CaelinTess

I found some previous threads with a search: http://bordercollie.heatherweb.com/cgi-bin...t=000719#000000 http://bordercollie.heatherweb.com/cgi-bin...t=000641#000000 Lots of links and info in those two, looks like. Allie & Tess

The search function of this board will help you with that. That question gets asked all the time and always gets different answers. You could pick what you think will work best for you. Allie & Tess

If she is all about her ball, you might try a ball attached to a rope and see if she will tug it. A brief fun game like that is a good reward for coming to you, then you let her go again. Other than that, maybe just practicing your recall at home until it is perfect again will help. Allie & Tess

You may want to try rewarding her for coming when you call. Putting her on a leash for a while is not a reward from the dog's point of view. I think that if you call her to you, give her a treat, and let her go or call her to you and initiate her favorite game, she may start to look at you as Fun Person With Neat Ideas instead of Boring Dude With The Leash. Ideally, dogs are not off leash until they have a great recall on a 50-foot longline or something. That is not realistic for me, so I have come up with other ways to get Tess to stay put while I put her leash on, mostly wearing her out with ball until she is wants a drink of water. Then I put her leash on at the water bowl -- but not every time. Lots of times, we have another game. So she does not associate the water bowl with the game ending at all. Allie & Tess

I am a slow runner... takes me 4.5 hours to run a marathon. Once I did it in 4 hours and 24 minutes, though. I was speedy that day! If I am on some kind of course where you can see the head runners zip by, I just remind myself that those poor souls do not have the stamina to run for 4.5 hours. Poor things. I pity them. And of course, I burn twice as many calories as the fast people. This means when I get home I get to eat twice the ice cream. Tess loves to run. She drags me out the door every morning. So far she has done 6 miles with me. We will work up to more, and as we do so, I will plan routes that have good resting spots so I can stretch and she can lay down and have some water (Tess always lays down to drink and has since she was a tiny pup). This is part of why I need another dog. I need running partners for my long runs; the really long ones I can split between the two dogs. Allie & Tess

I'm not training for a marathon at the moment (next one will be spring 2006) so this amount of exercise is really mild for me. Weather? Ha! We laugh in the face of weather. Unless it is too hot, then we go to the beach or the trails where there is shade and/or a breeze. Of course, we do not live in Alaska and our weather is easy to laugh off... Allie & Tess

My neighbor has two Shelties and she says she just gets dental picks and stuff to clean their teeth herself. I think she's a dental hygenist, though. Anyway, my point is that her dogs do not have to be sedated for this. I imagine it is typical for the vet to sedate the dog, but as the saying goes; where there's a will, there's a way. There may be a way to clean teeth without sedating the dog. I would ask around, just to be sure it is absolutely necessary. Allie & Tess

Tess is up to date on her shots as of last November when she was just over a year old. She will only be getting rabies from now on unless a class requires written proof of other vaccinations. My cats got their kitten shots. They got updated when we got a foster dog years ago. Then when we got Tess, I got them all their shots again. They are both about 7 years old. They won't be getting anymore shots except rabies as required by law, provided I remember to take them in. They are indoor-only cats and don't even get flea treatment (why treat for fleas if they do not have any fleas?). Tess is allergic to the flea stuff, so I don't use it on her. Heartworm is not a big deal here yet, so we don't treat for that either (vet did not recommend it, either). Allie & Tess

I got my Dremel from Amazon.com. http://tinyurl.com/4us6f Allie & Tess

Tess has mostly black toenails. I've tried the clippers, but every time I have done them, I have nicked her quick so gave that up. Tess loathes having her toenails done, but cooperates because I ask her to. She is a very good sport. I never needed to trim her toenails when we lived in the city. Three 30-minute walks a day on sidewalks kept her toenails nicely filed down. It was wonderful. Out here in the country, it's all just dirt and grass... nothing to wear the nails down. Allie & Tess

Are Tess's toenails too long? I can't find any pictures anywhere. Tess does a lot of stuff outside, so she needs traction. But I don't want to her have trouble walking. I trim her toenails once a week with the Dremel. Here are the front feet: (sorry it's a little blurry, but you can see her toenails there, I think) And here are the back feet. Are the middle ones too long here? Thanks. I don't know if they should be so short you can't seem them or what. Tess has really long quicks, so this is really all the shorter I can go. She seems fine with them at this length, but clicks a bit when she walks on the tile or vinyl floors in the bathroom/kitchen areas. Edit: To say she is standing up equally on all fours while I took these pictures. Allie

