including work and my non dog owning friend was always very impressed at her obedience etc. so, he decided to get one.

 

He hasn't invested a quarter of the time I spent and still spend with my bc so it's no surprise that he now has a 6month old bouncy/crazy bc. Anyway, he doesn't feel he can look after him any more and has asked if me and my wife can have him.

 

So, I'm looking for advice with a 6 month old, how long (just an estimate, I know it varies from dog to dog) it would take to get him settled and understanding how to behave? Do I train him the same way I would with a little pup?

 

My bc was a good influence on the springers when they came as little pups, she's quite bossy with them but she is more intelligent than most humans I know!

 

I've never taken a dog in at 6 months and I'm a little nervous. One thing in this big pup's favour is that he is well socialised and gets on well with my dogs- we took them all to the beach yesterday but since he has zero recall I couldn't let him off but I took a long rope. After a few hours(!) he did start to come back a little but I was too nervous to trust him completely.

 

What do I do!? Any advice will be very much appreciated.

[Cass C]

6 months is still very much a puppy. So start training right away the same way you would train a puppy. If he has learned any bad habits slowly work to get those phased out. I'm glad you had the heart to take this dog in.

[Collieboy]

Thank you; I really hope so, I'm wondering if it might be worth looking for a magic wand- you don't know of anywhere that sells them do you?

 

He does have bad habits and doesn't seem to listen but, I think I'm letting his size impair my judgement- he is still a pup so I guess I should just start again how I would have if he was tiny.

 

Like I said, he's sociable so I'm lucky in that respect and he's affectionate so I think he'll be great when he learns some manners. I suppose I just need to remember my puppy patience!

[jvw]

Thank you for taking this pup in!

 

I agree with above, just train him like you did your first pup. Be consistent. Perhaps he will learn faster since he is a bit older. Perhaps he will also learn from your other BC.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the former owner wants him back after you have him all trained!

[GentleLake]

Yep. Treat him like a wee pup and you'll be fine. Try to prevent the naughty behaviors as much as possible and teach him what you do want from him in their place. He'll learn quickly that being naughty earns your displeasure (and that doesn't have to involve punishment, other than perhaps a firm "no!" and removing your attention from him when he misbehaves) and he gets rewarded for behaving nicely, and I expect he'll com along quickly. Just be patient with him for these first few weeks and I'm sure you'll have another great dog!

 

Thanks for giving him the home and attention he deserves.

[gcv-border]

Kudos for taking this pup in.

 

As others have said, train him like a pup. (I have taken in older fosters that I will start training as 'puppies'.) Start from the beginning. The only little bump in the road that *might* happen is that at 6 months old, he will be a little more independent. so you just have to watch out for that and be more patient and consistent with training.

 

With the recall, I would definitely have him on a long line until he has a solid recall. With a pup (8-12 weeks old), they aren't that fast so if they break a recall, I can catch up to them to get their attention. Plus at that age, all their attention is usually on the human. At 6 months old, they are beginning to notice the larger world and if they run and don't respond to your recall, there is no chance of catching them. Make sure to proof the recall really well.

 

Other than that, he, and you, should be fine.

 

Good Luck.

 

Photos please.

[Collieboy]

Yeah I'm hoping my favourite girl will help me a bit- she did with the springers and she told him off a few times yesterday- he actually responded well to her!

 

I've told my friend that if this is what he wants and the pup joins me then that's it- he couldn't have him back. He said if he was like mine or even like my other two he would have kept him! I could rant all day about how amazing my bc is and yes she's super intelligent and we 'get on' well but all the manners she's learned has been over time and lots of time.

 

I'm a bit nervous but, I'm sure we'll get there. I just need to remember he is a puppy! There's no need to thank me, I'll take some photos of him and all will become clear, he's a happy, healthy, (very) bouncy beautiful boy!!

[Root Beer]

I took in a completely untrained, crazy 10 month old Border Collie in 2007. It was an exhausting first month, but he is my best trained dog, and he is quite settled, and very well behaved.

 

It took several months for things to start to come together for him. I started at square one, as if he had no training whatsoever. Leashes for safety when outside the fence, crate when he could not be supervised, etc.

My other dogs were a good influence on him, but I had to put in the work - a lot of work - to help him learn manners and basic household rules.

 

It can be done and you will get there. Lots of patience, lots of work. But it's worth it.

