KatieP

Hi! again. I was wrong about my puppy being 5 months old, she is actually 4 months old and will not be 5 months until June 25th. (I am so bad at Math) With that said, she got in trouble last night and she is brooding and sulking and will not "talk" to me. Last night, I made fried chicken, we are very very careful to dispose of the chicken bones in a covered trash can so our dogs cannot get at them. Well, my mom left her's on her plate on the kitchen table and Addie, being Addie, jumped up and stole it and ran outside. I saw her with the chicken leg and ran after her and she actually growled at me when I took it from her mouth. She got a very stern lecture and put immediately into her crate. Well, a few hours later, I went to get her out and she would not come out. I left the door open, but she slept in her crate all night long. Her crate is now down stairs where I can put her in it when need be, so it is not in our bedroom anymore. I called her to come to bed, she never came. She stayed in her crate all night long sulking because she was in trouble. This morning, she totally ignored me when I acted happy to see her. She's been very aloof all day. She is being friendly to everyone but me.. She is very mad at me.. It's sort of funny, but I don' tknow exactly what to do about it. She was naughty in the first place, and I corrected her. What do I do????

Thanks.. that thought never occurred to me and she is teething badly. She does love her "greenies" and her bisquits though. Maybe the pieces are too big, hard or painful for her to chew. That is why I'm going to switch back to the Royal Canin puppy. This was an eye opener. thanks again.

It's very hectic around my house lately.. Cheerio's seem to be in every crack and crevice!!! She does go in the crate when they eat breakfast and lunch. Sometimes, I don't get to clean up the floor around the high chair immediately because if she's been quiet, I like to let her out as soon as they are done.. Now that I realize that, I am making a habit of cleaning up first. Also, they have cookies or snacks during the day when we are all out in the back yard and she sneaks up and steals them. Plus, as I posted in the funniest food post, she has learned that standing under our BBQ grill, gets her meat drippings. I guess they must not be hot because it does not seem to bother her. She gets full of chicken or hamburger grease and then licks if off of her coat. Memorial day weekend she had 4 baths due to her Greasy discovery. She did also get in the trash a few times before I got a can with the lid and now she can't get in. So, she has tasted human food. We give her ice cream as a special treat once in awhile.. Probably a big no no but the ice cream parlor down the street from us sells doggie cones with a little vanilla and a dog bisquit on top. I am going to switch her back to the Royal Canin puppy for her breed size and see if she likes that better. Thanks again for all the tips.

Hi! Just wondering if anyone has read the book "Border Collie Savvy" by Fiona Jackson? I was searching books on Border Collies and this book came up. It looks incredible. I'm thinking of ordering it on line but wanted to see if anyone could recommend it or not. Thanks

Thanks so much.. I think I will switch her as she really seems to hate this food. What is funny, when I read that is that a few people I know, including my X husband, went on an all Protein/low or no carb diet and they too stunk. It must be all that protein. It's the same in people. I have tried putting yogart on her food but she just licked it off. At five months old, maybe I will switch back to the Royal Canin puppy formula, she really seemed to like that. Thanks again.. I so appreciate the advice.

Welcome. I am fairly new here too. My pup is already 5 months old. I have learned so much from this group. I did not want to crate my pup and I was convinced by the group that it was the best thing for her and wow, her behavior changed in a matter of two weeks. It was the best thing for all of us. I have found such a wealth of information from the kind people in this group. Although I owned a Border Collie before, she was a rescue who was a year old before I got her. So, I was very new to the particular habits and nuances of a baby BC. This board helps so much. Good luck and many years of happiness with Zoro! I love that name!

