D'Elle

I love it too. And it sounds like what I would do if I were to pick out a puppy. Test all you want but go with what your gut says and how the puppy reacts to you. That's what I would do if it were a litter of rescue pups. I would rather have the breeder choose for me if I were getting a border collie puppy from a breeder. They would know a lot more about which one would suit my needs and purposes than I could tell from one or two meetings. And even if rescue, I would chat with the foster person about the pup for the same reason. Those puppy tests are not without merit but we all know that a puppy's personality can sometimes change significantly in the course of a few weeks, or their reactions may be different the day you are there from what they are usually..

I think rough and smooth collies and shelties tend to have that as well. Don't know of breeds other than collies who have it as frequently as collies do. Interesting question.

Thanks, Little Bo Peep. I appreciate knowing the name of that medication, although I won't give worm medication unless it is shown that he has the worms because he is a bit delicate at this point and I don't want to give him something he doesn't need. So far in each previous episode, lasting a few days each time, I have had him to the vet with a fecal sample and no worms have shown up. Probiotic is a good idea and he and my other dog love yogurt so that will become daily instead of occasional. Just a tablespoon or so is all I give. And it is a good yogurt of course. I like @Journey's herbal mix and will try that once I can get to the local herb store, or find it online. Thanks, as always, for everyone's input.

Me too. And if someone wats to talk to me about my dog - or theirs - I am all over it, whereas I would be unlikely to converse with a stranger otherwise. Dogs are my favorite thing, so anything concerning a dog is of interest to me. I could (and have) talk for hours about dogs. And I always ask if I may meet a person's dog, unless it is a service dog or otherwise obviously unsuitable for petting.

Oh, new year's. Yes , that can be as loud as the 4th of July. I stay home and hang out with the dogs. I think they are much calmer just knowing I am there. You could try putting on music on that night. I haven't tried this. Of course music won't work for thunderstorms because most dog, or at least mine, knows it's coming long before it starts. Even if he couldn't hear it, he'd still be scared because I think it is the atmospheric pressure that he senses, and of course he would feel the thunder in his bones the same as I do. I think the same would be true of fireworks close by, although music might mask the sound if it is farther away.

My posts have been coming up double lately too. Must be a little glitch in the site. Thanks for the suggestions, Journey and Urge To Herd.....mush appreciated. :-)

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Very nice looking dog. What is a silvester? You could try a thunder shirt. It helps some dogs. What I have found, though is that there is nothing I can do to make the fear go away. I try to be home when there will be a thunderstorm (although this is not always possible) and I am always home if there will be fireworks. I cuddle up with the dog and talk to him or her and just hang out with the dog and this does seem to help over time. Now when there's noise, the one dog I have who has always been afraid of it will just come straight to me, curl up next to me and seems to be greatly calmed by just being next to me and petted. He is not anywhere near as frightened by it as he used to be. From what you describe your dog is not as afraid of the noise as my dog used to be.

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This is not strictly on topic, but with regard to elderly dogs............mine is getting periodic diarrhea. Been to vet a few times for this but nothing has changed - the vet just sells me some veterinary food. This most recent time I have been giving him chicken and rice and pumpkin, mixing in water so he doesn't get dehydrated. Usually that will make it better in a few days. This time it went away but then as I started to gradually add the kibble back in again it returned. He's eaten that kibble off and on for years, but that doesn't mean it's good for him now.....on the other hand I don't know that it is causing this either. He is already on two medications, Truprofen and Vetmedin; not terribly keen on giving him another one unless I can't manage this with diet. The veterinary digestive support food is OK, but expensive, (not meaning I wouldn't feed that to him daily if that were the best thing to do). Any suggestions would be welcome.

Glad that the earthquake left you and yours intact! (And thanks for the chuckle). And yes, there are advantages to older dogs, not to mention that for me, the older a dog gets the longer I have had that dog and it always seems as if my love for a dog keeps growing even past the point where I thought I couldn't love them more. :-) My elder gentleman is probably about 14 as well, and I am blessed by his presence every day.

A very interesting phenomenon that I have not heard of before either. I have seen littermates not get along if they both stay in the same house, especially if the mother is there as well, although more often they get along great. It's puzzling, and as Lawgirl said the answer will never be known for sure. I am glad you posted about it, though, because I am always glad to add one more person's interesting experience to my knowledge. Best of luck with the training; sounds as if you have it in hand.

And fully deserved to be. I grew up where there were wild bison and also bears in the mountains about an hour's drive away. Tourists would often ignore the large signs that said "do not feed the wild life!" and "stay in your car!" Many were damaged as a result, sometimes fatally.

Yes, I have gone through this with some of my dogs and currently have a dog who is probably 14 or older and exhibiting similar signs. For my dogs, it has always seemed to me that a large part of it was failing eyesight, which seems to come to most dogs after a certain advanced age. Getting a bit lost or spacey. Sundowner's syndrome in one of my dogs. And some behavior changes. I never thought to medicate them because they were not suffering or anxious, just got a bit confused at times. What I always do is just accommodate. Past a certain age I no longer try to train new things, and become much less demanding that they obey cues for what they do know, although I will ask for something now and then just so the dog gets to do it and then get a treat. I tend to stop insisting on some household rules that used to be firm, unless that dog breaking the rule will cause other dog(s) to lose their training. At 14, these symptoms are all normal. If there's a lot of anxiety you might want something to calm that, or if there is pain then Rimadryl (you can get generic) is great for that. Mostly I just don't ask for anything and give the elder dog pretty much whatever they want unless bad for them. Seeing a beloved dog get old is hard. I try to avoid thinking about what is to come and focus on loving up the dog while they are still here, making sure they know they are loved and protected.

