oerash11

I'm no expert but I am working on an animal science degree... when we started pharmacology one thing the teacher stressed was not to give a dog over the counter NSAIDs beacuse of all the issues listed here (including the ulcers that your vet mentioned) I would highly recommend at least talking to your vet and see what all the available options are.. that way you can go over the side effect with him and figure out what would work best for you. for exercise i have heard that a low impact option can be swimming, they have centers that are meant to accommodate for older/arthritic dogs. that could be a good way for her to let out some of her energy in a less painful way and over all help her loose weight as well....

thankfully I was lucky with pepper but I am sure you can find a home remedy too if bitter apple dose not work, I'm sure anything bitter or sour will have a similar effect... just make sure whatever it is, is safe for your pup encase she dose like it lol

the liking to runaround with her toys instead of gather them may be a Aussie thing... mu AussiexBC used to have a little squeaky duck toy that she would run in circles around me and squeak incessantly it was both annoying and cute somehow... either way good luck you have an adorable little guy can't wait to see how he turns out, but remember to enjoy right now because he will never be this cute and small again lol

I'm pretty sure they stop growing height wise at around 10 maybe 11 months after that they only gain muscle.. that is at least around when pepper stopped getting taller. she is a year now and she is still just around knee high at the withers (maybe taller but not by much) however she is known to be a bc/aussie mix and that could be part of it... weight wise I would guess around 25-30lb from what I know bc's can vary in size widely since they aren't really bred for looks (maybe the people who are asking are used to seeing AKC border collies and don't know any better- from some of the stories on this forum I would definitely believe that.)

for the chewing on your furniture/rugs/x-pen have you considered a harmless deterrent? for my puppy we used bitter apple spray anywhere we saw her chew. obviously giving her chew toys to replace that need is still a must but if it tastes bad she will be more likely to steer clear and go for a nice nearby chew toy. if you aren't worried about her peeing in the house and the deterrent works that could open up the rest of the room for her too. also I think you do need to give her some unattended time like they mentioned, not just because she needs to romp around and be a dog, but never having to go more than an hour without you, and knowing you are in the other room 24/7. might lead to separation anxiety in the future. maybe on the weekends put her in the puppy safe area and leave her there for increasing amounts of time (no longer than she can hold her bladder or should be left alone of course) when you get back reward her by taking her on a fun walk or something so she knows you may have to leave sometimes but you will always come back. for socialization at doggy daycare that I don't have a good recommendation for, I know a lot of people on this forum are very adverse to places where large groups of dogs get the chance to mingle (by large I mean like at doggy daycare or at dog parks) especially since you don't know what dogs could be there. the unknown factor could lead to bad habbits forming or as mentioned above reactivity. personally I take my dog to the dog park, she has a solid recall and it lets her be a dog (i don't have a yard so the only other option to walking is places like the dog park) I have seen no side effects as long as I am quick to step in if I see her miss-behaving (playing too rough, getting resource guard-y, herding other dogs...ect) but at a doggy daycare you wont be there to stop that behavior someone else may catch it but they are probably watching any where from 3-10+ dogs at a time so who knows.... I would suggest seeing if any of your friends have dogs/puppies she can interact with that way you know all the variables or at least have her gain that socialization wile you are there, in additions to all the reasons above she will learn to look to you in a strange situation as well.

what do you all think about this type: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGW9FKK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1O3VII5QA2D2C&coliid=I2ERQOME56B4I6&psc=1 I was thinking of getting this more for long walks because it comes with a leash attachment... has any one used this brand or product? Also on the topic of pants, I had a pair of pants that I thought had the fake pockets until a seam (at the top of the pockets) came loose and I realized they sewed the pockets shut! Why waist the fabric to make the pockets if you are just going to sew them together? (needless to say I found a seam ripper real quick)

thanks! i don't have a phone book but I have some hefty collage books with a hard cover, that seemed to work really well too... she was putting her front paws on it by command within 10 minutes this morning ...how would you suggest getting her back feet on it (would backing her onto it once she is a little better with it work?) thank you as well the YouTube video was very helpful, though it may take a little more work than the book thing. i will make sure to video some of her progress and show you all as she learns. I would be OK with just doing online classes but i don't have much space at home I live in an apartment, (obviously we walk pepper and take her to the dog park as much as possible) but that means I don't have much of a yard to speak of...

thanks! I forgot to add that I have been working on back up...

Hello! This is my first post to this board though I've been surfing through your posts for a while. I currently have a beautiful BC x Aussie cross and she just hit a year old this month (YAY!) and this means that I have to get more serious about what type of sports I want to do with her… Border collies were always my favorite breed and I always had in mind that I will have to do some kind of activity to keep her stimulated. My first instinct was stock work however there seems to be no good trainers in my area (less than an hour away) so I am debating on a few other options.. I have a good lead on an agility instructor however I haven't gotten a response in a wile. In the mean time I don’t want to give up on my pup so I want to work on something that may be a little easier to tackle on my own being that I have no formal training/experience in dog training. This led me to teaching tricks at home. I was inspired by the cruft's heelwork to music competition that you can find on youtube… So my question is this what tricks should I focus on? My pup already knows: Sit Down Stay Shake Stand (a little rusty…) We are working on: Heel Sit up/ beg /sit pretty Directions (spinning left/right with the respective command) Weave (between legs) Obviously this is nowhere near the level that the people at the cruft's show were on but I don’t expect that… My favorite trick (that I've seen) is where you get the dog to lift a paw and sort of pretend limp/skip (by switching paws as it walks) has anyone trained this? Do you have any tips on that? Ps. My puppy's name is pepper (paprika for long) and she is my avitar