Izzysdad

Yay!!

That was great and well done. I wanted more!

I'd love to see more of this. It's fascinating!

Just finished the book. Very good read! It's on Kindle if that's your weapon of choice It is an autobiography of Emma Gray who runs a 150 acre farm on her own (her driveway is 4 miles long). It is by far one of my favorite dog books I have ever read. Tim

Oh wow! I certainly see a difference. She was born in Ohio sold to a home in Penn. Then this spring went to the rescue in upper NY then to a foster in VT the to us in Mass. Whew. Lots of homes in a short period! We shall see what this winter brings!

Firstly, welcome to the boards! Secondly, thank you posting here. What everyone said is true, and not meant to be an attack in anyway. The vast majority of people don't have a clue about proper border collies. I did a presentation in college about the horrors of the AKC (ACK). Please stay away. Nothing wrong with a puppy but think about rescue a bit as well. We actually almost went with puppy before taking in our latest rescue. Thirdly if you haven't read the thread a bit lower about how much attention BC's need. That thread should be a sticky here. And lastly if you do get a pup or an older rescue the boards require lots of pictures

Of course as with the breed anything goes

These answers are all great. A term we latched onto was 'off-switch'. Teach the dog an off switch and you'll be a lot happier! For us having more than one cuts down on the craziness because they play with each other better and when not home they hang together. The main point is they are a lifestyle dog. I think most will agree once you understand the bond you can have with these dogs they become an addiction.

I'm very curious to see what her coat will do, and how she will finish growing. She looks part baby deer part fox right now. I have noticed as well that her coordination has gotten better over the past three weeks. Her birthday is Christmas Day so as she gets towards a year it will be cold and maybe an undercoat will come in.

Boxers? No way. Thanks!

Out of curiosity I'm wondering if anyone has a a BC that is not double coated? Maizey is 7.5 months and I guess you would call her smooth coated but her fur is long and very soft but her skin can easily be seen. This being our first full BC pup my interest has been peaked. Izzy is a mix and her coat is lab like. Tobey is medium rough I guess, double coated that takes forever to dry. Maizey dries in about 30 minutes from sopping-wet-do-not dare-jump-on-the-couch to dry. I also noticed her feet are webbed but Tobey isn't nor was Zoey. I feel like I'm always learning about the breed which I love

I like what you said Donald. While I do not have stock to work I consider my dogs companions which I rank higher in my mind, whether that's right or wrong, I'm not sure. My BC's always don't have instinct to work so it's not really an option.

I read recently that coats can change/grow out as they age. I noticed in the past few weeks Tobey has been shedding off of his hips way. More than past years and he just turned 7. I wonder if the change in diet is the main cause...

The wife messaged me to report all is normal this morning. She had a little chicken and Fromm grain free lamb in the late afternoon. She was off the Fromm chicken for about 24 hours. Fingers crossed it was just the grain. Still moving forward with the stool analysis.

She's a looker! Does she still have the same 'can do' attitude or has the teenager emerged a bit?

All good advice! She is 7 months old now. Came from a rescue and stools were normal upon receiving her if not a bit on the bigger side. Treats have been Zuke's for training and Motherhubbard biscuits. The foster gave her bully sticks and she's had one of those since being here. GHF has all their dogs on grain free, and since she was on raw the grain free would have continued till she got here. Her mood/hunger hasn't changed at all so that's a good sign. Poop sample to the vet as well!

I'm going to grab some grain free kibble on the way home as well. Maybe itchy and scratchy will like that better than the chicken

mmmm fasting, interesting idea. This is a puppy who already will bring her bowl to the food bin drop it there and look at me . It is a good thought though. Good call on the rice portion. I didn't mean to type that, DW will be bringing home chicken to boil.

hahaha love poop talk In addition to my main job I work part-time as an EMT so any bodily function is fair game. Her stools have been almost liquid like except for Monday where it was a mix, smells of course but not knock you over bad. White rice and chicken it will be for sure.

By larger I mean in comparison to the other two, Tobey is about 40lbs and Izzy (being a mix) is about 50lbs. The puppy's when normal was almost double the size/amount of the other two. Here is a link if anyone is interested in the raw food she came with: http://www.vermontrawpetfood.com/ourproducts.php It was the chicken/veg/fruit mix. I've made brand switches before and never saw an upset stomach go for this many days, though each dog is different of course. Good call on the water.

It is interesting! DW wanted to keep the 'ey' sounding names and she loved Maizey. So we have Tobey, Izzy, Maizey. We have also had Zoey, Lexi and Gracie. Annie was an option as well. FWIW I prefer classic BC names; Fly, Drift, Sweep, etc. I lose everytime Fun fact about us: When we first started dating we lived about 90 minutes apart so only saw each other on weekends. We both loved Grey's Anatomy so Izzy, Lexi, and Zoey (Arizona) were named for the TV shows characters. We used to have phone dates on Thursday nights and watch Grey's together. We did that for three years before moving in together. Back on topic: Her stools were large for her size IMO when she arrived but yes, they were normal. didn't think about the water. I am considering going to the grain free Fromm Beef. Izzy has a sensitive stomach to anything other than chicken but the little one may benefit from grain free.

So when we adopted Maizey she came from a foster home in VT. We live in northeast Massachusetts and the foster had her on a raw diet from a company in VT so no way we can get it and DW won't feed raw. It was raw ground chicken/bones/vegetables, etc. The foster gave us a 5lb "tube" of the food to mix in with the dry we feed the other two. We feed Fromm Chicken a la veg. We did the usual switch protocol till we ran out of the raw, however the puppy is having loose stools still. We have been doing some boiled chicken with the dry food for the past couple days which helped a bit stool was formed initially but loose after that. Last night for dinner she had only the dry (ran out of chicken) and this morning she was back to very loose again. Today is day 12 we have had her and the raw food ran out on Friday the 25th. I'm trying to determine whether she is really adjusting to the new dry or the brand doesn't agree with her. She was on the raw for about a month. What is interesting is she doesn't wake us up in the night with an emergency. She did wake me up at 4:30 this morning because she had to pee but she settled right back in the crate until about 6:15 when DW got up. Her BM was on our walk around 7:45, not sure if that helps but I find a bit interesting. Cheers, Tim

I'll try a turkey neck or two. Tobey and Izzy could use some dental care...I got Tobey a bison bone for his happy gottcha day/bday and he threw up that night. I suspect he went to town too quickly on the marrow, that the bone was too rich for his stomach. Will try the turkey necks, thank you!

Has anyone had any trouble with the dogs digesting raw bones? Upset tummy's, etc? Oddly I'm just learning that raw bones are ok.

Mmmm yes. Photos please.