BC-Coding

Hi everyone, my friend and her border collie pup moved back to China from the States. The pup was on phenylpropanolamine all the time. But China doesn’t have this med so the pup is just leaking pee all the time. do you have any tips or suggestions on where she can get that med without physically in a vet here? Or is there anything I can do to help her? Any info will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi everyone, My 1.5y/o BC pup Gogo and I live in Florida, where there are lots of mosquitoes even into late fall. I recently found something interesting/weird and I could not explain. So, hoping to hear some insights here. If I try to kill a mosquito by slapping my hands, or even if I just stare at a mosquito when it’s flying in the air, Gogo would jump on me and bark. I do not think it’s aggressive. But why does he do that? He normally doesn’t bark at all unless a stranger knocks my door. Any ideas? Thanks a lot

Hi everyone, Sorry for my English if the headline doesn't make sense. I'm curious if any of your border collie pups have had aggression issues toward other dogs and have been trained out of it. I've read a lot of threads (maybe not enough yet) about BC aggression/growling/snarling at other dogs. People usually would suggest having the BCs away from the dog crowd, neutering, and "training". These all make sense to me, but are all a little bit abstract/vague. I wonder what has worked for your dog if yours had the issue. And what kind of training have you had your pup gone through to train him out of it? I also understand each one of your dogs may have a different situation. But even so, I'd like to post this questions and see what could be shared by the community. ============= My border collie is a sweetie but he does have this issue with others. I have stopped taking him to the park and just play with him alone. Selfishly, I really wish there is a cure I can find without having to spend several thousands dollars to get professional training (that's the cost in my area according to my research). But if you guys tell me that's the way to go, and it's the only way, I will not hesitate to follow. Thanks a lot everyone!

Hi, Sue, GentleLake and Coffeegirl, Thank you all for your replying. It's really reassuring and relieving to hear what you said. The good news is, the owner of Jessica is very reasonable and the ER said it was a very small cut and didn't even charge him anything. So financially, I don't have any responsibilities. On the other hand, even if Gogo was merely defending himself, I worry about him. It is inevitable in such public open space that a dog would chase my dog. And whenever it happens, Gogo will respond in a similar way. It used to be some growling and only evolved into a real bite this time. To be honest, I've never seen any border collie playing with other dogs in my dog park. One time while on jetlag, I took Gogo to the park before 7am and saw two other border collies. The owners said they came that early to avoid the crowd cuz their dogs didn't like getting run into. I was really considering to see a professional trainer and do some behavior modification. But from you guys are saying, I'm beginning to think there is nothing to be corrected of Gogo. I just need to play with him alone. Am I right? I'm a little torn. I also wonder if this is a breed thing. Any input would be appreciated Thank you guys so much!

Hi everyone, First off, I'm in touch with the other dog's owner and providing whatever information he is asking for. I'm also going to pay the vet bill. I'm feeling very bad now, and on top of that, helpless. I wish my pup, Gogo, didn't do that and I also wish I had done better as an owner. So, here is what happened: Gogo and I were playing fetch in the park and the other dog(let's call her Jessica) followed Gogo. Jessica continued ran into gogo while Gogo was having the ball in his mouth. Gogo got upset and dropped the ball and snarled at her. I didn't know there was an injury until Jessica's owner called upon me. One of her ears was bleeding. So, I guess my question is: 1) What is the best way to train him out of aggression? 2) I haven't neutered him. Shall I do so? Would it help? 3) I trust that the other owner would not intentionally blackmail me, but is there anything I need to watch out for ? 4) What would happen if the vet bill is very expensive and I can't afford it? I'm a foreigner living in the United States. New place, no family here — Gogo is my only family. And we would really appreciate any help! Thanks a lot in advance.

Hi GentleLake! Thanks for your reply. I'm using 100% positive reinforcement. I use clickers and treats. He used to respond very very well. Now, treats don't work that well anymore. He somehow lost interest. Maybe it's adolescence? As people on this forum suggest (as well as lots of youtubers) that giving him a good tug of war or playing fetch with him as reward, I generally don't find it work with Gogo. He would be too focused on the ball or the game to do any other command. (I can ask him to do sit, and down now tho). Is this common among BCs,that they are too concentrated on the "job"?

Thank you for your tip! And I sort of sensed that his adolescence is affecting some of his behaviors. I'll definitely try short sessions!

Dear everyone, My 11-month old border collie pup, Gogo, is having this weird behavior - every time I try to train him, he will hide under the sofa or bed only after performing a few times of a command. And if I lure him with food or toys, he may tuck his head out a little. But he wouldnt come out. This has been frustrating me for a month or two cuz now I cannot really train him at all. The only thing I do with him is playing fetch - which he is crazy about and never hide. Has anyone encountered this problem before? I have no clue why he started to behave like this. Thanks a ton in advance!

Thank you rushdoggie I must say the drawings in your post is very cute haha I tried having two balls. And he did drop ---- but he may just drop it when he is still wayyyyy too far from where I am. Did you ever come across that?

oh wow Teresa! That's inspiring! I might have been "in a rush" in terms of teaching him to drop. But it can take years! I'll remember that!

Hi Denice! Thanks for the tips！ One question tho -- are you saying that I can take the ball from his mouth myself? But will that make him unwilling to come back all the way to me?

Hi CptJack! Turning my back or side to him worked a bit! He is more willing to approach me. But I can't hold my hand out toward him. Once I do that, he keeps a distance between us or just back up :/ Even when I hold my hand out to praise him, he'd think I'm trying to get the ball from him lol.

Hi everyone, I have a 7 month border collie puppy named "Gogo" and he has changed my life. I want to play with him and make him happy. I want to help him get his endless energy out. So I tried to play fetch with him. But I have encountered several setbacks during the training. I have tried lots of methods but none of them seem to work really well. He only drops a ball when I have no eye contact with him. When he does bring it all the way back to me, I'd throw it immediately to continue the game. But if I do look at him on his way back, he stays away from me and won't bring it all the way back. Shall I just never look at him while playing then? When he has the ball and is away from me, I would ask him to "release" the ball. But he seems very reluctant every time. If he drops it and I try to approach it, he will pick it up again. In such situations, I tried to ask him to "release" again. It sometimes work, sometimes doesn't. When it doesn't work, I'd go back to my bedroom and close the door -- as a signal that "no release no game". He will learn the lesson for the next few minutes but return to the old patter before. I've tried treats. And treats don't work for him in play sessions cuz his attention is so fixated on the game/toy. I've also tried playing with two balls, he would drop the ball without any cue, but he would drop the first ball very far from me on his way back, and has his attention fixed on the ball in my hand. What have I done wrong? Or what shall I do better to do the "perfect" fetch? Please help us!~ Thanks a lot!

Thanks everybody! I did comfort him a lot today when he saw a fire hydrant and I walked up to it and was patting it myself. He followed up!!! And this must be magical -- I said "No" in a very firm tone and clapped my hands loud. Only after three times, he stopped mounting! Border collies are amazing!

Mine puppy Gogo go nuts all the time. I guess that means it really varies how much they sleep? Whenever I am around, he is a crazy little creature -- either follows me wherever I go, or chewing his harness ( totally uninterested in the other million toys).