Cyberdog

I suspect she will be just fine. My vet and agility coach keep Wallace ( 11 months ) under a little bit of restriction until his growth plates are closed but nothing too crazy. We don't do repetitive exercises with a lot of pressure like full height jumps, a-frames, etc. and we do not practice flat work every day. We do go for walks, occasional hikes, and play fetch with a chuck-it a few times a week. I couldn't imagine not letting my him run now and then, but we certainly aren't training for any marathons or 20 mile backpacking trips. I think of it a bit like human kids, they need exercise and play and sports can be good for them. However, if you religiously make your kid train every day to be an Olympic gymnast from age 4 their probably going to have joint problems early on in life. Are you going to to do agility or flyball or anything like that?

I have a 10 month old. One day when he was around 6 months old he was standing at the door of my car and I was preparing to let him in the car. When I said "load up" he jumped on the hood of the car and stared at me. My old dog Rocket hopped onto the washing machine after I happened to pat my legs ( a signal that it was okay to jump on me) while I was doing the laundry. Each of these happened from a complete standstill. So, your story seems like a border collie story. I am glad she's okay. In each of these cases I told the dog, "NO! not there!" and they got the hint. Wallace doesn't load onto the hood of the car and Rocket did not develop a habit of jumping on top of the washing machine or dryer.

Oh Ezrydr I am so sorry to hear that. Try not to be hard on yourself. It's so hard to be there. I used to work in a vet office and assisted with many dogs. Even though they were not mine I held them and spoke to them as they went when their owners could not. I recently had to say goodbye to my border collie, Rocket, a few months ago. She was 14. I sat with her and it was one of the hardest things I have done, and I have sat with human family members who passed away in hospice. I just held her and cried into her fur. About 6 months before she passed I got a border collie puppy, Wallace. His personality is very different but, just like any border collie, he is my shadow and now he lays where she used to lay around the house (our rescue dog, Wren, does not do this). It may sound silly but as a border collie his fur and his smell is very much like Rocket's. He helps me keep her memories in a positive way. I would not say he has helped me move on, but he lessens the blow.

I think its going to be very hard to determine 100% exactly why Tucker is biting. There are likely many factors. Just because the problem started after you went to work full time it does not mean that is nessecarily the cause or main cause. If I eat some applesauce every day at bfast, suddenly stop, and develop the flu it has nothing to do with my diet. This is a classic falacy of "correlation is not causation" So, the responses on the forum arent far fetched by any means. In terms of the shock collar it's really hard to know what Tucker assoicates with a shock. Punishment works when it is immediate (occurs during the bad behavior). That isnt really happening here. For all we know Tucker lives his life not really knowing when he will be zapped, which sucks. He could be associating any number of people, places, smells, or I objects with it. So theres only a few things we really know here: -There have been a lot of changes in his life -He is being and has been improperly trained with his shock collar -He has reduced mental stimulation since his training sessions have been greatly reduced. -He has started biting people in a very serious way that is not readily predictable by the members of the household. This is a very sad story and I don't envy you as this must be a huge stress point for you, Tucker, and your family. I think that sometimes we push more than we should on dogs. Think of no kill shelters and the attitude that all dogs can be saved and if you cant fix them youve failed. None of that makes sense for the welfare of dogs and people. If you euthanize him dont let these kinds of people and attitudes make you feel like a faliure or a bad person.

I agree with GentleLake and would explore sound triggers. Especially with the hiding in the tub behavior. I had a BC, Rocket, who started to lose a few marbles in her old age. She never liked thunderstorms as a young dog but started to react to very bizarre sounds when she got old. When she was about 13 she started to become really anxious, panting and running to her crate, when the dryer dinged or when the Xbox made sounds while you were navigating menus. After awhile she started to do this whenever I got the hiccups too. I did a little counter conditioning but mostly avoided the sounds at that point in her life. So, long story short. If it is sound induced it could be really hard to figure out what it is. Good suggestions from both GentleLake and D'elle

Thanks Ruth. That's one of my favorite photos as well. I lost Rocket, on the left, to cancer just a few months after that. She was trying to sleep and Wren and Wallace just had to wrestle right next to her fore some reason. I always thought she was thinking "really? You have to do that right here?" Your comment on noise is interesting. All my BCs, even if not noise phobic, pay a lot more attention to sounds. I can take Wren grouse hunting and she will work and retrieve with the shotgun happily. My BCs will stick around and not bolt but are not generally happy with gunshots. Even with a gradual introduction - .22 at a long distance and slowly getting louder. Though I am sure there's a border collie hunting birds somewhere on this green Earth!

