GentleLake

This could be important to help reduce the incidence of dogs with repetitive CCD behaviors. Please share, and if you have a dog that displays such behaviors, please apply to participate.

I'm curious. What's the other 75% From just this pic I'd have easily believed it if you'd told me she's purebred BC. LOL Congratulations, Stella Marissa. You scored yourself a great home.

Agree with above and would like to add that omega 3 supplements and CBD oil can be very helpful in reducing inflammation. Glycoflex is another good supplement. You're probably already aware of this - making sure she's not carrying any extra weight is also important. It'll probably be helpful to reduce carbs in her diet as well. Carbs convert to sugar that increases inflammation. A raw diet that doesn't include grains, legumes or potatoes (all high in carbs) would probably be helpful but if you can't or aren't willing to go completely raw switching out even 20% of kibble for fresh meat and low starch veggies can benefit. More than 20% you'd have to make sure it's balanced to provide a complete nutrient profile. ETA that contrary to misconceptions it's perfectly fine to feed raw and fresh food together. Wishing you and Jess the best.

Oh, Ruth. I'm so terribly sorry to see this. I haven't been around here much lately but always enjoyed reading about your and Gibbs' adventures together. It was so obvious he was loved. I hope you find some solace that Gibbs' time with you was a life well spent. Dogspeed sweet boy. (Yeah, I'm crying too.) roxanne “It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.” ― Unknown Author

Collects information from border collies that have seizures (aka fits) worldwide. https://www.fittingcollies.com/

Same here, though I had working sheepdogs at the time and it would have been hugely helpful. Try as I might I just couldn't get anywhere with the whistle. Of course, I can't whistle at all and I always wondered if that might have something to do with it.

https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/3264856973732841/

Good man, Gibbs! Love it.

You killed an awesome tick eating machine! I'd be happy to have a bunch move in and eat the ticks in my area. Possums really aren't a threat to people or dogs and do much, much more good than harm in the environment.

So are you AKA Melanie Bell or just copying and pasting other people's comments from other websites? This is word for word lifted from a comment under that name in the link Journey provided above. If you do some research you'll discover that overloading the immune system with ever increasing loads of various vaccines at the same time can backfire. I see no reason to add yet another vaccine, and one as questionable as Lyme vaccine at that, to an already overloaded cocktail of vaccines. If you don't care to heed the recommendations of some of the foremost animal vaccine researchers in the country (e.g. Drs. Dodds and Schultz) that's certainly your prerogative. But your anecdotal and limited unscientific personal experience won't be enough to make me throw caution and common sense to the wind.

Saw another piece by them recently on city sheepdogs getting training. https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100761400?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16425007261400&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2022-01-18%2Fsheepdog-training-helping-bored-working-dogs-living-in-cities%2F100761400

I do know that Casey ran around and chased balls after he'd recovered, but couldn't tell you for how long or how intensely. Sorry that's all I've got.

FWIW I fostered a dog (best guess border collie x golden retriever, size of a smallish golden/very large BC) who had double FHO and did very well. He was moved to another FH for the surgery and rehab so I can't give you too many details about how it went, but he puled through it very well.

Yikes, Ruth! I've edited that sentence to correct spelling. Jeana, if he's tearing up (plush?) toys then don't give him plush toys - or at least don't let him play with them unsupervised - unless you don't mind spending money for short lived toys. There are none in my house for that very reason. Instead my dogs play with tougher rubber toys and rope toys. And Journey's right to suggest that at his age Bernie could well indeed be going through a fear period. Don't cater to or reinforce his fears but stay calm and matter of fact about the things that set him off and he should grow out of it if that's what it is.

