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aprilrussell

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  1. To Donald, et al - I am fully aware that BCs need to be exercised and it is not preferable to expect them to self-exercise by leaving them alone in the backyard. Your comments are not helpful. I am a mother to a toddler and I work for myself from home. In an ideal world I would spend half of my day playing with Archer and exercising him but this is not an ideal world and I must do what I can to take care of him as well as myself and my family. What I am asking for here is a way to let the dog outside to pee and poop and to be able to play with him outside (that would be ME playing WITH HIM…) without him running away… So with that out of the way, thanks to all others for the helpful comments. The biggest problem is that even if I'm outside with the dog, he will still jump the fence if he decides he wants to, and he only comes to me when I call if he's in the mood. I'm no expert on dog training, and frankly we cannot afford obedience classes. I am working daily with him on recall and obedience training based on what I've read on this site and others. I really just want to make sure I'm doing everything in my power to keep him safe. And he is not safe if he is jumping fences in our busy neighborhood. Hopefully that helps clear up my question. Please limit condescending remarks to there boards as I am not claiming to be a BC expert.
  2. I posted a few weeks ago about a young BC that my family adopted. He was a stray that we took in, and he is just over a year old. We are adjusting to his puppy behaviors - learning not to leave things out we don't want him to chew up, playing with him plenty so that he calms down inside, teaching him not to jump or nip at our daughter, etc. BUT…I am going insane with worry that he is going to run away. We just bought a house and have a nice sized back yard that I love to let him run around in. But most of the fence is chain link, which he can easily climb. The back portion is a 6-foot privacy fence, but both our neighbors have cats that he goes crazy for and if we catches a glimpse of them he is over the fence to chase him. We put in a running line as a short-term solution to let him out (a 30-foot cable between two trees that he is attached to by a second cable). This is obviously not ideal for long-term, AND he can still jump over the fence on one side, which makes me worry anytime he is out unsupervised that he is going to get the cable caught and hang himself… We would like to install a full privacy fence around the entire back yard, but we cannot currently afford to do so and I've heard that a lot of BC's can jump those anyway. So what we are thinking now is that we will get an "invisible" fence, one of the ones that shocks the dog if they get too close to the barrier. I am not 100% happy with this option but I am really at a loss about what to do with him. He is definitely not getting enough exercise because I cannot let him run loose in the backyard without worrying he will jump the fence and run off (he does not recall well AT ALL). I would love some suggestions here, or at least some encouragement that one day I will not have to constantly worry that our BC will run away. It is stressful always having to keep him on leash and I feel so awful that he is not expending enough energy. What should I do??
  3. GentleLake, you are spot on. Your suggestions are working beautifully. Ha...baby gates. You're kidding right? Do they make 7-foot baby gates? Thanks y'all!
  4. I like the idea of a positive approach. Like I mentioned, I need to get better about giving praise and reinforcing good behavior instead of just correcting the bad. Anyone have suggestions on keeping him from getting all of the baby's toys (and pretty much everything he get get his teeth on int he house)? Every time he does it I give him one of his toys instead but it has been 3 weeks with barely any change. He obviously knows he shouldn't have it because he runs from me and won't let go (as opposed to his toys, which he brings to me and drops). No matter how many times I say "no" and replace the "bad" item with a "good" item, he doesn't seem to get the message that the behavior is unacceptable. I am on the verge of finding him a new home because I'm so frustrated with chasing him all of the house. I simply don't have time for it.
  5. Thanks for all the wonderful tips! I definitely have to get better about using praise and treats! It can get so frustrating when I feel like all I do all day long is tell the baby or the dog NOT to do something. I appreciate your comments, as I tend to get a little discouraged if I don't see improvement right away. But it's good to know that I'm doing at least something right, and if I'm consistent his behavior will improve. I am still learning how different BCs are from other dogs, too. He is just so smart and a simple "no" rarely does the trick with him. I am looking into obedience classes in town, though we live in a small town and the options are limited. Hopefully I can learn to be a good BC owner, as I really think Archer could be a wonderful part of our family one day.
  6. My family recently adopted a young Border Collie who came to us as a stray. My husband was quite nervous about taking on a new dog, especially considering we have a 1-year-old daughter who I stay home with. I assured him that I would be able to care for and properly train our new dog, Archer. So...we've had Archer now for about 3 weeks. He exhibits pretty normal puppy behavior (he's just under a year old) - chewing, has some potty training accidents, nipping, etc. I'm hoping that someone more experienced with BCs than myself can offer some advice on proper training as well as what to expect from our dog. I began some basic obedience training (heel, sit, come, stay) and I'm seeing some progress. However, if he is the least bit distracted he does not come when I call him. In fact, if he is off leash outside he will completely ignore me, which means we've had to chase him through the neighborhood a few times. I have two young nephews who get rowdy, and if they run he chases after them and nips them. I know that is pretty common behavior for BCs but how do I keep it under control? How do I teach him not to herd children or other dogs? How can I train him to come to me when I call him, even when he is distracted by other dogs or people, etc? And most importantly, what is the best way to keep him occupied so that he doesn't try to escape constantly? He no longer dashes out of the house every time the door opens but I'm worried about him getting out of the yard. I walk him at least twice a day and practice our obedience training several times a week, with lots of playing inside during the day. But I cannot trust him off-leash outside AT ALL. Will that ever change? We are getting a new house and are planning on building a 6-foot privacy fence. Could he climb that? Should we build a pen for him? Do BCs dig out from under fences? I hope someone has some advice for me. I don't want this guy to get away from us and end up getting hit by a car, and I don't want to give up on him as we have become VERY attached to each other. But I need some reassurance that he will become better behaved.
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