MyRuna

Runa and I had fun leaning some musical freestyle moves. I found this list and we got up to 35 of the moves. There are four pages of skills, listing "Skill, Difficulty, Description, Voice Cue,and Body Cue", which I found very helpful. Also found Runa is a much better dancer than me. Canine freestyle skills https://static.squarespace.com/static/508410f5e4b02e0cbd1db649/t/53556b5fe4b0240356d2d7bb/1398106975058/Freestyle+Moves.pdf

“Bring your child to work day” Border Collie edition- Enjoy! https://imgur.com/gallery/boATMvD

BC cartoons that might make you smile!

I am fortunate enough to have a self-watering dog. Runa has claimed the once decorative pond as her private pool.

Don't forget to water your border collies!

Something to make you smile!

- Are there any good resources with examples of commands and tricks and things to train dogs? - I was also looking for something like this for my border collie. I stumbled on this link after we took a couple freestyle dancing classes. The list has about 70 moves/tricks. The list shows - “Skill - Difficulty - Description - Voice Cue - Body Cue”. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/508410f5e4b02e0cbd1db649/t/53556b5fe4b0240356d2d7bb/1398106975058/Freestyle+Moves.pdf I loved this list for giving me ideas and for the verbal and body cues. For the actual training, if I needed help, I looked at kikopup videos (highly recommend her). I have a few favorite tricks that I found useful when training with my therapy dog. Mush face - dog places head in open, upturned, hand, keeps the dog still, and allows me to position the dog anywhere I want. Peekaboo - dog goes around and pokes head out between legs, children loved this one. (We volunteered at Children's Hospital). Who loves you - dog sits and puts paw on your leg. Has a good “awww!” factor. Not sure if this is what you had in mind, but I’m sure you will have fun training Quinn. Runa was my first BC, and she constantly amazes me with her brains and drive.

I agree with all the people suggesting a Lyme test. By the time symptoms show it can be advanced. I had a senior rescue that I noticed right away didn’t move right. Her inital tests showed an exposure to lymes, so I had a C6 test done. They treat for lymes if the C6 is over 30, her C6 was 594. Took two rounds of antibiotics to get it under control.. Good luck! There's nothing worse than seeing your pets in pain.

Maybe a snuffle mat?

Feeding in her crate was the solution for my BC, Runa. She was an adult rescue and while I was told she was housebroken, that couldn't have been further from the truth. She pooped and peed in the crate, till I started feeding her in the crate. The accidents stopped immediately. Lottie is beautiful and looks scary smart.

GentleLake, thanks for your reply. I had never heard of trigger stacking, but it makes sense, given how sensitive Runa is. I didn't realize how much that dog charging affected her, but looking back, any time that dog was off leash, Runa wanted to be in my lap or be picked up (which I allowed). The last freestyle class, I brought the "Power of her Universe - her frisbee", and watched as "frisbee out" = normal Runa, "frisbee gone" = shut down Runa. It was like an on/off switch. After a while though, it was pretty much all shut down mode. Her reactions make more sense now. When the frisbee was gone, she realized there were other dogs in the ring and shut down. Duh! Sometimes it takes a little insight from a third party for the light to come on. I think we will try one more class and see if there is any improvement. It is a small class, five mellow dogs, and the instructor and the other teams have been wonderful and very accommodating. They set up barriers to limit Runa seeing other dogs and they quit using their clickers. They want Runa to succeed. How nice is that? Depending on how things go next week, I am very open to vet/veterinary behaviorist/meds, thank you for the suggestion.

I remember reading on these boards, about some border collies going through a fear phase. Looking for advice on Runa, my 4 year old bc. She has always been very sensitive, to the point if I stubbed my toe and said “Ouch”, she thought it was her fault. She was sensitive but not fearful. It’s just been in the last couple months, I have seen a change in her behavior. Our last agility class had a dog that charged her through the barrier, never any physical contact, but it scared Runa. After doing it to 3 or 4 others dogs, that team was asked to quit. Runa seemed fine then, but two weeks ago we started a freestyle class and she totally shut down. One of the dogs barked at her and I never got her back. I couldn’t even get her to look at me. It was heartbreaking to see her that miserable. This training facility was new to her and the instructor said to be patient and see if it gets better. This last week was a little better, we went early and played Frisbee to get her used to the space, but as soon as the other dogs came and class started she was in and out of shut down mode. Also, she is now afraid of the clicker. She was clicker trained for our first year, but when another team used a clicker she would try to climb in my lap. My instructor was the one who mentioned fear phase. My impression was that it happened when the dogs were younger/adolescent? Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance, Judith and Runa