I also did this with my fetch-crazy border collie Jes. He was eager for the thing to be thrown, so he did any behavior I asked for in record time. Circle me and then do a figure eight between my legs and then sit nicely in front of me? No problem, just throw the frisbee!

The specificity of MY ball made me chuckle. Jester didn't care what you threw, as long as something got thrown. We were in the woods one time and he couldn't bring me a stick because sticks were outlawed due to hazards they pose, so he went off looking for something and came back with a leaf, which he sort of spit out at my feet and then backed up in anticipation. I know people have criticized fetching, saying it breeds obsession and is "mindless". But obsession can very easily be managed (the dog never gets anything thrown unless he is asked to bring the throwing toy, so he doesn't bug people about it.....the leaf episode was a different sort of thing and, obviously, did not get thrown). And as for being "mindless", it's no more mindless than many sports are, both dog sports and people sports, and if people enjoy sports or dogs enjoy fetching then it's a life enrichment. Not to mention a great way to entertain the dog and get him a little exercise if I could not for some reason go out for a hike.

Just another vote on this, to agree with the above. I had a fetch-obsessed border collie and it worked for us, but only because I was at all times in complete control of what, when, where, for how long, and all other aspects to the play. He got what he loved daily, we both loved it, and it was never a problem. I was able to use it as a reward for extra hard things he did for me. But oh my gosh if I had given him an automatic thrower....it would have been a catastrophe. I wouldn't have been able to get him away from that, or interested in doing all the other things we did together, for anything in the world. I basically would have lost my dog.

As I would see this if it were my dog, this could be a fluke. I wouldn't be concerned unless it happened again, in which case I would be looking at taking him for a walk in the evening instead of time in the yard, perhaps, as that might stimulate pooping a bit more. It seems to me that he is already well trained in outdoor pooling, so it's not so much a training issue, or encouraging outdoor poops, as it is something else. Timing, maybe, or activity level, or place/environment....... I would brainstorm all the possibilities and see how each could be modified to see if that's the solution. but as I say I wouldn't do any of this unless it keeps happening.

Don't know how you feel about tricks, but you can teach him some that don't involve a whole lot of activity or walking. I love Karen Pryor's 101 THINKS TO DO WITH A BOX. Really fun for you and the dog and you can choose the ones that allow him to move in the way he is permitted to do during recovery. I did variations on this with my small and active terrier when he had TPLO surgery and a long recovery period. https://www.clickertraining.com/101-things-to-do-with-a-box

The thing that keeps a dog occupied for a while is the thing the dog loves most. And of course this is different for each dog. Some love chews they can eat, some love chews that they can't eat but only chew on, some like stuffies....you will have to find out. But it is the rare dog who will occupy themselves for a half hour playing by himself with a toy. I would try different things, just to see what he likes. But I would also work on training the dog to a Calm Settle so that he doesn't bother you while you are working. The dog needs to learn that, anyway.

Your dog is not being disobedient. Think about it in people terms: if you have just run or played an active game so hard you are standing there trying to get your breath, you will be less likely to want to respond to someone who asks you a question, and may feel as though that person is even being a bit rude, and could wait just a minute to ask. What are you asking her to do while she is standing there panting? If it is a recall, I would wait a minute while she catches her breath. Or, if there is some emergent circumstance and you need to collect her up right away, walk towards her while recalling so she doesn't have as far to go, or forget the recall and just go to her. If you are asking for other things, lie a lie down or sit, I suggest you don't ask them when the dog is winded and panting.

I swear by Double K brand "Ultimate All Natural". It does the job well, and can be diluted as much as 32 to one although I usually only dilute it only 4 or 8 to one. The bottle lasts a very long time, so it's more economical by far than cheap shampoos. I have used it on all the dogs that have been in my home for years. You can get it a lot of places online. https://groomersmart.com/product/double-k-ultimate/

Good for you, cmjake, and good for your dog. Little steps will take you far. Happy to hear there is progress.

cmjake said the dog would be 6 years old this fall. I think that you are doing all the right things, cmjake. At least, that is what I would do. I also think it's a good idea to, as urge to herd suggests, test out his ability to jump up on things just to see if it could possibly be physical. It certainly seems to be connected to the car changes, but as I always remind myself, correlation is not causation. It might even be a good idea to have his hips/legs checked by a vet. If all comes out fine on that score, then continuing with a step by step approach seems the best course of action. If he has a problem jumping in, urge to herd's suggestion of a ramp is what I would suggest as well, although one has to work on some dogs to get them used to using it. As for figuring out the Why of it....you may never know that. I think most of us have had animals who did things we never managed to understand. But it's always interesting to try. Let us know how itgoes.

Yep, me too. And if I can't have a dog, life may not be worth living at all.