I have read the instructions and am still unable to post a picture. It says they are too big. My Addie turned 5 months old this week. I just realized the other day that she has gone from a little fuzzy baby into a long legged gawky kid. Her legs suddenly look so long, she is skinny, her head looks too small, her butt is big.. she is just going through that gawky pup stage that I know she will grow out of. She has gone from an over hyper puppy to a very sweet girl. For the most part, she has stopped her puppy biting of everyone and loves to give hugs and kisses. Since, having my grandchildren here, she has developed a love of "human food" from items thrown off a highchair, dropped on the floor, or stolen from a little hand when I wasn't looking. She refuses to eat her Taste of the Wild Salmon dog food and will let it sit until it is stale and she is desperate. She sits on command, walks very nicely on her leash, knows the "down" command and obeys most of the time even though her legs are dancing because she wants to jump up so badly. She speaks, shakes hands and recently started to bring back her ball when I throw it to her. We are not up to the "stay" command as I think that is still a little out of reach. But the good news is she has turned from a hyper biting pup into a very sweet and loving girl. I think Love and patience is key as well as crating her when she got to rowdy. Thanks to the advice that I received from the great people in this group. She has also started to develop a very sweet protective instinct over the babies and when they cry, she goes running to them, kissing their faces (not that they like that) and acting very concerned. I got hurt the other day, and I started crying (big baby.. but a board fell on my head) and I thought she'd have a nervous breakdown, she was so concerned. She follows me everywhere. Which sometimes, I feel sorry for her because I'm only getting up to go down stairs and get a cup of coffee but she is always right there. Poor thing, if I get up to go to the bathroom at 3:00 in the a.m. I turn around and she is right there with me, and waits outside the bathroom door. Her intelligence, never ceases to amaze me. I tried to trick her a few times when I wanted her to stay in the bedroom and not follow me. I acted like I was coming back in and then once she was in, quickly slipped out the door and closed it. Now, she stands in the middle of the door way and will not come in unless I walk half way through the room. She won't let me pull a fast one on her. So, for first time BC owners of a younger pup, it really does get so much better (if you have a hyper, over zealous pup on your hands). I am so in love with her. I just wish she would eat her dog food. Any thoughts on this? I am worried about her nutrition. Her weight was o.k. at her last Vet check but a little on the light side. Is it possible that she just hates TOTW? I did switch for the Prairie variety to the Salmon, which was suppose to be easier to digest. I do crate her when the kids eat lunch so she cannot steal or sneak the left overs. And the garbage can is covered, she can't get into that. She just holds out for so long about eating this dog food that I am worried. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Our outside grill is in need of repair and we have to replace the grease pan that goes underneath the burners. My brilliant 4 month old BC, Addie, discovered that is she stands underneath the grill when the food is cooking, she can lap up the grease. You would think it would be hot but I guess that it isn't because she keeps doing it. I had to give her two baths on memorial day because of her "greasy" habit. Her entire head and back were just covered in chicken grease. Then of course, she loves to lay and lick her self all over.. It is a pretty yucky situation. She also has stolen butter. And my 20 month old grandson cannot run around with a cookie or she sneaks up behind him and steals it. She won't do it If I am looking, she's very crafty.

Congratulations. I can't figure out how to post a picture either. My Border Collie is already 15 weeks. I joined when I got her at 7 weeks and it's been a great resource. I already miss her little puppy hood. They are such smart dogs and as puppies so adorably curious and inquisitive. Now she is like a very naughty child. She goes in the toy box an picks what she wants. What ever she claims as hers, she will take right away from my small grandchildren. And right now, everything is Hers!! Have fun with your pup they really are amazing dogs. My pup, Addie, has to be on in everything that I do, from mowing the lawn, digging next to me while I garden, helping take the clothes off the line.. well she thinks she is helping.. it's so adorable. I had a Border Collie when my children were small and she was the best dog that I have ever owned. I had to work once they started school, so I waited 20 years to get another one, now that I am home all day and have a farm and lot's of running room for her. I wish you and your Puppy years and years of happiness.

I feed my puppy three times a day, but she is only a puppy and she eats small meals 3 times a day.. Currently, she is on the Salmon Taste of the Wild and she tolerates and likes that better than the Venison/Bison. Anyway, as a dog owner all of my life, I only always fed my mid to large size dogs once a day in the evening when we ate. My last dog a Shepherd mix, lived to be 15 years old. Some dogs are hungry in the morning though, my mom's little Westie always wanted her breakfast in the a.m. and her dinner at night. Maybe because smaller dogs have smaller bellies. I think a mid to larger breed dog would adjust well to being fed once a day. That is just my opinion and it worked well for me.

I don't remember if my last BC enjoyed swimming or if she just did it because her babies were in the water and she was that protective over them. My 7 year old had a pair of swim goggles and a snorkel once and he had his face in the water.. We were sitting on the bank of a knee deep creek. When she saw my child with his face in the water, she raced down the hill, grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled his head right out of the water.. that was the day that I fell in LOVE with Border Collies. Not that I didn't love her before, but wow, how impressive. Everyone there started asking me what breed she was and if she was trained to do that..(No, she just made those children her JOB and she took it very seriously)(20 years later) Now my baby BC, at 17 weeks, hates anything to do with water. She hates her bath, even in warm water.. Today it is very hot, I brought her down to the lake, she wants no part of swimming.. Just wondering in general if swimming is a personal preference among dogs or if some breeds, like Border Collies, do not like to swim?? thanks.

