AidanK

Thank you for the lovely pictures, Ranger. I'm glad Rusty is still able to have fun with his friends. They look like a happy bunch! He has shown some difficulty and reluctance rising and he has a wonky gait. Very unsteady hind legs. His right hip is very noisy and he's limped once before but he's still very active and he really loves to play with other dogs (part of the reason why I wanted to get another dog, I'll ask the veterinarian about it). And I actually did find a physical therapist who works with BCs and I'm hoping she'll be able to help us. I'm very happy to hear that your pup's still doing so well! Finn's hips are pretty bad as well and I genuinely thought surgery was the only real option we had at this point. I'm definitely going to keep him lean and as active as possible. Thank you for your comment, it helped to ease my mind a little bit.

Hello. My BC puppy (8 months) has recently been diagnosed with CHD in both hips. I had been planning on getting another BC once he turned at least 2 years old but now that I know that he's got pretty bad hips I've been thinking about getting a less active, low-energy breed. I've also thought about adopting an adult dog, though that may be a bit more challenging. Which breeds would you guys recommend? And is getting a 2nd dog even a good idea? I have no prior experience with hip dysplasia, would they even be able to play? Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone! I joined BC boards in July when Finn was just a little puppy and he's grown so much in a few short months. This forum has helped us a lot during our journey so far. Finn on the day we got him (2 months). And here he is at 6 months. Still running around with mismatched ears on most days. He's 19.6 inches tall and weighs 33 lbs. I feel like he's quite big for his age compared to some of the other BCs in puppy school but I'm no expert. Do you guys have any before & after photos of your pups? I'd love to see them!

Thank you! And I don't think they've settled down just yet. While he did have airplane ears for the longest time, they've been floppy for a couple of days now. First time I've seen both of them like that at the same time.

Thank you! I'm definitely proud of our progress. Mancer sounds absolutely lovely. It's always nice to see your dog have a great time, not only with you but with others as well. Odin's still quite shy around strangers but he loves kids and the kids love him. Thank you for the warning! I'm sorry to hear about what happened with your pup, that sounds very scary. I hope he recovered well. Odin's an avid stick collector and he loves to pick them up and carry them around. I never throw sticks because I figured it was unsafe to do so. I don't even let him chew on them because of splinters. But he seems happy just to carry them back home after a walk even if they mysteriously disappear as soon as we enter the house.

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my inquiries (and for the photos of your beautiful pups), I apologize for taking so long to get back to you all. We just got back from our camping trip a couple of days ago and little Odin had a blast! I followed everyone's advice as much as I could. Turns out he absolutely LOVES water. He wouldn't even come near it at first but he gradually became more confident and soon enough he was jumping in and out of it and fetching his ball. I'm pretty sure he would've just stayed in water all day if I had let him. I know you guys said it wasn't a wise idea to visit a popular beach but most dogs were leashed and the ones that weren't were mostly just minding their own business so I thought why not. Odin pretty much only had eyes for his toys. He would acknowledge other dogs but he was mostly focused on me and what I was doing. Huge fan of sticks, too. Overall, a very fun & productive experience, we made the most out of it training wise. He got over his fear of cars and learned how to walk on leash without pulling. Very proud! I also took him to the vet as soon as we got back to make sure everything was okay and he's as healthy as ever. Thank you again for everyone's helpful advice, much appreciated!

Ooh, what a handsome pup! His eyes are gorgeous. I hope my Odin fills out like that too. He received his initial vaccinations but not for bordetella. I will definitely consult my vet about that before we go anywhere, thank you for bringing it to my attention!

That's a lot of different variations! I never know what type of ear I'm going to see when I wake up, and that's what makes it fun. I actually had no idea! Everything you wrote makes perfect sense, though. I've read a lot about this breed but I learn something new everyday. We'll just stay away from dog parks in that case and only visit the beach when it's empty. I don't want to create additional stress in a completely new environment. That's what I was thinking as well. I really don't want him to pick up her bad habits. I'll keep him away from her for the time being. Thank you for the welcome and for your answers! Very enlightening.

Thank you very much for your response! I've never been to a dog park before and while it could be fun, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks. I think we're going to cancel the visit and stick to unpopulated areas. As for the beach, that particular location is very popular. Most people have their dogs off leash, so the plan was to go there when there's no one around (early mornings and evenings). I'll make sure to follow your advice! I'm looking forward to seeing his initial reaction to water. My mother's dog is very unpredictable. He can hear her bark but they don't have any contact – and I plan to keep it that way for the reasons you mentioned. Again, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! You and the forum in general have provided a lot of useful information so I'm glad to be here.

Hello everyone! I'm new here, so I thought I'd introduce myself and my pup and ask a few questions while I'm at it. My name's Aidan and this is Odin. He's 3.5 months old and the first border collie I've ever had. He came into my life shortly after my previous dog had passed away unexpectedly. He keeps me on my toes a lot more than Freya ever did as a puppy – which is fun. While he's not my first dog, I do have a couple of questions. Question #1: The ears! He's only just started teething so I reckon they'll change later down the road, but his left ear has adopted a very labrador-esque appearance and has decided to stay that way, while the right ear's opted for a more border collie look – it even perks up sometimes! Odin's funky ears don't bother me one bit, but I wonder if his left ear will ever perk up again – it's been stuck like that for a while and hasn't shown any signs of »correcting« itself. Have your dogs' ears ever flopped over like that? Question #2: He's received his shots and he's soon going to be ready to explore the world. I plan to take him for a walk around the city and show him around. There's also a dog park that we could visit, and I was wondering if that was a good idea. What's everyone's opinion on dog parks, especially with puppies this young? I've heard very mixed opinions. Some say it's good for socialization, others say he could learn bad behaviours from other dogs. I'm taking him to obedience training in September, so he's not going to miss out on dog-dog interaction if we don't go, but I thought it'd be a fun experience. Question #3: Does anyone have any experience with puppies and dog beaches? We're taking him camping with us in August. The beach is relatively small and usually packed with dogs. I plan to introduce him to a shallow and calm body of water first (early in the morning when there's no one around). How did you guys introduce your pups to water? Did they take naturally to it? I bought a cooling pad and a beach tent so he'll be able to cool down even if he doesn't want to swim. Question #4: My mother's dog, Sif, is very loud. She gets spooked easily and she barks at everything. Is there any way I can prevent Odin from learning that behaviour from her? I've been rewarding him for being silent when she barks. He's not a fearful puppy and I think with proper socialization the problem should eliminate itself before it even begins but I want to make sure! Question #5: If memory serves me right his parents had a medium long coat so I reckon he'll take after them, but some of his siblings were a bit fluffier. What do you think? Will he have luscious long fur or a nice medium coat? Thank you in advance!