[denice]

Sounds like you all will be fine. One word of caution dont expect him to be like your girl. He may or may not be, each dog has their own personality and quirks. Lots of behaviors are genetic - more so than you would think.

I have a great bc that has become my main working dog his 'thing' is he enjoys carrying things in his mouth. Doesn't matter what it is really - sticks, toy, blade of grass, leaf... he will even pull a weed out of the ground. Some of his pups have his 'retriever gene'. I even have related dogs who roll the same in the grass, snow ect.

I do think boys take a bit longer to mature as well. I imagine he will be a bit tougher since he has bad habits. Don't let him slide on things or make excuses for him just be consistent and fair. I find most dogs will respond well if they understand what is expected of them.

[D'Elle]

Good for you for taking him in and welcome to the BC Boards. This is a great forum so I hope you stick around. I think that your older girl may be a great help in training. Whenever I have had a foster dog my other dogs are a big help in training the newbie. If you are happy with how you have trained your adult dog then you will probably do fine with this one. The only word of advice I have is try not to be too ambitious for the new pup. I had to learn that lesson with foster dogs. Each dog is so different, and it is important to find out who that dog is and not to expect him or her to be one way or another way based on your own expectations, or on how previous dogs were or are. That was one of the most important things I learned when I was fostering.

[Beach BCs]

Thanks for taking in this pup!

 

I agree with everyone who said to train him like a young puppy. I think with training and structure you're going to see a huge change inside of a month. Six to nine months is actually my favorite age to bring in a new dog. They're still young and a bit malleable, but training goes so much faster. That and I tend to like naughty dogs.

 

Best of luck!

[Sue R]

Start from scratch, and thank you!

[Guest Jule]

Yeah I'm hoping my favourite girl will help me a bit- she did with the springers and she told him off a few times yesterday- he actually responded well to her!

 

I've told my friend that if this is what he wants and the pup joins me then that's it- he couldn't have him back. He said if he was like mine or even like my other two he would have kept him! I could rant all day about how amazing my bc is and yes she's super intelligent and we 'get on' well but all the manners she's learned has been over time and lots of time.

 

I'm a bit nervous but, I'm sure we'll get there. I just need to remember he is a puppy! There's no need to thank me, I'll take some photos of him and all will become clear, he's a happy, healthy, (very) bouncy beautiful boy!!

I don't mean to be disrespectful to your friend but what he should be saying if he was honest with himself is, "if I could be bothered to put the effort in like you have, I would keep him." Being honest with himself might save the same mistake being made again. I hope he realises that it is not just this particular dog. No matter what the breed or individual dog, they all need effort by their owners.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people look at dogs as some kind of generic object. "Oh, I want one like that". Buy it, take it out of the box, install the batteries and presto, "I have one too".

I know you don't want thanks but you deserve it anyway as you have saved this pup from the fate of thousands of dogs that are obtained by people who don't do their homework and don't put even the basic effort in.

I agree with the others, he is still a pup and at only 6 months I'm sure he will come along beautifully in the hands of someone like yourself.

It speaks volumes to me that you have raised 3 well mannered dogs yet you still reach out for any specialised advice. That's caring, effort and best of intentions. What a lucky little fellow he is. Looking forward to hearing of your progress.

Oh and I'm sure all 3 of your dogs will be wonderful mentors and also help him sort out the pack rules.

[Collieboy]

It's OK to be a little disrespectful to him when it comes to this subject I think- I told him before he got him that dogs are hard work and all individual. My 2 Springers are brothers and, came at the same time, raised the same way but are like chalk and cheese.

 

I hate people getting dogs and not realising they won't just miraculously obey all commands etc. I knew him getting the pup was a bad idea and my wife actually said at the time she would bet money either we or our other friend (and fellow bc person) ends up with the dog because he can't cope. It was already a slippery start when he seemed so stressed and worried about his pup crying at night- for the FIRST week! Then he was always telling the dog how naughty he was and I was trying to explain that he needs to show him and praise him when he's good or he won't know.

 

This morning my friend was helping me at work and he was admiring my dogs (I had all 3 today). He just doesn't 'get' that it's been time and training.

 

Thanks everyone, I'm defo feeling a lot better and I'm even more happy that my wife said he's been good at home today. I think he'll be happier with us and that's the main thing!