My poor 17 week old BC wants to play with our 3 adult cats and our other two older adult dogs who just think that she is a big pain in the rear.. Their attitude is "Kid go away you bother me"! Poor little girl, she is just so desperate to play with them. Once she calms down, she can play nicely with the grandchildren ages 20 months to 11 years. She wants to do what ever they are doing.. it's so cute.. If they dig in the sand box, she digs in the sand box, if they are on the swings, she is right there next the swing set.. They blow bubbles, she catches them. She does not retrieve as of yet, it's more of a game of come and get me, but she will chase a ball, stick, frisbe, just about anything you throw.. She also makes her own toys.. a plastic bottle tossed over and over again in the air.. she plays soccer with the big ball and will kick it all around the yard with her front legs and chase after it.. She's very smart. She knows it will roll down hill and will take it to the top and let it go and chase it going down.. I am so intrigued watching her play. We are on our 4th big ball because eventually she pops them. These dogs are just so so smart.. it amazes me daily. Sleeping now under my chair after a hard morning of play.

Wow, I didn't know that.. she is just doing it mostly on her own. She see's a bird fly by, or we blow bubbles for her and she just leaps into the air. I never thought to stop her as it seemed so natural to her.. but now I am concerned.. I don't know how I would curb this behavior because again, she does it naturally while playing in the yard, she leaps so high after butterflies and birds. It's beautiful to see but I never knew this was harmful to her baby joints.. makes sense that it would be.. How would you stop this??

Of course this makes so much sense... Just like the 20 month old toddler that I am minding.. Kids, puppies they are very much the same. My 20 month old grandson is into temper tantrums at the moment and he gets 2 minutes of time out when he will not settle down and screams like he is being murdered because he wanted a different cup or something like that.. so it is all relative.. puppies, children, need to know the boundaries and if you give in to them when they are at their worst, they will think that behavior gets them what they want.. :0)

Thank you to everyone who so convinced me to start crating my 4 month old BC. I keep her crate in our dining room which is in the center of our house. I got her a special bone that she can only have while in the crate. This really had become such a Godsend to me because now, I can crate her in the morning before the kids come.. she is not jumping on the mom's who are all dressed for work or the children. When the children eat lunch, she goes in her crate so that she can't try to steal lunch or snacks. She does hate it.. she howls after the novelty of the bone wears off. But she can also see me and hear me, which helps.. she is not isolated totally away from everyone. I also started to send her to "doggie daycare" with my daughter-in-law who works for her Breeder in a grooming/boarding facility. This has helped a lot with her separation anxiety.. Although I admit, I did cry the first day she started "daycare". I felt like she should have a little back pack or something to go with her. She came home and greeted me eagerly and the next day went out in the back yard by herself.. I leave the kitchen door open and She would come check on me every so often and give me a "hug" and then prance back out to do her own thing.. YEAH!!! She is also doing amazing on catching the Frisbe. She almost caught it in mid-air twice.. almost.. she is still little.. but she can leap like nobody's business. One of my greatest pleasures in the morning, before the children get here.. is to sit with my coffee and watch her leap and play, she has such a good time. Thank you again for driving it into my thick Irish skull that she needed to be crated.. You guys are the BEST!!!

thank you so much for such a kind and considerate post. It does make a lot of sense about the crate. She has her crate in my room with the door open. We have a huge multi-generational family all living in our big farm house. My 85 year old mom, who has moderate Alzheimer disease, my 26 year old (very pregnant) daughter and her husband and 6 year old son, and my youngest son 24 and his girlfriend as well as my husband and me. So that if I am not home, the puppy always had somebody to go to. But she doesn't. She comes up to "our" bedroom and waits very quietly for me when I am not at home. She doesn't get into any trouble, or chew or destroy anything. She's really good. When I am not home, she doesn't exhibit any separation anxiety. The problem is when I am home and try and keep her in the bedroom or out in the fenced in yard that she howls and screams because she is not with me and she knows I am here. She will watch me leave through the gate, get into the car, with no problems at all. Come back inside and go to her room. So, I guess I've spoiled her in away by always having her with me when I was at home, before I was babysitting the grandchildren (we are going on number 6 due any day and number 7 due in October). Of course, I just want my puppy to have the best puppyhood that she can have.. Just like children, it's crucial to the way they turn out as adults. I guess before I was babysitting, I just really did not feel the need to crate her. I took her outside all the time to go potty. I feel like a dummy sometimes in the morning out in my yard saying "Nice pee pee, go good pee pee" and then when she goes I say "good pee pee, good girl".. ha ha.. I saw my neighbor staring at me the other day as we were going through our ritual.. I guess it does seem strange but she goes when I say this. Now working on pooping but she does go on the papers in the house. So, maybe I did make a mistake by not crating her, I just didn't find it necessary.. but all your reasons make very much sense. thank you so much.

