Aliki2017 Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Hi all-- My husband and I are really enjoying reading through the postings on this forum. We adopted our puppy Cricket at the beginning of March from our local shelter. He was only 8 weeks old, and was in the kennel with his sister. He's now going on 14 weeks, and we have really enjoyed watching him settle in and grow! Of course, short of a DNA test, we don't know how much border collie is in him, but we're pretty sure there's got to be some, right? https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxcWNHa0Rlajk2STg/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxOS1qYmMzODdpVUE/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxTjdYNGc4WUVwSjA/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxTjdYNGc4WUVwSjA/view?usp=sharing He's super smart and loves to be a part of everything that is going on. He's been doing great in his crate at night (in our bedroom), and is a great puppy overall. He is a little "barky" though, and we're trying to work on this by using the "quiet" command. He's learned other commands very quickly, but this one doesn't seem to be "sticking" as quickly! Our previous dog, Willa, passed away last year at the age of 14, and she was not one who barked much at all. She was beagle/basset, and very low energy and quiet, so we are reading up on learning how to work on Cricket's barking. Any advice would be much appreciated! At his next check-up at 16 weeks he'll get his final vaccinations and will be ready to begin venturing out into the world a little more. We can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aliki2017 Posted April 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Sorry -- two of the same pics posted above. Here's Cricket's most recent photo, at nearly 14 weeks. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxUmIzb2NQUWxHblU/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Hi, and welcome to the BC boards. Pretty hard to tell if you have a border collie there or not, although by appearance he could be. He sure is a cutie. What is his name? You may be able to tell more about whether or not he is BC by his behavior than by his appearance at this stage. About barking. I suggest a couple of things. One is the "look at that" game, which you can Google or find in the book Control Unleashed. The other thing is to train barking as an acceptable and even rewardable behavior, as long as it stops when cued to stop. I use a sort of variation on the "look at that" game, myself. I live without other human beings in semi-country and I want my dogs to bark if they alert to anything out of the ordinary. So, if they start barking I go to the door or window and ask them what it is, and praise them for barking. Then, once we have surveyed the area I let them know that I appreciate it, but it is time to stop. And they stop. Use "That'll do", or "enough", or whatever command you want, but use the same one all the time. If barking doesn't stop, you take the dog away from the stimulus and he goes into a room or crate for a few minutes until the barking stops. No anger, no scolding, just consequences. And remember that at 14 weeks your guy is just a baby still, so have lots of patience with this process and just be kind and consistent. Which applies to all training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amc Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Welcome! Cricket is a doll, it sounds like you are off to a great start with him. I second everything D'Elle suggested about barking above, especially the kindness and consistency. We've had several 'talky' Border Collies over the years, some more endearing than others. One sweetheart, Maddie, was very bright and quick to learn but she was barky, so I did as D'Elle suggested and put a "can you talk?" command on it. Once she had that down, I taught her to "Whisper", at which time she'd emit the cutest little quiet woof. Adorable. Enjoy Cricket's puppyhood, and please keep the pupdates and pictures coming! Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aliki2017 Posted April 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Thanks for the welcome and the feedback. We have been using the "look at me" command a lot with Cricket to work with him on leaving our male cat, Benny, alone. Benny tries to play with Cricket but Cricket is too exuberant at this stage, so we are working to shift his focus. He does well with persistent "look at me" work, so I think we'll try that with his barking as well. I like the idea of teaching him to speak so we can teach him to be quiet as well, so we will try that. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophieDxx Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 Oh, Cricket is gorgeous! I don't really have any advice, my boy has never been big on barking, he does occasionally but barely for a moment or two before stopping. I'm really just here for the puppy pictures. Lmao. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aliki2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Thanks! I love this puppy. He's gotten a little better with the barking, but he's just a vocal boy! Here's a recent photo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxak1qa0VwZmJCYVE/view?usp=sharing Alissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophieDxx Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Oh my! He is soooo handsome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Very handsome. I am glad everything is going well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted May 15, 2017 Report Share Posted May 15, 2017 What a darling puppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aliki2017 Posted May 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2017 Thanks, all! My husband and kids got me a dog DNA kit for Mother's Day I know there are conflicted views on the reliability of such kits, but I'm still excited to send it off and see what's in this great little pup we've got. I'll keep you posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted May 17, 2017 Report Share Posted May 17, 2017 He's a cute pup for sure. Welcome to the boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aliki2017 Posted May 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2017 Thanks, all! One ear "popped" last week and is upright. The other still has a little fold at the top that flops over. I wonder if that one too will pop? My husband is hoping for an asymmetrical look. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxajUxVzVaUTRTZ2s/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XMeMYzWMjxZHg4VlFLa3d2YW8/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted May 17, 2017 Report Share Posted May 17, 2017 Shoshone had that one up one folded thing going on. When they both flopped up for a few seconds, it made her look really surprised! Very cute pup you've got there ~ Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted May 17, 2017 Report Share Posted May 17, 2017 I love what border collie puppy ears do. Sometimes they go up, come down again, go sideways (airplane), go back up again. It is hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Fan Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 I love what border collie puppy ears do. Sometimes they go up, come down again, go sideways (airplane), go back up again. It is hilarious. Indeed! My pup sports the one up, one down look, which I love. One day last week her other ear popped all the way up... but it was only a one time thing (so far). I'm hoping she keeps the one ear up one ear down look into adulthood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 My BC is 3. Her ears still do whatever they want. They're mostly up and tipped, but either or both periodically flop over, or airplane and sometimes both go fully erect. It's FUN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamberav Posted May 24, 2017 Report Share Posted May 24, 2017 My growing pup's ears are doing all sorts of funny things too. I love it He had one tipped and one flopped over and then 2 days later he had changed sides of which one was tipped vs flopped. Then he had just one up all the way for a day...and right now they are both tipped. I have seen his ears stand up twice when he was on high alert watching another dog. I joke around and say he just likes to have different ear styles like we have hair styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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