Joe Anne

Mats only! mostly under tail around anal area ......and on belly/inside hind legs. My pup Rose has such long tail feathers someone said she looked like a peacock!!! LOL! But it sure is beautiful, and does not hinder her when she has a job to do in the least!!!

CMP..... Aaaaaaaw....my eyes are fogging up just from reading your post! Get well Precious Molly! ((hugs))

Patience, forgiveness, NEVER give up on your goals, try, try and try again, do not judge another until you sniff their butt!!! LOL! and for my Border Collie babies over the years... LOOK SOMEONE DIRECTLY IN THE EYES...if you want to really know them...... and last but not least unconditional love and loyalty ! ALL 13 dogs of my adult life have taught me well and continue to do so. Can't even begin to imagine my life without them ~~sigh~~

I 100% agree with Gideon's Girl!!!! As a Professional Dog Trainer, I left (not named) my job as a Trainer due to rigid "rules". I now do Private In Home Training, and I am my own boss so to speak. I left because , I KNEW not every dog or their person learn at the same pace and the same instruction may not apply to all. Now I am able to "tweak" training to accommodate dog and person as necessary. I am flexible for both. I personally do not feel a dog NEEDS to be right at your side, so long as she/he is not pulling you, or rushing you. Heeling is only for competition as far as I am concerned. As for CGC....if I were testing for that in your case....I WOULD BE FLEXIBLE! period and so should ANY Trainer worth their title!!!! Have you approached the Trainer and spoke with her/him personally about this? may be worth a try? Gidget sounds like a well behaved little dog who is your best friend! IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT YOU 2 !

RemsMom.....As a Professional Dog Trainer I absolutely agree with you! you are so right. It is not about controlling your dog! It is about learning each others body language, voice tonality and overall proper communication between the dog and the human. So many times when I work with well meaning clients who love their dog and are good pet parents, they have no idea what is causing the behavior issues and how it can be corrected with proper communication skills. That is a biggy! Behavior issues can be formed and influenced from so many different life situations from birth to senior dog. Of course some behaviors are physiological (medical) as well, which is why I ALWAYS require my clients to get a COMPLETE physical exam with blood work when having serious behavior issues with their dog, before I see them. I spend a great deal of time with clients on learning Dog AND Human body language/communication ( between them). Sometimes it is so subtle that most people who do not work with or study dogs easily miss or misinterpret what their dog is trying to communicate, and BAM here comes the unwanted behavior ! That is a darn shame that you could not find a trainer that looked past the attitude that it was just "you could not control your dog" ! That is such OLD school! As a Trainer that saddens me greatly

It must start really early for some too. My Rose is now 15 months old. When I brought her home at 8 wks. the very first dog she made a bee line for was my BC boy Phoenix.....not my Terrier mix Bree, who is much more docile and gentle! Her and Phoenix are pretty much Velcro dogs now! It is very cute actually. Phoenix is almost 10 y/o, not good with other dogs but is really tolerable with Rose. He does have his limit and he lets her know, but all in all he has seriously surprised us with the way he is with Rose. Hmmmm, so suppose it could be a case of "breed-ism" LOL! Also even though he seriously does not like other dogs, he does pretty good for the most part when we are at a herding clinic with all the BC's !

