CaelinTess

All the rumors are true! That said, Tess sleeps several hours a day while I work (I work from home, and she sleeps at my feet while I do so). Tess is only 10 months old, though, and gets tired from 30-40 minutes of combined activity including walking (20 minutes), ball chasing (10 minutes), and then tricks or training to occupy her brain. I have met people with dogs who never nap. It just depends on the dog. Ask if the dog is already taking naps at any time during the day already. That might help you out. If there is anyway you can get a "day in the life" kind of routine from the current owners, you could figure out if she would fit in. Allie & Tess

Tess was totally uninterested in balls when she was little. What she loved (and still loves) were squeaky toys. She was interested enough in those to run after them, grab them, and then run off. It was a simple matter to start running away when she picked up the toy. She carried it right to me. I then went and got a ball-shaped squeaky toy. (: She would retrieve that, and now we are up to regular balls and she does great most of the time. She does not always bring the ball all the way back, but usually that is because she is all tired out (she is only 10 months old and we only play fetch for 5-10 minutes or when she wants to quit, whenever is sooner). I keep the balls hidden away from her so they are interesting to her because she does not get them all the time. Allie & Tess

I loved The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. She has a whole program laid out in there where each new thing builds on something you have already taught, and my favorite part about that book is that she makes everything so EASY!! (: My dog learned things in a jiffy. Now Tess is the smartest dog in class. The other dogs are learning to sit & down. Tess already knows how to sit up, crawl, shake hands, high five, spin around, etc. in addition to the usual things. If you want to join a mailing list about clicker training, Clicker Solutions (there's a web site, too, http://www.clickersolutions.com, the list is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickerSolutions/ ) is fun and everyone there is really helpful and friendly, and I think several people there have Border Collies so they know all about the crazy things they do. (: Do your dogs know how to fetch yet? With Tess, when she gets into something out in the yard (usually trying to chase the neighbor's horse), I shout and get her attention and then throw her ball. We have a game of fetch and in the end, she is exhausted and now when she thinks about chasing the horse, she turns around and runs right to me, waiting for me to throw the ball. I've associated, in her mind, that thinking about chasing the horse means the ball game is going to start, I guess. Just an idea. (: Something more fun than sprinklers might be hard to find, though! Allie & Tess, a 10 month old BC

My husband's nickname for Tess is "Doodle." He has named my cats, too... Connie is Stinker or Boogs, and Mage is Squeak. Really, though, we should have named the dog "Hurricane" or "Sneak" as those describe her much better than "Tess." Allie & Tess

I'm lucky, Tess is not afraid of noises. However, she is afraid of ALL new things unless they are squeaky toys. I found out that our next obedience class will have hula hoops used as a place to mark where in the obstacle course to have the dog lay down. I bought a hula hoop and now my dog is mortified of this new monster. We are 3 days in and now she will eat a treat from the middle of it when it is on the floor. She will not go through it, though. With Tess, when something is scary, I use something familiar like throwing the tennis ball to make it less scary. My goal, just like with my horse (another weenie about everything), is to make the point that even if you go near this object (or in your case, hear this noise) you will not die and nothing will eat you. So if there is a favorite toy or treat that you can use, use that to reward calm behavior when the scary noise is happening. If you can tape the noise and play it softer than usual and reward for calm behavior and then gradually work up to full strength of the noise, that might help, too. I myself do not respond well to loud noises so it is a real challenge to get my horse to not freak out when *I* have freaked out. He is 18 now and much calmer than when he was 4 and I was just starting to ride him. (: Allie & Tess

My dog spooks just the way my horse does at loud/sudden noises. Since I am used to this with the horse, I didn't find it odd. With Tess (my BC), I just say things matter-of-factly... "That was a bird... That was a car... That must have been someone dropping something..." When she sees I am not worried, she calms down. Works with the horse, too. Provided I am still ON the horse after he spooks. (: Tess was terrified of the clicker, too, but I just covered it with a towel and clicked it and it was less scary. As she adjusted, I gave her more treats for a louder noise. Some dogs never get used to it, and using a word like "Yeah!" or "Yes!" to mark the behavior works better for them. Allie & Tess