“Hi” from South Canada! (Actually, Minnesota, but please feel free to adopt us.) I think we may have similar weather, so just wanted to share my experience going down the black hole of dog boots. I agree with the previous posters that recommended Mushers Wax, it is the cheapest and easiest option to start with. I use Mushers wax most of the time for walks and play, and it seems to work pretty well. For furry dogs, shaving pads will make it easier to apply wax and cut way down on the ice balls). My biggest problem was/is when surface snow melts and freezes and kind of turns into sand paper. My BC is a skidder when she plays, and I was horrified the first time she had a bloody footprint. I ended up buying 5 different sets, two cheaper sets from PetSmart, that fell apart quickly and three more expensive sets, Ruff Wear, Muttluks, and Ultrapaws. The Ruff Wear were low profile and hit at exactly the wrong spot on my girl, constantly slipping under her dew claw. The Muttluks were okay, but had trouble getting them on due to the tight cuff, and keeping them on, and traction in slippery conditions was the worst of the boots (smooth leather soles). Ultrapaws worked the best for me. They sell the boots in pairs, because most dogs back paws are larger than the front. Found that to be true for my girl, two different sizes (which is maybe why people have so much trouble keeping boots from falling off). The only downside on these, was that my girl plays so hard that she got some rubbing from the inside seams. So now I use wax most of the time and the booties only when icy surface is really rough. Good luck! If anyone has recommendations for other styles/brands, I would love to hear them. After buying 5 kinds, my wallet says I have to quit looking.

Just some thoughts...... Your interests included acting and you said your dog know lots of tricks. Have you thought about getting your dog an agent? They offer dog acting classes in my city. Maybe you could both be in the business? Also, about the dog dancing suggestion, (my BC loves it) going back to acting and the body awareness it requires, it might be fun for both of you. Great suggestion on Kikopup training videos, she is one of my favorites. About gcv-border's suggestion to teach names of objects, here is some inspiration. Link to a 4 minute segment from PBS where Host Neil deGrasse Tyson visited Pilley and Chaser for a Nova documentary. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/world-smartest-dog-nova-special-shows-border-collie/story?id=12875750 I tried doggy daycare with my BC and after they told me they kenneled her 3 times for herding the other dogs, I realized it was not a good fit. This is my first border collie and it took awhile to find things we both like to do. Good luck and enjoy your dog.

Lots of good suggestions here. I had this problem with Runa, and found a link that suggested using a ball and food. If I remember right, you cut a slice into a ball and put really good treats in it. Let at the dog smell the treats, throw it, when the dog follows the ball, you follow and show the dog that they need you to get the treats out. They said after awhile, the dog figures out they need to bring it to you if they want the treats and when they do, the heavens open and they are showered with treats and praise. Of course this only works with food driven dogs. I never got a chance to try it out due to a happy accident. I had been training Run to bring toys and balls and drop them into a container, while saying “bring it”. Runa was doing so good at that, that I transitioned it to outside, using an ice cream bucket, and it worked. She brings the ball back and drops it in the bucket. I don’t have to touch the ball (I use a chuck-it), and I don’t have to worry about the ball rolling away. Now for Runa, dropping it in the bucket is part of the playing pattern. Good luck and let us know if anything works.

I would go to a vet ASAP and also check every inch of the dog for ticks. http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2016/05/near_death_dog_saved_by_last_m.html This link is about a dog that was going to be put down due to sudden failing health, then they found a tick. It was tick paralysis.

i am in Minnesota and the mud in the spring is awful. I fill a coffee can half full of water, dunk and wash each muddy paw, then blot. I don’t care about wet, but hate the mud. If it’s real muddy and the underbelly is coated, then into the tub she goes. Of course that means I have to wrap her in a towel and carry her upstairs. I am curious, are there BC owners that still have grass in their yard? My Runa is a skidder and sheared off most of my grass. It got bad enough that I put down 100 rolls of sod last summer, plus a ton of seed and I will need to do major repair again this summer. I am thinking having a lawn in the back is just a pre-BC fantasy?