The lady who does the CGC class was very prompt with an email reply. I will write and ask her for a schedule and how she would handle a dog who does not want to approach people on her own. Thanks. That should be pretty helpful. In the last class we took, after Tess did not want to walk up to people, the instructor ordered me to "pull her up here! Don't let her get away with that!" Get away with WHAT? She was SCARED. Forcing a dog or a horse to do something scary does not make them less afraid, it makes them more afraid. That lady is very close to where I will be living and offers the CGC, but I sure won't be taking that class. Allie & Tess

Yes, Tess is my first Border Collie. I did all this research and thought, finally! A dog who can keep up with me! Allie & Tess, girls on the go.

tolerate strangers, other dogs, startling noises (an umbrella opening suddenly, a box of empty cans dropped on the floor....), strangers touching him with your permission (think "vet"), etc. These are the things Tess needs practice with. Her basic obedience is stellar. In our most recent obedience class, Tess stayed in a sit-stay and a down-stay while I did incredibly stupid things like hula hoop, etc. and there was massive activity going on as other owners were doing equally foolish things while their dogs either joined them by jumping through a hoop, running through a tunnel, wearing a sombrero, or watched as their owners sang "How much is that doggie in the window." I am pretty confident in Tess's basic obedience. Oh - and we won Musical Chairs in her puppy next step. Tess had the best stay in her class. Allie & Tess

Tess knows basic obedience and a bunch of silly tricks, so the CGC class should be a brush-up for the basic stuff. My goal for the CGC class is to work on the greeting people/dogs part. I want this to be stress free (for both of us). If we pass, great. If not, no big deal. I asked the agility instructor and she said she did not care either way, she thought each class would benefit the other and so left it up to me to decide. Thanks everyone for your opinions. I think I will likely take the CGC class first with Tess. I think that's a good idea. Allie & Tess

I am wondering which I should take first. CGC so that Tess has some serious practice with people & dog encounters in a controlled environment and will maybe be able to focus better on the obstacles in agility? Or should we take agility (beginner class, all done on-leash) first and then Tess will maybe build some confidence before we take the CGC prep class? I figure if it does not matter at all, I will take whatever one is available first (I think they both go in 8-week cycles). Also, if I have a second dog at the time I enroll in a class, I will enroll the other dog in the opposite class. Allie & Tess

teaching classes... aahhhh now THAT would be a dream job to have on the side lol I would love to when I am older, but not to many people are willing to trust a 17 year old with their dogs training lol The most recent class I took with Tess had an apprentice trainer!! She was a sophomore in high school, I think. Not sure. Maybe a senior and had been the apprentice since she was a sophomore? She had been doing it for 2-3 years. So you never know. (: Tess LOVED the apprentice but did not like the instructor that much. Allie & Tess

We have a schedule here... Morning: Run 4 miles, play ball. Lunchtime: Walk 1-2 miles, play ball. Dinnertime: Walk 1-2 miles, play ball. I stick with Tess's usual routine even when we go somewhere on the weekend. When I go see my parents, if I get home after dark, we skip the last round outside and have a ball game inside. Tonight, though, Tess was so tired from playing tug with my dad that she is still sleeping on the couch where I left her when I finished my book. We hike on the weekends. And, of course, play ball. I keep the fetching toys out of reach and she knows she gets a game after a walk, so she is always eager to hear the word "walk." I recently found that an offleash area that is at the beach here is actually quite nice and is practically empty on a rainy day, so that's a nice change from the mud on the trails. I got Tess some soft frisbee-type things and have thrown those a time or two. She does not get the whole bring it back idea with something other than ball yet. Once she has the retrieving part down for a new object, I'll teach her to catch one in her mouth. Then I figure she will be confident about catching the frisbee thing in mid air the way she leaps up and grabs the ball. When it is warm enough (and not muddy in the yard, don't want Tess to slip or fall), we have agility stuff set up and we practice that before we do a real fetch game (throwing the ball is her reward for doing an obstacle or two). We do training whenever I fit it in. I try to do 10 minutes or so a day. Right now we are working on "heel" and "come" and also "beep, beep, beep" (back up), "dance" (jump around while standing on hind legs), and "take a bow." I got a book with a bunch of other stuff in it, too. And of course we practice what she already knows each time, too. With everyone raving about hide and seek, I am going to start that with Tess. She has a great sniffer, but the toy has to really be something else to get her to go looking for it instead of going to ask my husband to make me give it to her. I thought I'd also try hiding treat toys with liver inside for her to find. I'll start easy, letting her see me hide something, then work up to having her find something I hide while she is out of the room. This would be a fabulous activity to keep her busy while my husband or my mom is watching her for me, I think. Having a dog is so much fun. Having a smart dog is just beyond all the fun I thought I'd be having. I love having a dog to do stuff with. It's like, now my family does not look at me like I am nuts. "Oh, I have to go on a walk now. You know, the dog needs her walk..." Finally, a genuine reason to be outside 3 times a day walking or jogging in the pouring rain. Allie & Tess

