jami74
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Everything posted by jami74
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Is my dog ill or has he suddenly learned to settle?
jami74 replied to Jakey_Boy's topic in General Border Collie Discussion
Our boy is nearly ten months and has recently been more settled. He still has his 'busy' times and when he is moving it is with a lot of energy, but he seems to be spending more time laying around quietly. He also seems to have suddenly got cleverer so maybe he's got more to think about and doesn't need to be constantly on the go. -
I'm so sorry. I don't have any eloquent words or words of comfort but I do remember that engulfing pain and wanted to acknowledge your loss.
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Puppy Consistently Misbehaving
jami74 replied to harmony.bordercollie's topic in General Border Collie Discussion
Our boy has always been the hardest work in the evening. Certainly at four months old I dreaded the evenings. Now at nine months old he is still very active in the evenings but he is better at entertaining himself and while sometimes it's annoying when he's being bouncy and flinging toys around it is so much better than when he was four months old and it seemed to take a whole family of us to keep him out of mischief. I second the Kong. Absolutely use it! And have lots of toys of different materials that can be chewed. We've thankfully not had any really damaged furniture (a few holes in socks though!) but we have done lots of re-directing. And still occasionally hear the clink of teeth against something they shouldn't be clinking against and have to remind our boy what is appropriate to chew. It does get better. -
New puppy - ear prediction!? (For fun)
jami74 replied to Kwilk55's topic in General Border Collie Discussion
Beautiful dogs! Our boys ears went through a sticky up stage and for a while even touched in the middle making him look like he had a mono-ear. Now when he's relaxed they're pretty much airplane ears, but when he's alert he'll stick one up. -
Our boy is nine months now, you have my sympathies. I have certainly felt like you have a few times. Things that have helped with us have been using stuffed Kongs for meals as he's often more settled after he's had a good chew and eaten. Our boy is very high energy but certainly I'm finding nine months easier than five months. Someone posted this link and I looked at it when mine was about the same age as yours. Although it caused a bit of controversy with the more experienced members here I tried it and it was really surprised at the results. While I never followed through with it properly, if our boy is being particularly restless I can pop his lead on and he'll lie down and go to sleep. http://sanityshome.blogspot.com/2010/01/sit-on-dog-aka-long-down.html Other people will come along with better advice. I just wanted to reassure you that it won't be like this forever.
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Training a relaxed "cafe dog"
jami74 replied to KevTheDog's topic in General Border Collie Discussion
You guys give such excellent advice! We are practicing a 'settle' at every park bench we come to with the aim of one day being able to sit still for half an hour, but it is so tempting to try and stretch those few seconds/minutes. And sometimes so frustrating having a partner who can amaze you by learning a brand new trick in a couple of minutes but then can't seem to grasp that it's okay to lay quietly and watch the world go by, or that it's okay to walk somewhere instead of run or bounce. So thanks D'Elle for saying it nice and simply. I'm not surprised. Even with our bright 'Training' harness and lead, and even when it should be obvious that I've moved ourselves off the path of an approaching person-dog combo and am stuffing treats into panting jaws while saying 'Leave it. Look at me' I've twice had someone bring their dog over to 'say hello' and then seem very put out when we weren't happy to see them. And I had someone ask their small child if they wanted to say hello to the 'doggie'! And, what is it with people who can see you've got a dog on the lead, but still throw their dogs ball right towards you? We can watch nicely other dogs playing ball, we certainly can't cope with a ball landing near us and a strange dog running full pelt at us. Oops, I've gone off topic and started ranting. -
Personally I would go for a private one on one training session to start with. Our border collie finds group class situations way too overstimulating to make any sense of anything yet is very clever so in a private setting learns things very quickly. Plus, if you've got particular areas you need to focus on then private training can focus just on that.
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We use cocktail sausages for nearly everything. They are cheap and very convenient to chop up small and last fine for a few hours in a treat bag. We also have a box of big shaped biscuits. I don't think our boy especially loves them, but he tends to get one when we call him in from outside and when we go to bed. I can't remember why he still gets a bed time treat, I think it maybe stemmed from when he still slept in the crate. If he's been especially good, like coming in from outside when there's something he'd much rather stay out then I smear some peanut butter on it. If we are doing training at home and likely to get through a load of treats I do also have some of those dog training treats which are like small soft biscuits on stand by and have used hot dogs cut up small too. Sometimes even a bit of cat kibble which is of course, the biggest prize of all I'm not sure our dog is especially food motivated. He does eat the treats almost as though to be polite, but it seems to be getting the treat which is the reward, rather than the eating of it.
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Thank-you so much! And for the video too. I'm sure our boy would love it that! I didn't realise we could probably bypass the indoor good behaviour classes. Yes! I even told the trainers if the class was held outside in the field next door then it would be so much easier for him, but that's not how they work. I had it in my head that he'd need really good behaviour and manners before we could attempt the sort of classes that I think he would really enjoy. Now I know he doesn't, that changes things for us.