Personally, I would avoid medication if I could. I've never heard of a puppy needing medication for teething. Someone else here might have suggestions. With Tess, she never seemed to feel any pain. She was just a bit irritated when her tug toy slid right out of her mouth or she dropped one of her squeaky toys because one of the teeth she was using to grip it came out. I suggest giving your puppy ice cubes! You can also make frozen cubes of beef or veggie broth or watered-down juice and ground up banana or whatever... Anything dog-safe, that she would like to chew up or lick, that is frozen, will help numb her gums a bit. Or maybe put slices of apple into the freezer... Or maybe freeze some yogurt or mix it with something and freeze it into cubes... I think the goal would be to get your puppy interested in whatever it is... So flavor would be important. And the sooner the teeth come out, the sooner she'll be a happy camper again. They make those freezable chew things for puppies... Tess was not interested in chewing them. She batted them around the floor, barking at them. Maybe Tess just has a high tolerance to pain. Allie & Tess

I plan to run with Tess. She is only 8 months old right now, so I am waiting until she is older to start her running program. I've done 8 marathons and I hope to do one a year from now on, with Tess as my training partner. I am not sure how far I will have her run with me, but I think that I will watch her paws carefully and see how they do. I'm sure she can do the distance, but depending on the surface, she might need little booties. I'm sure she'll love that. I am sure someone will chime in here, but as I understand it, BCs are meant to run all day, herding sheep. 15-20 miles, after training for it over a period of 3-4 months (same as we human runners build up to it) should not be a problem. Someone asked this question at the Ask Border Collie Rescue page: http://www.bcrescue.org/endurance.html I plan to have Tess run with me when she's old enough. She loves going with me wherever I go, and this will be a nice way to get her some more exercise in addition to our 3 walks, endless ball games, and soon-to-start (also when she is a year old) agility classes. (: I've got Tess wearing a little pack to start learning to carry her little dog biscuits and her collapsing water bowl. (: I will carry her water, though. Or plan a route that includes water fountains. Allie & Tess

Tess will work for food if it is really good (liver, cheese, yogurt drops) and we regularly do obedience work for tennis ball throwing or tugging. I make her sit, down, shake, touch, wait, etc. and then she may grab the tug and we pull for a bit. With the ball, I do pretty much the same thing. Tess does not really care for petting. She tolerates being petted but will not tolerate it at all if she is busy doing something where she knows she is working (obedience, fetch, etc.). She is all about games. She prefers toys to food, but will work for the treats I mentioned. She also works better when it comes to learning things if she is a little worn out first, so we play fetch until she is ready to rest and then we do obedience or tricks practice. Allie & Tess

This is a neat thread... I am hoping to start agility with Tess this fall, so this is handy to know. We have a ways to go yet, looks like! (: She knows sit, down, stay, and has a pretty good recall. We have to work around more distractions, I'd say. (: I hope to take an agility prep class and then we can repeat it if necessary!! (: Allie & Tess

Do give it a try. Other times when you want the dog to come to you but it is not party time just use the dog's name, or shout "cookies" or let her see you and then run away as fast as you can, with one of her toys. The running away thing really works very well with Tess. It works great the dog park. Tess is pretty independent (she will find her own entertainment elsewhere if not tethered in my office while I am working!) so making myself really interesting (hiding squeaky toys in my coat pockets, or hiding treats in my pant cuffs) has worked to keep her just nearby as well. And of course you know not to every call your dog to you if you're going to do something she doesn't like. Just walk over and get her instead, still give treats, etc. just do not use your recall cue. Allie & Tess

The instructor in our class said to train a great recall, do this: Three times a day, call your dog to you when you KNOW the dog will come. When the dog reaches you, time yourself and for 30 seconds reward, praise, bounce around, have a party, play with toys, everything your dog absolutely loves. You want to make this fantastic, amazing, wonderful 30 seconds happen three times a day and make a HUGE impression on your dog (I went over there when she said that word and I got TONS OF COOL STUFF!!!!!!). Tess has the 2nd best recall in her class. (: The first best is the dog who is repeating the class for more socialization and is older than she is. Tess is the only Border Collie, and also the only dog who keeps an eye on her person the entire time, no matter what she is doing. Of course, Tess sleeps with one eye open to make sure I do not go do some fun thing without her. (: I do work from home and she spends almost 24/7 with me, so that helps. I am also very lucky in that she does not have any separation anxiety and I can leave her in her crate if I go do errands where dogs are not welcome. Allie & Tess

When the dog started growling and snarling, did you back off whatever you were doing? Usually growling, snarling, barking is the way the dog says "Stop it! I don't like that!" and that is your warning to find out what is making the dog unhappy. When my dog growls at me, usually it is because she is unhappy or confused or irritated. Usually if I can figure out what is making her upset, I can desensitize her a little bit at a time, using food or her favorite toy to reward her for the calm behavior I want. Sometimes Tess will growl or snarl at me over something I think is ridiculous, but it is important to *her* so I have to respect that and try to train her accordingly by rewarding for calm behavior or tolerance of the loathed activity (like being rubbed dry with a towel). It is slow going, but definitely better than being bitten. I sure hope someone besides me posts on this thread. Allie & Tess

