Bullet87

Hey all, I know there are a lot of topics on the Boards about pet insurance and after reading through most, I still have a few questions. Right now I am only going to insure my 4 year old Blue Heeler. I eventually will add my BC but at this time I can only afford it for one, and since he is oldest I will get him going first. I am almost certain he will need some sort of care for his hips later in life. We picked him up from a shelter and you can tell he was a product of poor breeding... He has not been diagnosed with anything to do with hips so I am sure he will be covered under both plans. Is either Trupanion or Embrace better with their coverage for stuff like that? Also, when I did quote my BC (going to be 3 in March, intact) I notice his was less expensive, but on the Trupanion site it says they have some limitations for coverage on animals who have not been neutered by their first birthday. Does anyone have experience where Trupanion or Embrace wouldn't cover something because the dog is intact? I also read in one of the previous posts one of the companies wouldn't cover sport dog injuries... Does this include injuries to herding dogs? I also wonder about Embrace's option for the Wellness Plus addition and Trupanion's lack of. It includes costs of getting x-rays, prescriptions, OFA & PennHIP exams, annual exams, and a few other things. Is this something I should add or is it to "gimmicky" and not worth the extra $30 a month. Finally, now that you have read a novel! , yearly limitations... Embrace has yearly limits while Trupanion does not. Has anyone run into any medical expenses, like hip dysplasia surgery etc., that pushed them over the annual limit with Embrace? Thanks for all the input in advance!

While I am not 100% sure how to fix the turn, regarding the other matter of her not wanting to hurry and come back... Have you tried running away as soon as she gets to the box calling her name real excited like? Don't wait until she has turned around to head back, do it right before she hits the box. My heeler is the same way, he is a rocket going to the box, but coming back he is out for a Sunday drive! I found as soon as he is right about to get on the box if I call him in a high pitched, oober excited voice and immediately run the other way, it makes him come faster. I also use a second ball. I have it in my hand so he can see it, then I rewarded him with a toss of it once he crosses the line. Now of course in competition you can't throw the other ball, but I at least started this way in practice to get his excitement up. Now just having the extra ball in my hand works well, I don't have to throw it anymore, just a little toss for him to catch.

I use my Blue Heelers travel crate strapped into the back of the truck. Its plastic, so I just hose it out when we get home and scrub it with bleach every other time we go.

I am thinking of making a few agility things this weekend. I'm probably going to start with weaves, a single pvc jump, and one other thing; not sure yet. I have seen some people recommend an agility ladder. Should I also do one of these to help build that re-end awareness that is needed for the weaves? Or will the weaves be able to help him with this alone? Thanks!

I also have runner ducks in the yard for practice! Can't have any sheep in town... Although it sure would be nice not to have to cut the grass! I have found that I can work in the yard on close quarters work, like walking up into square corners (we run cattle at the in-laws ranch, and need him to be able to move cows out of square corral corners) and moving the ducks out of there. We also work on a little bit of driving with pressure, ie the ducks want to run back and it is a lot of work for him to keep them from turning back around and running to "safety". For long work, we go to the park. Sometimes to the local fair grounds if the park is too crowded. I pack up both dogs and the hubby and we work on outruns and flanks in the bigger area with some driving as well. My heeler and the hubby drive the ducks out a ways and then they hold them out in the general area, then I send Nitro on an outrun and work them back towards me. This solves the problem of them running back to their pen all the time too.

Actually Singe was not in the movie. He was supposed to play a small role, but those scenes where edited out. (I knew his owner who also knows the owner of the dog in the movie.) The dog in the movie is named Dart and is indeed a Border Collie.

Hi All, Just found out my local pet store is carrying Back to Basics and I was wondering if anyone has any reviews on the food? They also are now carrying Blue Wilderness, which is comparable to the TOTW I feed now, but the BTB seems to be a way higher quality feed then those two. I'm trying to decide if I should switch to Blue Wilderness as getting TOTW requires at least a 45 minute drive one way plus downtown traffic plus a steep grade going up coming home (and at least its fairly comparable in ingredients) or if the extra $10-$15 for the Back to Basics is worth it. Thanks!

I usually make it down from North Idaho for the Trialing of the Sheep. It all depends on how much of that silly thing called homework I have from that evil thing called school.

We have the opportunity to rent out 20 acres and put a few head of sheep on it. It's completely fenced and ready to go. To start we are only going to get 5 head, maybe 10 but probably just 5 for now. The pasture is located a bit out of town, but around some wheat fields and houses. Coyotes are pretty popular around here, but there are wolves about 45 minutes north of here and of course they may come down closer to us as they are quickly depleting the food where they are. Anyways, my question is, can llama's be just as good of a "guard dog" over the sheep as an LGD? In my research, it seems as if an adult, well trained LGD can run over $1000. (Kind of pricey, and I am not sure the hubby would go for spending $1000 on another dog, let alone one that will be living in a field away from home.) Currently there are people on Craigslist that have Llamas listed as obo as they need to downsize the herd. How would a llama react to a dog going out to work the sheep? There are also going to be a few calves (2-3) out on the land as well from the other guy that will be renting with us. In my experience, llama's don't seem to mind other animals such as cattle. I'd much rather have 5-10 heifers and steers, as they are less to worry about in the face of coyotes, but sheep are cheaper and I can get more for my money. =)