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We did puppy classes with our boy and it was a nightmare. He was so overexcited that he was just crazy. I've posted about it before and have been reassured by reading that other people have had similar experiences at puppy classes. I would really like to be able to return to group classes because I would love for us to be able to have a go at things like obedience and agility. We had a private lesson with the coaches who run the classes and they were amazed by how calm and sensible and clever he was. I think they were expecting us to be asking for help because of how out of control he seemed at the puppy classes but once we were in and settled he was amazing. They said he could already do the things they practice at the adolescence group classes but we could join and practice being settled. The thing is, although he was so good on his own I'm worried that entering the training hall with a bunch of adolescent dogs and their people will be too exciting for him. These classes are for dogs and their owners who want help to learn nice behaviour, so I don't imagine they'll be quiet and calm dogs. Once he goes over the top then the only solution is to back off, waving sausage under his nose and trying to reward for good behaviour doesn't work. I don't know how to get him closer to being class ready, the private lesson was good because he got to be calm in the hall and in front of the trainers but everything they wanted to teach us he got right first time. Can anyone give me any advice? Has anyone had a dog who initially found group training too over-stimulating but eventually overcame it?
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When do these puppy days get easier?
jami74 replied to tamapup's topic in General Border Collie Discussion
He is beautiful! Do you have a garden? I don't think your own garden is off limits. I have to confess that I decided the risk to all of our sanities (puppy and human) of keeping him cooped up inside for the first few months were greater than the risks of going out. However, it certainly wasn't a cure all. Taking him out gave us something different to do for a short period of time but never actually caused him to then sleep soundly for several hours or play quietly without getting into trouble. It does get easier . Our boy is now about 9 months old and those first few nightmare weeks are still very fresh in my mind. In fact, I think if I was ever going to be crazy enough to get another Border Collie puppy I wouldn't want one younger than six months. I'm not saying it got easy at six months old, but it was probably about that time that I started to get odd glimpses of the dog I hoped we'd have. He stopped needing toilet breaks in the night and would sleep during the day for longer than twenty minutes. And the biting/mouthing/chewing stopped. Certainly at three months old we couldn't take our eyes off him and his awake time was very needy. He isn't yet one of those dogs that needs an hour or two of exercise and then sleeps the rest of the day, but he does spend more time relaxing and sleeping now. The length or intensity of our walks/outings do not reduce his crazy times, in fact he often seems calmer with less exercise. A little bit of training calms him down. We used and still use, stuffed Kongs for meals, keeps him busy for at least half an hour each meal and helps satisfy his chewing needs. I cannot recommend them highly enough. -
Age for Neuter (And a bunch of rambling)
jami74 replied to SarahA14's topic in General Border Collie Discussion
Is the point of the vasectomy so that if the dog does mount and penetrate a female in heat, there is no pregnancy? Sorry if that seems like a really dumb question. My last dog wasn't neutered but he was my work dog, always with me and lots of wide open spaces. Most of the dogs we knew were not really considered pet dogs and my dog never showed any signs of sexual interest so I never really thought about it. I can see for him that if I'd wanted to leave him 'in tact' but not risk unwanted pregnancies with strays then a vasectomy would have been a sensible consideration. Now, living in a residential area and walking off lead in heavily dog populated areas I'm thinking that calling out 'Don't worry, he's had a vasectomy' probably wouldn't be enough to pacify owners of female pet dogs if he was trying to mount them. So, if he starts showing a lot of sexual interest and trying to mount everything that moves then I guess neutering would be the best option to try and curb that, whereas if he appears to have no sexual interest, then surely there's be no need to bother with a vasectomy? Again, sorry if I'm sounding really stupid. I'm just trying to work out how the choices (neuter/vasectomy/leave in tact) apply to our situation. At the moment I'm thinking that we will probably neuter around about or just after his first birthday, partly because he's on the small side so I'm not in a rush to do it any sooner and partly because I'll get 20% off if I do it within a year of registering with our vets. I can't help wondering if neutering will cause him to calm down and be less reactive, I know there is lots of debate on the subject and I honestly don't have very little experience with dogs, but I did work with another species for a long period of time and in nearly every case, after castration the animal was more focussed on its work and more amenable. -
Aw thank-you so much both of you. I've worked really hard on having him not focussed obsessively on the ball in my pocket or needing constant commands, he'd be a slave to it if I let him, so maybe that's why he doesn't seem as focussed on me as some of the other border collies we see. So, I will practice recall as I do on our lone walks but take it back a step by using extra yummy treats every single time. And maybe ask him for a couple of tricks before releasing him to play again. I really want to get him back into a group class situation again soon so hopefully this will help with that too.
