Root Beer

She is small! It was so perfect. I wanted a Border Collie-sized dog and my husband wanted another small dog. When I saw Stella for the first time, the first words out of my mouth were, "she's little!" But, she's not. She is not much shorter than Bandit, but she is smaller. She is only about 25 pounds, although I think she has gained a bit. She was underweight when we first adopted her. But, I can easily pick her up, and I love that. Bandit is small, too - he only weighs 35 pounds - but now he is the biggest dog in the house. His new nickname is, "my BIG BEAST!" Yes, I think she is going to be a Freestyle dog. Not sure about live competitions, although I am hopeful. She was completely shut down when we brought her home, and she still gets nervous when I take her places. But, she has come so far. She is completely comfortable at home now. I really think that once we start classes this winter and she gets used to that context, she will gain a ton of confidence. She was from a hoarding situation, and I know her early life was not optimal, but she has been a delightful surprise over and over and over. At the very least, we will definitely be doing video stuff, but the possibility of live is there, I think. She is so smart and she already does some Freestyle moves naturally! Her gait is gorgeous!! I think she has a bright future as a dancer! But, we shall see!! I will definitely keep you posted! Here is a more recent photo. Her coat is growing and her weight is more normal now.

It is very common on Beagles. Rocky has one.

Awwwwwww ..... very sweet!!! Congrats on your new addition!!

Some of the results were surprising ... 31% Australian Cattle Dog 25% Border Collie 26% American Eskimo Dog And ..... 17% Chihuahua!!!! Honestly, I don't see the Chihuahua in her at all - not physically, nor in personality. But, the Cattle Dog, Border Collie, and Eskimo Dog .... definitely!!!

She wasn't exactly planned .... we were going to wait until this coming spring or summer to add another dog. But, a friend sent me her shelter listing, and we ended up adopting this girl. Her name is Stella Marissa. And ... according to her DNA test, she is 25% Border Collie!!

Hi D'Elle!! Nice to see you, too!!

You're welcome!! I'm glad you sent one for Hannah! It really is fun to find out the results.

Our Border Collies have always loved the beach. Dean was part fish and he loved to play in the surf, and would even swim out and ride the waves back if it wasn't too rough. Bandit is a little more leary of the waves, but he was on his own when we took him to the beach this summer, and he stepped up! He played nicely in the surf, and he enjoyed himself. In the bay, he enjoys retrieving a bumper. He prefers more interactive play over a lot of swimming out to get the bumper, but he does enjoy it.

I did have to trim them recently. I think she was losing traction on her paws from all the fur. I trimmed them, and it seemed to help. Yeah, getting her tested was an eye opening experience. I think of all those dogs I evaluated for GHF and said, "definitely a Border Collie", or "maybe a mix", or, "no". How many times was I wrong?!!? I even got Tessa wrong because when I evaluated her, I said, "full Border Collie", not knowing her personality yet!! Oh well - all I could have done was make my best guess.

Actually, that photo is from a couple of years ago, but she hasn't changed much!! I used Embark. I was very happy with it. Not only did they give us her breed breakdown, but I can see photos of dogs who are related to her that are also in the system!! Lots of Border Collies!!!!

Hey Everyone!! It has been a long time since I came by here!! I know things are much quieter than they used to be (darn social media!), but I see some familiar names!! At one time, I was pretty sure that Tessa was not a Border Collie. I was convinced that she was an English Shepherd. She looks ES-y - she has the hobbit feet and all! Her personality matches the breed description. But, I decided this past spring to DNA test her, and I was absolutely shocked to find out that she is 1/2 Border Collie!!! The other side was quite the hodge podge. Mostly Golden Retriever, some Lab, and a few others! Really not what I expected. I am glad she is 1/2 Border Collie, though. She is "about 13" and is retired now. So, we have a Border Collie and a half here now!!

Thank you! I appreciate that.

I haven't been on here forever, but I wanted to stop in to share the sad news that Dean Dog passed this past March. He lived the longest of any dog we have ever had - he reached his 15th birthday in February. It meant a lot to me that he turned 15. Life got tough for Dean at the end. His hind end weakened considerably in his older years, and, after a bout of vestibular disease in December, he was never quite the same. But he was content throughout the winter, he was sweeter than ever, and the last months of his life were peaceful and happy. In late March, he took a turn for the worse and it turned out that he had a tumor on his spleen that burst. We miss him. He was such a strong dog, such a sweet dog, and just an extraordinary presence in our household and in our lives. But, he got to be old, and that was truly a gift.

I remember her. I am so very sorry for your loss.