It's conjunctivitis. We got some drops. The vet was very impressed with how calm she was...until I told her we spent 20 minutes playing fetch so she'd be calm at the vet's office. LOL. Allie & Tess

I've been using a warm, damp paper towel. (: Tess loves having her nose rubbed, so I do that while I clean the stuff off near her eyes. We tried to go to the walk-in clinic today, but it was packed in there. Her eyes are lot less red this afternoon and almost no goop, so I figure it can wait until tomorrow. I got the address for the emergency clinic just in case, though. Allie & Tess

Thanks, AK Dog Doc. Tess has an appointment tomorrow in the late afternoon at her regular vet. She seems the same this morning, though a bit less goop in her eyes. She is otherwise her normal self, playing, eating normally, drinking water, trying to pounce on the cat, etc. There is a walk-in clinic nearby and if I see any signs of worsening, we will zip down there. I just prefer she see her regular vet who knows her. I have been washing my hands a lot, wondering if this is something that I could catch, too--it doesn't hurt to be careful. Once my vet has seen Tess and has given us something for it, I will ask how long it should take to see an improvement. I can do eye ointment. Pills are such a struggle, mostly because she is trying to attack me to get to the cream cheese. I had to put eye ointment in my horse's eye once every day for a week and he was not at all pleased about that, but it was easier than trying to convince him to take a pill ("Of course that's a normal carrot! I would never give you a trick carrot!"). Allie & Tess

Poor Tess. She woke up this morning with greenish goop and red eyes. I figured I'd give it today and if it wasn't improved by this evening, we'd go to the doggy hospital. I called tonight to leave a message for an appointment (they'll call me back tomorrow). I feel bad for her. She looks like she feels fine, though. Eating, drinking, playing, and her usual cheerful self. Do we end up with drops for this, or pills? I am hoping for drops. Drops are easier. I wonder how she got it. I suspect at the dog park. I wish I had a big yard to play in, but I don't so we go there... Allie & Tess

Is this dog living outside or inside? If the dog is living inside most of the time, have you tried crate training and then providing the dog with Kongs, etc. to keep busy while you're not there? Have you tried obedience training & games to wear out that busy Border Collie mind? I know that works with mine. If the dog is living outside, then maybe some kind of kennel with cement/rubber mats or whatever they are doing these days... I don't have one and haven't looked into it, but that might be an option. Another thing to try is to sink a kiddie wading pool into the ground or build a digging pit just for your dog. You will not be able to train the dog not to dig, I don't think, but you might have luck training the dog to dig in a particular spot, especially if you make it rewarding with hidden toys, biscuits, etc. And still another option is doggy daycare. That will keep your dog busy, and he will have some new buddies, too. (: Or if you can't do that, maybe someone nearby has a dog and you can trade dogsitting times? Not sure that would work if you are working during the day and that is when this is happening... some people find a doggy daycare near their work. One lady I worked with actually brought her dog to work on the weekends, but during the week, when the weather was okay, she would put the dog in a crate in her car (car was parked in a parking garage, so cool in the summer, warm in the winter). She said that the dog had to stay in a crate at home, so this way the dog at least got an hour walk at lunch time and 4 other short breaks during the rest of the day. I know someone on this board will have great ideas, so be sure and check back. Allie & Tess

Tess gets Kongs with yogurt, applesauce, cream cheese (low fat), and bits of turkey & cheddar cheese cut up into little pieces. I sometimes put them in the freezer (yogurt and applesauce require it) but with just cream cheese or melted (and cooled!) cheddar cheese, I just refridgerate. Tess does not seem to care for real peanut butter. She did like the Kong stuffing that was peanut butter flavored, but her all time favorite is the cheese in a can that you push the nozzle to get out... I put some of that in, put some kibble in, more cheese, and then freeze it. Tess LOVES her squeaky toys. She only gets them for a little bit, though, each day. I have found a few that stand up to her the vigorous "Where IS that thing????" and she can have those more often. One thing she really loves is that IQ Puzzle thing that has four balls inside it. She used to stick her nose in to grab the balls, but now she just grabs it and shakes it very vigorously and all the balls go flying out. She panics and then herds the balls into a corner, then moves them from place to place, one at a time. Tess gets Greenies, but she chews them completely up and she only gets them when I am there to watch her. The only thing she gets unsupervised (like if we go out to dinner and leave her in her crate) is a Kong with something frozen in it, but that has nothing she can possibly choke on (frozen applesauce works great for that). Tess does not seem to need much entertaining in her crate when we go out, though. I just make sure she has had plenty of exercise and plenty of mental exercise and she sleeps the entire time we are gone. I also sometimes put some homemade fruit leather into the Kong. I put it in and push it against the sides so she has to lick away at it to dissolve it. That also is a supervision-only item. Tess has not tried much fruit yet, but I am hoping to find out what she likes and then I put that in Kongs as well... I think she likes peaches and banana, but can't be sure yet. She always eats things the first time. After batting them around the floor to make sure they don't bite. Allie & Tess