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Our boy is now nine months. Grown-up on the outside, but still puppy on the inside. I am happy with our off lead walks. He keeps an eye on me and I call him back lots so he doesn't wander too far, he loves to run around things (bushes, clumps of trees etc) and loves paddling if we are somewhere with water. I recall him frequently, sometimes asking him to come to me and sometimes asking for a Down and going to him, before releasing him again. If I see something that I think might cause us problems (cyclists, walkers without dogs, on-lead dogs, children) he goes on the lead until we have passed them. I keep a ball in my pocket for emergency situations and sometimes throw it a couple of times but then it goes away and he is expected to run around and sniff. He is generally good with other dogs, although sometimes approaches them too fast. He seems respectful and cautious of older dogs and will run around with playful dogs but will come away when I say it's time. We've just started going out with a neighbour who has three dogs, they are all older, more sensible and less high energy. The smallest one seems to be the leader and he tends to not get in front of her. The medium sized one has put him in his place (doesn't like close and personal) but they run around together the most, and the largest one is quite happy to let him sniff her all over and is always pleased to see him. He follows their lead and has been less interested in things I would worry about (cyclists, walkers without dogs, on-lead dogs, children) if they're not close. It's lovely to see him with a group of friends and it seems to be really helping his confidence, he watches their interactions with other dogs and people, I feel like he is learning so much in their company, about how to be a dog and how to behave appropriately. However, the neighbour did comment that he didn't seem very focussed on me compared to other border collies she's known and I noticed that when we called the dogs our boy went to her instead of coming to me. I was thinking the strong owner focus thing comes with age but is it something I should be working on? Are there things I should be thinking about or doing? I want him to enjoy his group walks but I still want to be in control, how do I achieve this?
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Has he been running through long grass or bushes? Our boy literally started doing the same thing the other evening, actually leaving tufts of black fur on the floor from his tail. It turned out he had some of those sticky seed things he was trying to pull out.
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Our boy often has one up and one down, but he alternates. It's almost like he doesn't have enough strength to hold them both up at the same time.
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Oh goodness! Our boy was exactly the same at 12weeks. I felt like I'd made the biggest mistake in the world and that it would only be a matter of time before I had to make a very difficult decision. I laid in bed at night worrying what this little monster would grow into and whether I could keep everyone safe from him. I have to confess that probably the first 3 or 4 months with him were far harder than I expected. Your boy is a baby, you've had your own babies, think of him like a toddler child and how you'd approach unwanted behaviour. Ours is now 8 months and most of that behaviour is long forgotten, I don't think we've had a teeth incident since he got his adult ones through. Our boy behaved the worse when he was tired. He might be lovely some of the time but then he'd get in this crazy mode where he was just horrible and would bite anyone and anything that moved and wouldn't take no for an answer. Once we realised this we stopped trying to 'tire him out' and encouraged more laying down quietly to sleep or chew on something. Get the kids to teach him tricks if they haven't already. They should be able to teach sit, down, crawl, roll over, spin, touch, fetch, hide n seek etc. That'll make him more fun for them and when he does start misbehaving they can give him something to do instead. No rough or excitable games! Our boy and our son were getting rougher and rougher with each other with snatching and tugging toys off each other, running around chasing each other, jumping, making lots of noise. Sometimes my son would just jiggle about or wave his hands for no reason and this would set our puppy off. Once he stopped playing fast exciting games within 24 hours the biting and 'controlling' reduced. I encouraged slower smoother movements and calm voices, if puppy started getting excited we assumed he was tired and ended the game. Both our son and puppy had to learn self control. Is he still small enough that he can be picked up? Sometimes when ours just went a bit mad attacking our feet and legs in the early days if he didn't stop when we stood still we'd pick him up and put him away. A long toy like a scarf was a nice toy as we could drag it on the floor and it meant he'd play/attack that instead of our feet and legs. Stick with it, treat him with respect and offer him different ways of behaving. He doesn't know he's being naughty, he is just behaving like a puppy.
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Our boy has kibble mixed with a little bit of canned dog meat or raw mince in his, with a smear of peanut butter on top then frozen. He usually has two or three a day, then if he's still hungry he has kibble in a wobble Kong. Plus tiny bits of sausage for training treats. He doesn't get much food in a bowl, unless I've forgotten to make the Kongs.