In my opinion asking for advice and having someone criticize you are two completely different things. I did take offense to saying that I am raising my dog to be hyper and demanding. I don't think I gave that impression. And nobody knows me or my dog. I think crating an animal is a personal choice. I've seen it cause further anxiety in animals I have owned because they are pack animals and are anxious being away from their "pack". I was simply asking for advice on how to deal with the situation without having to crate her, which I did get. I am very thankful for the advice that I got and I am going to start clicker training her tomorrow and teaching her where her spot is. I do have a crate that she has used since she was a small puppy, door open always. She use to go in it herself to go to sleep but has since taken to sleeping under our bed, where she stays all night long with no problems. I want to develop trust in my dog and I do train her daily. I didn't mean to argue but I don't think attacking me by saying that my dog is hyper and demanding was very nice.

Thank you so much for your wonderful advice. I had been thinking about getting a clicker. I used one with my German Shorthair and it did work very well. I love the idea of her having her own place to go. I do have a crate and she has gone in it with the door always open. She use to like to sleep in it, (door open) but then started to sleep under our bed, where she stays like a good girl all night long. It only makes sense that she is on overload due to way too much stimulation with the babies, crying, toys, kids running. She passed out today in the kitchen and stayed there for a few hours. She's calming down. Yesterday it was raining and she refused to go out in the rain longer than to pee pee. So, she was very hyper yesterday but was able to get a good run and play in the yard today, it made a big difference. I will go get a clicker and her favortie treats tomorrow and start teaching her where her spot is. Thank you so much.. this is exactly the type of advice that I was looking for.

Not everyone believes in crate training. UP until last week, I really had no reason to keep her locked up. I have taught her to go pee pee outside and now we are just working on the other. She is a member of our family and so she does have the run of the house. I have not raised her to be hyper and demanding. I love her and there was no reason that she couldn't be with me during the day as I am home and have been training her. When she is home with me she is fine. It's just when people come in and the kids are around that she gets so excited and jumps up on people. I leash her to teach her "down". Each time she jumps up, I pull her back and say "down" and she is getting it. I don't see how keeping her locked up, lonely and miserable in a crate is going to teach her anything. I saw crate training backfire with our German Shorthaired years ago and my X husband insisted on keeping him crated. He had the worst separation anxiety that I've ever encountered in a dog after that. He had nervous uriniation, he was excited to be out of the crate that he really acted up badly. I appreciate the advice that I receive on this list, I honestly do. But I've also experienced very condescending attitudes also. Advice is one thing but criticism isn't necessary. I've managed to raise my other border collie just fine and she turned into a wonderful dog who was the best dog with children that I've ever known. She was never crated.

Hi! I haven't posted in awhile because I've been very busy with my 14 week old BC pup, Addie and my grandchildren. I know the breed well and expected much of this behavior. What I didn't expect was to suddenly be minding my little grandchildren when their babysitter quit. Addie is just like having another toddler, she takes the babies toys, wants everything they have, making them scream, takes their cookies, knocks them down, etc.. she is very hyper. Of course I do try and correct these behaviors by keeping her on a leash with me, but I can't do that every second. I also did get her to stop biting them. But knocking them down and licking their faces to pieces isn't fun for them either. I've never crated her and now she has awful separation anxiety. If I try and leave her in my room or outside in the fenced yard, she screams and howls so loud and for so long you would think someone were killing her. (I hate to disturb my neighbors like this also) I also do not want her to get jealous of the kids and think she is being punished because they are here. She is just a baby herself but I'm going out of my mind. She is a smart puppy, she knows sit, shake hands, and is leash trained. But she is just a bundle of unbridled energy. She also growled at the baby when he went near her dog treat. Which I did correct right away and she was put in a "time out" Any suggestions would be so much appreciated.

PS I also see that trying to upload the photo as my signature did not work either.. Yikes.. I feel so computer stupid right now

Hi! sorry to be a pest but I wanted to upload a picture of Addie on my profile and it says that the file is too big, even though it says that the image sizer will re-size the photo. I re-sized the photo in photo bucket but do not know how to get it on here. Thanks, Katie

I need a little advice because my 3 month old, Addie, is not doing very well potty training. I do not crate her, I haven't found it necessary as of yet and I am home all day with her. She sleeps in my bedroom and she goes on Newspaper at night, never missing. The problem is that during the day, she gets too distracted when I bring her out and then sneaks off some place and goes poop in the house. For instance, first thing in the a.m. about 6:30, I take her out. She see's birds, leaves blowing, her toys in the yard, and forgets to go potty. Then I find poop some place in the house after I bring her back in. Some days we are out for hours at a time since I've been gardening and landscaping so she is out quite often. Right now, we just came back in, after a frustrating 30 minutes waiting for her to go (I need my coffee) but watching her do everything else but go potty. I went in to go to the bathroom and find poop next to the toilet. Funny, but this is her favorite place to go, next to the toilet like she almost knows that is what humans use it for. Any advice?

I think he looks like a Border collie mix. He really looks like he has a Border collie coat. In any case, good luck and many happy years together.