It sounds like your puppy needs some place to escape from all the "interesting" things happening when your grandkids are over. She is on overload. There are new toys everywhere, these little creatures that are her height hanging out on the floor, easily accessible food... She needs her own place to hang out by herself to reorganize her busy, overloaded brain. What if you teach your puppy that she has a place to go to when people come over? For example, and you may need extra help with this... Place a rug, towel, or whatever on the floor, something that signifies where she is supposed to go. Don't just pick a spot on your existing tile or rug, this can confuse them. (Does your pup know stay yet? I would really recommend this if she has yet to learn a solid stay) Do you clicker train? This should be super easy if you do. Start by first training her that the mat is something special. Click for any paw on the mat and treat. Gradually work up to getting all paws on the mat and clicking. Continue working after that with staying longer on the mat before giving a treat. Eventually you can work up to adding the command go to your spot or something like that, that signals your pup is supposed to go hang out on the mat until you release her. Finally after you have a reliable stay on that mat have someone come over and ring the doorbell or knock. Make sure your helped knows they may be standing outside for awhile as you may need to place her on the mat multiple times before the person comes in. Eventually she will stay on her mat until released, but she may still great people with too much excitement. In my case, I immediately sent them back to their mat to calm down and try again. You could also train this with a crate. I have one in the living room, door always hooked open, but during meals and when guests come over my BC knows "kennel" and he will just go hang out until released. It's also his safe place. If he needs a break from anything, he will go curl up in there for a nap. I know you mentioned you don't want to crate train, but this could just be her safe place that she can go into by herself when the kids get too much for her. This video has similar ways of training go to your mat.

I have a 2 year old boy that stays in his crate during the day while we are away. But, I have his crate with a X-Pen situated around it so he has a little more room as he likes to really sprawl out when he sleeps. He could very easily get out since the pen it really just placed up, not locked together, but he just stays there all day. Perhaps in your case, since your puppy does not know that the pen is his area, you could just try an x-pen without the crate. It will give him a little more room to play and stretch out to sleep during the day. You could give him a kong toy with puppy sized treats inside and maybe smeared with peanut butter over the hole so it takes him longer to get through. You could also freeze treats, again like peanut butter or even tiny meat pieces in ice cubes. That would keep him occupied too. (But may leave him needing to go potty since it is water.) Also have you thought about setting up the pen outside in one area? Make sure there is water and shade though, especially with the weather getting warmer. I suppose you could switch between outside and inside to give him a change of pace each day. You could also train him that the pen is a fun place to be. You could play some crate style games with your puppy in the pen. (P.S.)If you have the extra time buy the pen online. I bought my x-pen online and had free shipping. It was $20 cheaper than Petsmart and Petco. If you are uncomfortable leaving him home, and your wife can take him to work again, perhaps just some training is needed so he can go to work with her and be well behaved? Maybe enrolling in a puppy manners class in your area would be good for him. Hope that gives you some ideas.

I happen to have both a Border Collie and a Heeler (ACD) for working cattle. I love them both and could not do without either. They definitely have their own unique style of working and how they handle different situations. My BC is used only on cows, yearlings, and calves, never bulls. He is gentle and patient with the babies, but holds his ground and gets in the cows faces if he has too. He does not have enough of that "fierce" and tough presence to work bulls. My Heeler on the other hand is brought out mainly for moving the bulls across the pasture. He is what I like to say fearless, tough and will not take crap from any of the bulls or cows, but he also has a super gentle side with the calves. On the occasion my Heeler does get to work cows, it is mainly in the mountains when we need a dog that will pick up and go and is not afraid to get a bit nippy to move the cows to new mountain pasture. (Sometimes they get a bit sticky in the trees and don't realize we aren't punishing them by making them walk a few miles, just moving them to new areas with more grass! Stupid cows! ) Bullet, the heeler, is definitely only a driver. He does have a basic concept of come bye and away, but to him those only mean move left or right. Nitro, the BC on the other hand is used for gathering and driving. My BC is also not as stuck to me as my Heeler is. Heeler's are most certainly a one person kind of dog, but that might not be bad for you. Especially if you plan on taking your dog to new places for your job. My BC when we go somewhere new around the ranch always wants to immediately see/sniff everything he can, my Heeler on the other hand is more "I'll just stick with you" until I tell him he can go play or whatever. I would second the idea that you try and see the two breeds in action. As I said, each is unique and you may find that you will need one of each!

Walmart carries a Furminator knock off type brush called a Shedzilla. It was only $20 at my Walmart. It's got rounded tips and I find that it works great on my BC. He's got really curly hair on his back and its hard to comb through, unless I use the Furminator style brush I have. Big bonus that it is a brush and deshedder too! Here's a link for the brush I'm talking about. http://bit.ly/Ivq5j2

Have fun! I have to say I'm jealous that you have a flyball club near you! We don't have any close.

I'd like to be brutally honest here. If you know your dog is aggressive towards others when playing why are you still walking him were other dogs run loose playing? I mean if you were walking him on a leash so other dogs did not bother him as much, fine, but letting him run loose when you know there is the option that your dog may bite another dog is just irresponsible in my opinion. If your dog bit my dog and caused any sort of injury you bet your bottom dollar I'd be upset with you and you would be footing the vet bill. You are just asking for a dangerous confrontation between your dog and another by constantly setting your dog in that situation. Seems to me you are just setting your dog up for failure.