Brins123

Sometimes dogs have false pregnancies and will give the outward signs of being pregnant, so I would just wait a month or so then take her back to the vet if you aren't certain. I do think her activity and playfulness will come around as she becomes more familiar and comfortable with her surroundings. She has had a lot of changes, especially if her prior owners dumped her. I am sure she is feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, so just give her plenty of love, and time. Good luck!

My 4 1/2 year old border collie has always ridden in a car well. In the past few months he has become increasingly obsessive in the car if the windshield wipers are on. He snaps at the moving wipers from the back seat, but recently, he has lunged at the wipers and actually bit my husband in the shoulder as he was snapping and got to close. We have told him no every time he has snapped at the wipers, but it continues to get worse. We bought a separation fence so he can't get to the front, but he will grab hold of it as he works himself to a frenzied state. We have considered a crate, but he has never been in one. He will try to grab the window if we put it up or down. He is such a loving dog that it isn't something I feel he is being aggressive with us. He just gets into a frenzy at times. Any suggestions on what we can do to to stop this behavior? Or is he to old to try and break him from it? Thanks

I I fully agree and it does concern me when he throws water up (which is rare). I am not sure how to keep him from snapping at the water. He runs as fast as he can to keep ahead of the waves as they come in. Then he will turn and snap at the wave when it breaks. My thoughts are that maybe we can give him shorter, more frequent trips to the beach rather than something 15-20 minutes long. He loves it so much but I don't want to harm him VID_20170904_095523214.mp4

Thanks for the information. I read up on water intoxication in the past so I definitely watch him and do not let him snap at the waves for to long at a time. Occasionally, he gulps to much water if the waves are coming in a certain way and he throws up some water. He is definitely done then for the day. Typically, I let him play hard in the water for 15-20 minutes, then he gets the leash back on and we walk the beach without anymore water.

I am glad the Great Lakes are fresh water so Ted doesn't ingest all that salt water from snapping at the waves to much. However, if he goes for to long, he will vomit up even the fresh water. If he does that, we are done for the day, despite him wanting to keep going. I suspect he would want me to break through the ice if he thought it meant he could chase waves. I walk him through town to see the sights and such rather than on the beach. No sense in having him keep tugging to go in the water.

Thanks for all the great advice. I decided that my best course of action is to just take him for long walks during the day. Ted gets so obsessed with the waves that I don't think he would get out of the water on his own even if he was freezing to death. I will have to pull him away from the lake if the surf is too rough because he will get more daring as time goes by. I don't want him getting caught in the undertow. He seems to enjoy the walks so come next spring he can have all the beach time he wants!

My husband and I recently moved. Ted adjusted very well and didn't seem to bat an eye as to his new surroundings. We tried to take him with us anytime we went somewhere at first until he got used to things. Personally, I think you will be surprised as to how quickly they adapt. As long as they know you are there with them for the move, they will be just fine.

Welcome! Gan is quite the little beauty! You will throughly enjoy having a border collie as part of the family! Looking forward to seeing her grow up.

I am far from a border collie expert, but when we first got Ted, my husband and I both worked. He would be in the house alone for around 9 hours a day. We would hit the ball for him before we left, and play with him most of the evening after we got home. We would take him with us almost all the time when we went somewhere. When he was a puppy, if he found a magazine or whatever, he would rip it up, but really didn't have an issue with him being destructive. He is now almost 4 and my husband and I are retired so he gets lots of attention. We found that by putting a chair for him to get comfortable and look out the window that provided a lot of stimulation as he watched people and things go by. He still absolutely loves it as you can see in the picture. He is also very gentle with our young grandkids. He doesn't really like other dogs so much, but is wonderful with people. Just as with people, every dog is different. However, Ted is a great fit for us. Whatever dog you choose, I wish you well.

Thanks for all the suggestions to help keep Ted mentally stimulated over the winter. My husband and I retired this past summer and so this is the first winter we will be home all day. I think I will error on the side of caution and keep him out of the water in the lake. Ted isn't a "working dog" so he Is not fully climatized to the cold weather. It will be that much more special next spring when he gets to hit the beach again. Within a few weeks, he won't be able to get in it anyway. Thanks again for all your help. Stay safe out there in California. I hope you aren't affected by the fires Jayne and Ted

Thanks, as I haven't been taking him in as I am not sure. He just loves it so much that I didn't want to take it away if others said they have their dog in that cold water with no issues. Like your Samantha, Ted loves any kind of water unless it is a bath. I have been taking Ted for long walks and hit the tennis ball in lieu of the beach until spring. Just thought I'd get some input as to what others think.