A few things I'd like to add, in no specific order of importance, to the great suggestions you've already gotten. One is Emma Parson's Click to Calm protocol and book. Don't be put off by it's being for aggressive dogs. It works equally well for fearful/reactive/over-excited dogs too. Also look into Leslie McDevitt's Look at That game, basically the same thing that Ruth describes with the "look at me" training, but ever so slightly different in intent and laid out in the 2nd (so-called puppy) edition of her book Control Unleashed. Both the Click to Calm protocol and Look at That game can be found online, with some good videos demonstrating the techniques. Yes, physical exercise is important, but try to avoid relying too much on mindless, repetitive exercise like fetch and Frisbee. It can lead to OCD - or more accurately CCD (canine compulsive disorder) - behaviors where the dog can't break focus and you've already said there's some of that going on now. Plus that kind of repetitive motion, especially when it's carried out long enough to tire the dog, is very hard on the joints and can lead to skeletal issues in later life, if not before that. While they run and work long and hard, the exercise traditional working border collies were bred to do is neither mindless nor repetitive. Their brains are fully engaged in the interplay between dog and sheep and the movements are as varied as the terrain and the ways in which the sheep move either with or against them and it has a very different effect on both their minds and their bodies. In fact, if it's something you have the means to pursue, some sheepdog training might also be a big help. Just make sure it's with someone knowledgeable and experienced with working border collies rather than an all breed hobby trainer. An off leash walk in a field or woods where the dog's free to explore and run at his own pace is far preferable to a game of fetch, especially if you're playing long enough to tire the dog out. If you're dog's not reliable off leash, then try to take leash walks on a long line where he's free to sniff and explore safely to his heart's content. Let it be his walk, not one you control all aspects of. And lastly, don't forget to quietly praise and reward the unasked for moments of calm and quiet when your dog decided to settle on his own. Far too many people forget to reinforce behavior that they like when it comes on its own, instead only engaging the dog when trying to teach him to behave differently than he is. It's equally important to reinforce desired behavior whenever it occurs, even - especially - when it happens on its own. Definitely look into nose work (aka scent work) and other brain games for your dogs. Buy or make puzzle toys, snuffle mats, teach your dog the names of his toys, etc. There are plenty of ideas on the internet to pursue.

Quite a few years ago a Karen Pryor Academy faculty member who worked extensively with shelter/rescue dogs told me that on average, it's more like 3 months before a dog can really be expected to acclimate to a new home. This seems to be catching on in people's understanding of the time we need to allow a new dog to start to feel at home. As to the right dog for your situation, add me to the list to endorse a foster based rescue for all the reasons mentioned above. In many cases you'll have an opportunity to meet the dog in their current home environment or at least with whomever their current caretaker is, rather than in what might be an exciting or hectic atmosphere of an adoption event. (The rescue I volunteer with stopped doing adoption events for this reason.) There are more individual personality differences within most breeds than there are between breeds. While some border collies don't do well with young children, others absolutely adore them. Chances are a puppy raised with your daughter will bond with her. There's also a good chance that if you're patient you'll be able to find a kid friendly post adolescent border collie through a rescue if that's what you want. The advantage there is that you'll have a better indication of what the adult temperament is. Anyway, good luck with finding a dog for your daughter.

I also haven't been around for quite a while and scrolling down thru old posts saw this, another loss I'm so saddened to see. 15 is indeed a wonderful age for a dog, and one that speaks to all the good times and love you shared. Hemangiosarcomas are sneaky things, but my understanding is that he was unlikely to have been in any pain. I hope he's running free in a big field in the sky with new friends and old. RIP, old boy. roxanne

I'm just seeing this too. I'm so sorry for your loss and so very grateful for the great life you gave Riverdog for the rest of her life. Dogspeed, sweet girl.

Thanks. That was it! Easy peasy once you know how o do it.

I'm trying to change my avatar for the Boards but I'm not seeing any options in the setting Change Profile page to do that. Can anyone help, please? Thanks.

. . . and while it's not official yet it looks like NEBCR came in 2nd in our region, which comes with a prize of $3,000! All our supporters deserve a big high five for sticking with us for 7 long days, putting up with daily reminders, voting every day and encouraging friends and family to vote every day too. It really does take a village. Thank you for being part of ours. We couldn't have done it without you.