I think my dog would bite me if I used a choke collar. Why would I use one if I can get her to do what I want without one? That's just my opinion. Use whatever works for your dog. My dog is very sensitive and would probably hide under the bed if I raised my voice with her. And Tess will "sit" or "down" or any other thing I have taught her instantly, with no reward in evidence, just because I ask. It takes all kinds. Please do not say that your way is the only way. There are many ways in the world. Allie & Tess

There are many ways. Here is the one I learned in one of my obedience classes with Tess, and it worked the best for us. Have your dog sit facing you. Then walk backwards and call "let's go" (or whatever you use to have the dog walk along with you normally). For Tess, "let's go" means "I'm headed this way and I want you to come, too." Ok, so you are now walking backwards and have just said "let's go" and the dog is looking at you, walking towards you. It worked best with Tess if I was holding a treat and she could see it/smell it. Hold it up near your face, to get the dog's eyes looking up to your eyes. Now turn so you are facing the same direction as the dog, and you have your dog's complete attention, thanks to the treat your holding up near your face. Now you are both walking along, you looking at the dog, the dog looking at you, and the dog right by your left side. Now say "Heel!" or "Charlotte, heel!" and give her the treat and some praise. Then say "Okay!" or whatever your release word is and now she is free to do doggie stuff. As far as I can tell, this is teaching the dog to heel by putting them in the right spot and giving them a name for it. This has worked pretty well with Tess, but I have not practiced it as much as I would like and we are working on it all the time. With Tess, the issue is that there are sometimes cars out and about and those are way more interesting than any treats that I have. We are working on that by practicing "heel" in the house and in the yard and on trails where there are no cars to distract her. Oh -- and you can do this on and off leash, and I recommend doing both once she has the idea pretty much down. This way she does not associate it only with having the leash on. I practice both ways with Tess. I'm sure others will be along with other ideas. This one just really worked with Tess. Allie & Tess

Shayna, you should teach classes!!! Allie & Tess

Tess knows let's go, sit, down, stay, leave it, crawl, shake/other paw, high five, gimme ten, spin around/twirl, go left/go right (around something). She also goes potty on command and is housetrained. She knows sit up and touch, too. And she goes into her crate with the command "in you go" during the day and "cookies!" at night. Also, she knows what "feed my fish" means. It means go bonkers and try to climb into the fish tank to Tess. She is still learning heel, come, and is completely obsessed with cars (and has been since she was 7.5 weeks old when she began trying to leap out of my arms after them as I walked her around the neighborhood). Oh, and she is still learning to fetch properly. She will chase the ball, pick it up, and mostly bring it back. The problem comes of getting her to bring it all the way and to give up the ball so I can throw the other one. Some days are good, some days are an exercise in frustration for me (Tess always has a good time, though ). I would teach her to speak on command, but she already barks plenty. I don't want to get another dog until Tess knows heel and come really well. I figure the heel will help with the car problem, but I am going to end up managing that one instead of fixing it, I think. Allie & Tess

I got "tennis" balls from Planet Dog. They are tennis-ball shaped and colored and so far have not fallen apart. They fit in the chuck-it, too. I also got, on the recommendation of someone on this board, two of the Pinky balls from Rite-Aid and those are FAB. Tess LOVES them. I thought she'd chew them up, but since we only use them for fetch (her fetch toys are put up when we are not having a game), they are lasting very well. I was getting the balls from Petsmart or Petco (I think anything you buy there is going to be silica-free, but I am not sure) but after two throws, Tess would have already chomped them in half. That got expensive, so I went to the ones from Planet Dog and the Pinky balls and those are great for us. And no fuzz anywhere. Tess shreds anything with fuzz... Allie & Tess

And the West Nile with the mosquitoes. Ugh. Allie & Tess

It is not as cold here as it is in Michigan, I am pretty sure. Where I am, if we get a day where it snows like 1 inch, we consider it a huge disaster for the commute. I understand some of Michigan can be literally buried in snow. We have mountains, sea water, etc. that warm us up. Eastern Washington is a whole other story. If you move here, you must sign the agreement about not letting on that we have lots of sunshine and the rain stuff is just a ruse we tell the tourists. Allie & Tess