My bc, Ted, loves to herd the waves of Lake Michigan at our home in northern Michigan. Currently, there is no ice blocking his access to the water, but there is snow on the ground. I have not let Ted go in the water since the weather got a lot colder. Should I allow him to chase the waves as long as there isn't ice? He doesn't get soaked, but he will get hit in the chest area with waves. I don't want to take anything from him as he loves herding the waves, but I don't want him sick or harmed by allowing him to do it. Looking for input. The picture waa taken this summer so you can see how much he loves it. Thanks!

Ted was 22.8 lbs at 4 months and is 41 lbs as a 3 year old.

Ted suffered from Panosteitis when he was young because he was growing so fast. Poor puppy looked like he was an old dog. Once his growth slowed, it went away. He was 9# at 8 1/2 weeks, 18# at 12 1/2 weeks, 22.8 # at 16 weeks and is now 3 years old and is 41 pounds.

Happy Birthday, Kit! Looking great! She looks like such a sweetheart! ❤️

You have offered me wonderful advice more than once, Gentle Lake. Since Ted is our first pure bred bc (we have always had bc mixes), it is a new experience for us. The carpet definitely has a strong odor Thank you so very much. I will keep you updated.

Actually my husband did just recently retire. Ted would be in the house for half the day while we were working. Now, my husband is in the house all day or takes Ted with him every place. He very well could be adjusting to the household changes and will have to again this summer when I retire. We take him with us every weekend if we go somewhere. Actually, they did put new carpet at my workplace this past week, as well, so I am sure I do smell differently when I come home. Thanks so much for all the wise advice! I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for the information. We don't mind if he goes down in the basement. Until recently, he was always nervous to go down there so we weren't sure if he was depressed or something. Thanks, again!

Thanks for the reassurance. Ted doesn't seem to have any health issues, but we will definitely keep an eye on him. What you said certainly makes sense as the older I get, the more alone time I need too. Thanks again! Jayne

"Ted" is our 3 year old border collie who is an absolute delight. This past week, or so, he has been going down into the basement in the evening or into a bedroom away from my husband and I. He is eating real well, and my husband (who is retired and home during the day) says that he acts perfectly fine throughout the day. Currently I work until around 5, and when I get home, Ted is a little more standoffish and will go "hide" in the basement or bedroom until we call him out, then he will sleep in the living room while we watch tv or whatever. It has only been the last week, or so, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what they think may be going on. Thanks!

Gorgeous dog! He will be a wonderful addition to your family.

My husband and I have noticed a change in his behavior around other dogs and even us a little since the attack, so I do agree that we should limit his exposure to dogs who want to come sniff, etc. I think the experience was traumatizing enough without the dogs jumping into the cab of "his" pickup to get after him. We will continue to work with him. He does love the waves and we do consider ourselves lucky to have a spot where he can run and enjoy life. He loves to snap at the water coming from a hose as well. Thanks for all the advice. Your dogs are beautiful, as well! It is so nice to have a forum to bounce ideas back and forth and get the support from people who know what it is like to have such smart dogs who give us a run for our money, at times!

Again, another great suggestion. Our first reaction is to tell him "no" when he starts to growl. However, you have a good point when you say that he would just snap rather than growl. We will definitely change our approach. We have always had border collie crosses, but when our last dog died at 14, we decided to get a pure bred. Needless to say, we have to train him differently than we ever had any other dog we have had. We do love living on Lake Michigan, as does Ted. We have to cross the street to get to the water, so on the way across, we have him on a lead and tell him to "wait" until we tell him it is okay to cross. He sits and waits, but as soon as we tell him "okay", he is across the road as fast as we can go with him being on lead. As soon as we get to the water, we go to an area where there are no people, and the wave chasing is on as soon as we let him loose. He doesn't care if waves crash on him and will run, full bore, trying to stay ahead of the waves. It is awesome to watch. Thanks so much for all the wonderful suggestions. Very nice "chatting" with people who understand the breed. Jayne

Very good points and it certainly makes sense that it has a lot to do about play style. He definitely likes to be chased and do the chasing! I won't worry about introducing him to dogs on the beach and just let him herd waves to his heart's content. We would be disappointed if "Ted" was displaying any forms of racism as we are equal opportunity dog lovers and raised him that way. Lol. Thanks for the suggestions and the laugh.

Thank you for that suggestion, as well. We have someone in mind to watch him and will go back and forth whether to go that route, or the kennel. He used to love going to the kennel as it is a place where all the dogs play in a big pen a couple times a day. He used to love chasing other dogs and vice versa. However, we found that the older he gets, the more he is less into other dogs and more interested in people. When the two pit bulls ran into our yard and actually jumped into the cab of the truck trying to get after him, it made him much more nervous around other dogs. We don't want to push him, yet don't want him agressive to other dogs, either. He is wonderful with people and our 3 year old granddaughter.