Agreed. Not all my bc's have been noise phobic either.

Thanks! Wren is the brown one. She might have some bc but I cant say for sure. She behaves a lot more like a hunting breed. Not gunshy or afraid of loud sounds, likes to retrieve and swim, zero interest in stock but starts shaking if she sees a squirrel she isnt allowed to chase. She really likes water and snow. Anything to stay cool. However, her most favorite thing to do is sleep on the couch.

Tama is really cute. I also use the "go sniff" command. It's pretty nifty! If he is getting too amped up to do the behaviors successfully he likely isnt quite ready to walk nicely at the park or busy streets. I concur that practicing in the yard is really good. Once he's got that down visit a quiet road or a quiet park and then once he's got that move on to busier places. I have a 10 month old I am working with on this same stuff. Heeling is just straight up hard to teach. I could teach Wallace to get me a beer from the fridge faster than I can teach him to heel nicely. I found a nice article with some tips for keeping attention, which is pretty important for nice walks. I especially like the two-treat game. If I am out someplace and Wallace cant focus and do the two-treat game - I know sure as heck know he wont be able to do complex behaviors like heeling. When that happens I try to find a quieter spot where he can do the two treat game and then work on more complex stuff. https://www.kindredspiritsk9.com/training-articles/beyond-basic/twelve-tips-to-build-focus-and-attention/

Thanks everyone. I asked a vet in my agility class and she said the same thing. Im being overly paranoid about lazy feet. Plus he still has a little growing. He's my first agility dog ive started this young and I'm overly protective I guess. Here are some better photos.

I can snap a better photo later. He runs nicely but they are turned out when he sits every time. I also accept that I could be overreacting!

I am a bit worried about Wallace's front feet and am planning to consult with my vet about it. They point out and his left foot is quite noticeable. Is this something that could contribute to injury as he ages or is it purely cosmetic?

This past year I lost my old dog Rocket. She was my first border collie that was really my dog and there won't be another one quite like her. A few months before her passing, when I knew I just couldn't handle it, I got a little border collie and we named him Wallace. In the meantime we also rescued Wren. I was hoping she might have some BC in there and you could kinda see it when she was a puppy, but now I think it is just impossible to tell what breeds she is. Either way, introducing Wallace the border collie and Wren!

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23181930 So, I am thinking of asking my landlord if I can adopt this one. My landlord is exceptionally dog friendly, though there's always a chance he could say no. In the event that he says, "yes" I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting another dog... Pros: He has an awesome temperament He is young; so he would have many years of sheep herding, agility, and obedience ahead of him I really like him for some inexplicable reason He needs a home While in school I work a lot, but I have a flexible schedule and can often work from home. Cons: I'm a poor student, what if any of my pets get sick? I work at a vet office...so its cheaper and they will work with me...BUT it makes me uncomfortable not to have the emergency funds on hand. Maybe get pet insurance? I will eventually need to move. Rocket would be coming with me anyway, would it be harder to move with 2 dogs than 1? By the time I need to move the puppy will have his CGC barring some behavioral disaster. I will not leave my dogs behind so I can move to a new job; I love Rocket and I have invested way to much time, money, and energy to leave her. If I had a second dog; I think I would feel the same way. I'm trying to weigh this out in my head, and Ive been thinking on it for a couple weeks now. Is letting the dog rot in the shelter worse than bringing him home and risking vet bills I cannot afford?

Another day; another ribbon! I didn't expect to do so well. Its too bad, the judge is the same guy tomorrow. So even if we qualified again we could not finish our title tomorrow.