I would recommend isolating the rear-end-in movement with a pivot disk, and attach a specific cue to the distinct movement of moving the rear end into position. After it is solid on pivot disk, fade that (maybe using a different target as an intermediate step), and make sure the movement is solid on cue. Then, I would pair the "get into heel" cue with the "rear-end-in" cue until the dog anticipates the "rear-end-in" cue and then I would try to drop that part. I hope that makes sense. I do have a video of how I use the pivot disk in this way (although just the first step), if you would like to take a gander at it. Anyway, that is what I would try.

D'Elle, it is interesting to hear about your experience with your small dogs. I actually find that Rocky, the Beagle Terrier, tends to learn faster than most of my Border Collies have. It might just be his learning style. Or, it might be his background as a free-running farm dog. He had to learn fast when he was spending his days running free in farm fields because his survival depended on it!! Or, maybe he's just naturally a fast learner. In any case, I don't work with him much, but what little I have done really seems to "stick" quickly with him. I sometimes think it would be fun to do Freestyle competitions with him because, yes, people LOVE the small dogs. And, even though he's half Smooth Fox Terrier, people always think he's a Beagle, and I have learned from going around with him some that a lot of dog sport people absolutely adore Beagles. I hear, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwww ..... look at the BEAGLE!" all the time when I have him out. He would seriously entertain!!! However, he doesn't take kindly to the "down time" of dog sports, where hanging out quietly in a crate is expected. So, I don't know that I ever will. Yes, it could be trained, but .... husband's dog!!! But who knows what I will do? Yes, I have taken part in Freestyle competitions since 2006!! Although I am also not competitive, I DO enjoy the social aspect of Freestyle competitions. Freestyle people are friendly and supportive, and I enjoy being part of that. I compete through WCFO. My Freestyle focus is a lot more about creation of art and expression with my dog, but I do enjoy a competition every now and again. I hope you jump in and try it.

Laura V - CONGRATS on getting almost all the way into Level 5. CPE rocks!! Cool to hear what you are doing!!

As a loudmouth, I can attest to this. I talk at the top of my lungs most of the time, and I often have fearful dogs in my classes, and I have yet to have a dog become frightened of me for that reason! You can be loud and super pleasant at the same time!!!

17!!!!! That is incredible!!! Isn't it interesting to work with the smaller dogs? I sometimes work a bit with Rocky, my husband's Beagle Terrier, and it is so different. He's very eager and fun to work with. I end up using a target stick with him a lot because I don't feel like bending down to his level!! Thankfully, he likes it! I know what you mean about a Border Collie, though. I miss Speedy in Freestyle, too. He and I were similar to you and Jester in that - most of our last performances were total improv!! Bandit is awesome, but we haven't meshed as a team to quite the same degree, although I have hope that one day soon we will. I am glad to hear you are still enjoying the sport with your two small dogs.

So, dog sport folks ..... what have you all been up to these days, dog-sport-wise? I thought it might be fun to just share some what what we are doing. My oldest, Dean Dog, who is going on 13 in February, although retired, still enjoys a bit of Canine Parkour here and there. He is pretty limited as to what he can do, but he throws his heart and soul into what he can do, even simple Interactions like walking between two trees or something!! He still does just a smidgeon of Musical Freestyle from time to time, as well. Tessa, who I truly think I will always think of as my once-in-a-lifetime sport partner, still does a bit of Agility here and there. We don't trial very often, but we are trying to finish up a few CPE Category Championships. She still enjoys going to class every week. Canine Parkour has really become "our thing" at this stage of her life (she's "about 10"). She earned her second ADP Grand Champion Title this past fall, and we are working our way through the Premier Divisions now. She does just a little Musical Freestyle here and there, but that has never really been her favorite, so we don't do much - a demo video here and there, mostly. Bandit has fun no matter what he does!! Agility is his favorite dog sport, but he is SO FAST that working with him is like learning the sport all over again!! We go to class every week, and we trial every now and then, but not too much. With Bandit in Agility, I am more invested in the experience that we have training together than I am in trialing. I do consider Bandit my "Freestyle Dog" these days. He is my main demo dog for the videos that I create for my titling venue and online classes, and he is working his way through the PFS program himself. We also compete a bit in WCFO - he needs one more leg in Novice. And someday I hope to get more into the DCD Challenge with him (although my focus there has been on finishing up my work with the two older dogs). We also dabble a bit in Parkour. He has his ADP Championship Title, but we haven't really gone on into the Grand Champion Track all that much. So, what about you?

Bandit would literally go out for a walk at any time of the day or night!!! He is always ready to GO!!!

Congrats on your new addition.

I am late to this party, but, honestly, that is the impression that I got, as well.

Donald and I went head to head on many training topics on these boards, and his ultimate response to that was surprising to me. He reached out and invited me to meet up with him. We met, and talked, and became friends. He was truly gracious and thoughtful. He will be missed.

Oh, I am SO sorry to hear this. He and I met up twice and he was SO gracious. I will always remember him well.