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A few days ago I very nearly posted about how our progress was so slow I was starting to doubt we'd ever be able to do normal dog stuff. Sometimes it feels like I say/do/ask the same thing over and over again with no result. But then suddenly, he gets it. Today, when out practicing our 'walking nicely near a busy road without reacting' (huge grass verge so gradually creeping closer) something clicked in his brain and he, in a very excited way, offered me the heel position that we've been practicing inside, off lead and only one or two steps at a time. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but afterwards I realised that it is the first time we've done any sort of lead training where my arm and shoulder didn't ache afterwards. It also seemed like because he was trying to focus on walking next to me and remembering to look at me for a treat at every reactive thing (bikes, people, buses, noisy cars) that he was less tense and less reactive. One thing that has changed for me is my idea of focus. I misunderstood focus as a dog that wouldn't take his eyes off of me, and I didn't want that. Now I realise that focus means he is aware of what else is going on around us but ready at any moment to take guidance from me. We still need to work on crossing that busy road, but we'll do that slowly. Once we can do it without the spinning and somersaulting then progress will be fast as it is right by our home so we will do it once or twice every day.
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Oh God. I've just Googled what Bully sticks are. Why would I do that?
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Happy Birthday to Kit, and congratulations to you D'Elle for growing her so old.
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Thanks everyone for your replies. Yes, I read that moxidectin in normal doses shouldn't cause a problem even in dogs with the MDR1 mutation and I'm not sure his symptoms were particularly neurological, it is of course possible he managed to eat something yukky at the park that morning although it would have had to have been quick for me not to notice. I'll discuss with the vet at our next appointment about getting tested and precautions meanwhile.
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We've been using a prescription topical flea treatment for our boy containing imidacloprid and moxidectin. Last month as he'd gone up a weight band he had the bigger pipette and was quite poorly afterwards. He started off just seeming very tired but then started looking uncomfortable and stiff when moving. I put him to bed early in a dark quiet room and when I went to check on him a couple of hours later he was sat in the middle of the room with his head hanging and took quite a bit of coaxing to move. I offered him a drink of water, which he had and put him back to bed. Twice in the early hours he needed to go outside with a runny tummy, in the morning he looked brighter and during the course of the day returned to his normal self (although we didn't take him out other than for toileting). He has been scratching ever since although we've not seen any fleas. I've spoken to our vet and we've been switched to a new oral flea treatment that contains afoxolaner which is apparently 'safe for Border Collies'. We haven't used it yet. Anyway, I know his reaction might have been coincidence and unrelated but I wondered if it could be indicative of an MDR1 mutation. Is there much point in doing genetic testing? He won't be used for breeding and regardless of the result we'll avoid that class of antiemetics. The only other potential problem I can see is when we get him neutered, there'll be anaesthetic, might it be more risky if he does have MDR1 mutation?
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I think the first year we had our kitten we didn't have anything hanging within read, so the bottom third of the tree was fairly bare, but I think she must have been okay after that. I expect we got her a couple of catnip mice to distract her. Now she's fairly old and just walks around looking disproving of everything.
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Thanks everyone for answering. I love the idea of running and cycling with our boy, as soon as the evenings start to get light again (and we've got the hang of heeling, sigh) we'll be on to that. Our boy is 8 months old now. He was very reactive with traffic, he is now a lot better but going for walks (without driving somewhere) are still very much a challenging training session rather than relaxing exercise. He can now move along the path without lunging at every vehicle but his tail is between his legs, ears back and he leans on the harness on busier roads. He is relaxed enough that he can eat the treats as we go but will still throw in a lunge every so often. I'm hoping by next winter we will be able to go on a brisk walk round the block as I could easily fit a couple of those into our day. He sleeps really well now. He'll wake up at 7am and I used to make sure bedtime wasn't before 10pm but more recently it's been earlier with no problems. On the three or four days I work he gets a 'hello' from me, sent into the garden to do his business and given a chew before I go to work. He then spends the morning playing, cuddling and doing tricks with another family member before having a Kong for lunch and then mostly sleeping the afternoon until I get home. Evenings tend to be his 'awake' time, we try to go somewhere he can run around, depending on the weather we'll stay out between 15 minutes (throwing the ball from under a tree in pouring rain) or up to an hour walking through trees and fields while he runs and potters and sniffs. I would like to do more exercise and training on these evenings but I'm tired after work and short on time. On the days I don't work he gets a morning trip out. Once a week that is to a big park where we do loads of things like playing fetch and other ball games (he waits while I hide it in the leaves or he has to wait while I run and put it somewhere and then return to him for a touch before he's allowed to fetch it, I've started teaching left and right when throwing it etc), We practice recalls and nice walking in the middle of the park with no distractions, move towards the edge to 'go sniff' and we have a long rest (practice settle). Other days it will be a drive somewhere we can walk off lead (beach, river, woods, a big field where we might take his football and he'll get to say hello to other dogs). He'll have a Kong for lunch and be settled for the afternoon but will be restless again in the evening. When the evenings were light it would be another off lead walk, now it's dark and often raining it is more likely to be some lead walking practice. He also gets a bit of playing at home with different people (hide n seek, tug, tricks). It actually sounds like quite a lot now I've written it down, but when he's restless in the evenings I worry that he's not getting enough.