Thought I'd share one of the best things I taught my therapy dog, Zuri, to do. We called it "Mush face" (it sounded cute to the children). I could put my open hand anywhere and she would lay her head in it. It allowed me to position her anywhere, like the edge of a bed, next to a chair, and so on. After awhile she starting doing it for anyone who asked for "Mush face", and would also "Mush face" on anyone or anything I pointed to.

Oh, my goodness! What happened to that dog?

Took me awhile, but I found the previous therapy dog thread. I couldn't believe that I missed it, but found it was posted before I got Runa. Therapy Dog Training - in General Border Collie Discussion - Started by deadlywarbler, 30 Dec 2014

I bought an antler for Runa, but took it away because it sounded like she was going to break her teeth on it. What do you all think about free range bully sticks?

I think fate did play a cruel trick on us. I think I have your dog. LOL!While taking level one agility, it was very clear that Runa absolutely LOVED it, actually a little too much. When running the course, she was a 100% focused dynamo, but became unhinged if forced to sit on the sidelines (to the point where several times I had to pick her up and take her outside). She is much better now, we took a mini agility course recently and she worked off leash with other dogs running the tunnel. I ended up a therapy team after what sounds like your situation. It was obvious after level 2 agility, that my late Zuri didn’t enjoy it and only did it to please me. Looking for something else to do together, we took a therapy dog course and it was obvious that was her calling. Hobs sounds like he definitively has therapy dog potential. Therapy dogs should want (not just tolerate) human interaction, be well behaved, with good basic obedience skills. They should allow handling, even slightly rough, sudden movements, along with hugs. They should be confidant, if startled, they should recover quickly, (things like yelling, strange gait, etc.). The normal progression is- 1) Take a therapy dog class. 2) Get certified. Most classes arrange for evaluators to come in after classes finish. 3) With your certification, register with Pet Partners, TDI, or local org. Cost is $50- 70? 4) Find your niche. Working with children in schools, hospitals, or Read programs, senior centers, cancer centers, therapy/comfort dogs in courts, airports, dentist offices, during exams at colleges, the opportunities keep expanding. Pet Partners and TDI (Therapy Dogs International) are nationally recognized organizations that register therapy dogs. The only major difference I found between these two, was that Pet Partners requires their therapy dogs to get re-certified every two years and rated for environments, complex (basically bomb proof) or predictable. This was the reason Children’s Hospital here only accepted Pet Partners teams. They also don’t allow a raw food diet. We were a Pet Partners team. There may be other local organizations. I would be happy to try to answer any additional questions, either privately or here on the boards if others are interested.

Zuri (a flattie mix) and I were a therapy dog team for 6+ years before cancer suddenly took her. She did rehab, visits, and was a comfort dog for families at Children’s Hospital. Sometimes all fun, sometimes emotionally exhausting, always fulfilling. It is something I wanted to do again, and why I ended up adopting my BC, Runa. She had (supposedly) been passed up for adoption twice for being too laid back and not being playful enough. I thought therapy dog potential? Well, that description lasted three days and then I had a wild child. So, we have been taking classes, obedience, agility, and an intro to dog dancing. It has been a year and she (between 2-3 yrs. old now) has calmed down to the point where we are considering taking a therapy dog course now. I am also interested in what other BC owners will say about age and maturity. Finley sounds too young to give up on, if you have an interest in being a therapy dog team. With more exposure to things like classes, people, and environments, his confidence level could increase and maybe eliminate the submissive peeing, and calm him down. Sweet and sensitive are good therapy dog qualities. Finley might be a good candidate for something more active right now and also being a therapy dog in the future. I think it’s too early to tell. Runa is my first BC, so I will leave it to the experts to advise you on activities, age advice, and tiring them out. If you have any therapy team questions, I would be happy to try and answer them. Good luck with your wild child! :-)

Good luck with your puppy. I tried daycare for my adult rescue BC, but she only went three times. She would get overstimulated, start herding, and ended up crated. She was fine playing with one dog,

Oh, he is so cute! I like the names Quill and Tux.