I didn't start teaching Tess to fetch with tennis balls. (: I can't even imagine the damage a tennis ball would do in my house. LOL. We started with her little squeaky toys. Allie & Tess

Glad to hear I am not the only who wants to teach my dog to respond to saying something ONE time. It makes me CRAZY when people stand around shouting "Sit Fred, sit sit Fred! Sit! sit SIT SIT SIT sit sit sit" or "Fred, come. Fred! Come! COME HERE! FRED! COME HERE RIGHT NOW" at their dogs. I just want to smack them with Tess's frisbee thing. I can imagine how the dog feels and why it is paying no attention. Allie & Tess

I had to tie string to Tess's toys so that I could reel her and the toy in. After awhile, she got the hang of it. She still plays keep away, though we are working on that. If you teach "touch" you can teach "touch the ___" and then teach your dog the names of all his toys, and your shoes, and once you figure out "bring it" (sorry I can't help with that one), then you can say "bring the ___." I've taught Tess the usual sit, down, wait, etc. but she also knows shake, high five, touch (usually my hand), catch a ball (in a sitting position), and I hope to teach her to catch her little training treats so I can toss them to her. There's a list of things to teach (but not how to teach them) here: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002c/tricks.htm Allie & Tess

Thanks for your input... I was worried this was a huge health issue that must be done or else. I think I will skip the bloodwork. It is partly a financial issue, but mostly the issue of how if I go in to have it done at my regular vet and they want to know why I am not having the spay done there (they cost 3 times what the spay/neuter clinic does and want keep her overnight with no one to check on her at all after closing time), then I will have them lecturing me. I am all in favor of a baseline to have handy for future reference and will look into that at Tess's next well-dog visit. All my animals have peculiarities... Even my horse has a faster-than-normal heart rate with plenty of skipped beats. LOL. The vet just laughed and said "Well, he's an Arab..." the way lots of people explain their dog's energy by saying "Well, she's a Border Collie..." (: Allie & Tess

What is it that they are testing with this blood screening? I'm just curious. I'm a medical transcriptionist, so I am wondering what it is for and how the veterinarian uses it. AK Dog Doc, if you are reading this, I asked the spay/neuter clinic vet the questions you suggested, and here was her response: ---------------------------------------------- Dogs are monitored by using an "apnea alert" and a pulse oximeter. These two instruments provide respiratory rate with an alarm is there is a specified gap between breaths, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation. After surgery all animals are kept in direct visual contact with the veterinary technicians or the veterinarian. There is no follow up routinely scheduled although if an owner has concerns they are welcome to set up a check-up appointment. If there is a problem during surgery we would deal with it. Our goal, of course, is to have no problems develop. There is always some risk associated with surgery and general anethesia, however. No one would tell you it is risk free. We do not require any pre-operative bloodwork although it is a good idea. If you want this done you may do it through your regular veterinarian and have a copy send to us. We use pre-emptive analgesia and find that most dogs do well just with that. If you feel you would like additional analgesia, we can write you a prescription that can be filled by your regular veterinarian or you can discuss your concerns with your regular veterinarian and they may dispense the appropriate medication directly. You are smart to ask these questions ahead of time. It is always good to have a full understanding of the surgicial procedure when a loved one is involved - four-legged or two-legged! ---------------------------------------------- Allie & Tess

Tess is still a nipper (mostly with my husband) and she was always biting and nipping me and none of the positive training suggestions that I got worked, so whenever she used her teeth (she rarely does it anymore with me) I would scream, shout WOOF!!!, go berserk and wave my arms around, and flip her over and pin her (gently) to the ground and growl at her. I only had to do that about 5-6 times and she stopped trying to nip me. I tried EVERYTHING before that and nothing worked. Not the ouches, the ows, the time-outs, the clicker, the "no bite," the closing of her mouth, etc. Tess apparently did not think I really meant business. I used the 2-second rule that I use with my horse--you have 2 seconds to tell them exactly what you think of what they did. After 2 seconds, they have forgotten all about it and moved on to other things. Allie & Tess