Hi Judith..... As a Mom of 3 Border Collies Wolf (Passed) 2 currently...Phoenix , almost 10 yr old male and Rose 15 months old Female, and a 6 y/o female Terrier Mix, and as a Professional Dog Trainer for over 20 yrs. my best advice is: As I see it you have 2 choices...1. TRAINING METHOD:You can take the time , effort, patience possibly expense of a Professional Trainer and work on these issues with your dog. However, as I have experienced with my 3 BC's and with MANY other BC"s I have been around and know from our Herding Clinic and Trial history, I can tell you..just as us humans they are all individuals and their likes or dislikes are as varied as they are. These dogs are so incredibly intelligent and head strong that it is sometimes a lifetime challenge raising them, but WELL WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN! It is not about "keeping them busy", it is about proper supervision, discipline, love, and overall handling. BC's are in a class all their own in the dog world. That being said, I would suggest this second option, unless you have the time and patience to work with your dog and VERY closely supervise all interactions and environments to avoid potential trouble (MOST ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL CHILDREN!!!) Which would be sad! OR: 2. You can manage the situation. By this I mean not allowing the dog in situations that "may" end up with someone getting bitten or inadvertently setting your dog up for failure. When a dog (any dog), is not taught and disciplined or acknowledged in some way for their behavior (wanted OR unwanted).....IMMEDIATELY, they have just been in a sense rewarded for their behavior, by either nipping, biting, chasing or otherwise "controlling" what THEY feel needs to be controlled. When you mentioned about really small children, this is exactly what will happen! I promise you that. You CAN NOT depend on children to not squeal, run, pat or otherwise "bother" a dog. Of my 3 BC's, my pup Rose is the first one (so far), that is good with children other dogs and every situation/environment I have had her in. My 2 boys....1 was ok with kids, not other dogs, and Phoenix my current boy absolutely does not tolerate children or other dogs AT ALL (he struggles when we are at a Herding Clinic , but appears to tolerate "his kind" LOL! better than other breeds of dogs!!! Go figure!!! Knowing your dog and not forcing the issue is the best way in my opinion to handle this situation. If the children are sitting down and closely supervised by adults, tossing treats is ok. LEARN your dogs body language ...RESPECT what your dog is telling you....if she does not appear happy around children and or other dogs OR environments or goings on...DO NOT FORCE HER, OR PUT HER IN THAT SITUATION. She will be much happier outside, in another location or in her crate. Hope this helps somewhat...Good Luck (ps....you may want to consider finding a "traditional" herding trainer or clinics, that made a MAJOR difference in my Phoenix boy's attitude!!!! Go on these boards under "Clinics" and/or Sheepdog L for clinics and/or tainers.

That is entirely very possible.....sorry Sue. My husband calls it old age brain !! LOL!

I will be going to the Jack Knox clinic in 2 weeks, in Virginia. I have trained my 9 yr old Phoenix, with him for 4-5 yrs at clinics, so I am with one of the best (if not the best in my opinion!). I KNOW, Jack knows what to do, I just like hearing opinions and learning . Rose is actually a Knox pup (from Kathy's Knox's Peg and Clint). She has been around "easy" sheep from a distance, and we also went to the finals where she watched from a distance and was rather keen watching. Rose is my 3rd BC, but I am already learning new lessons from this little one. This is the first time I have had 2 BC's in my home at the same time. She is also going to be the youngest to start, so I am hoping to maybe trial with her some day. Again thank you. I am SURE I will be on here in the future seeking more

we stayed in the same motel. I had my puppy Rose with me and I was working the Hospitality Booth with Michelle Dobbs. we mostly talked at the motel

Hey Sue...thanks. You are right on target for Phoenix trying to "run the show". Like I mentioned this is my first time with 2 BC's in our home at once, and I am learning a LOT, to be sure. I am fiding out that I need to (for lack of a better word..deal with) them individually, which is just what has to be I guess. I am thinking the doggy door is another part of the overall problem, since it is their choice when to go out, not mine. Phoenix has always had that choice and we have never had an issue with any of the other pups (who are not BC's), concerning Phoenix. It seems that these two BC's have some sort of personal competition going on! Live and learn I guess ! PS... Glad we had the chance to meet at the finals

What is your pups birth date? My new pup was born April 17th...the are close in age. My Rose appears much thinner and probably smaller over all. 1st pic...about 3 months old. 2nd ... About 5 mos old

Having issues with Phoenix my 9 y/o BC boy blocking the doggy door downstairs when the puppy wants to go outside, hence having potty accidents in the basement because he won't let her out). I know the only way "really" is to walk her out every time, but that defeats the idea of having the doggy door! Grrrrrrrrr! So other than the obvious I am open to advice or any suggestions if anyone has gone through this . It is our first time with 2 BC's at the same time. Other than that everything is fine. I hate to close the doggy door , especially since the weather is nice and cool now and they spend pretty much all day outside playing or sleeping, only coming in now and then to check on me or get a drink. Rose knows to go out to do her business, but big Bro is the problem!

I know there are a lot of differing opinions, but I would like to hear what you have to say on starting a puppy. We will train mostly for the fun of it and hopefully for potential trials. I do not have sheep but can arrange for training more than just clinics. My pup is 6 1/2 months old now. We will attend our first clinic in November, she will be approx 7 mos old then.

I agree with Debbie and rush doggie. It really depends on how close you want the age spread to be and your current dog. Both puppies and senior doggies require a lot of care, which factors in your time available as well. My male Phoenix who just turned 9, has also settled quite nicely from his younger serious jerky, unfriendly to other dogs or strangers, self! That being said he actually has always been ok with new puppies, not so with older dogs! I also have a terrier mix female, about 40 lbs (same as Phoenix) and they are serious pack mate buddies. We just this past June added another BC puppy to our pack, a female (Rose) , now almost 6 months old. I was a bit concerned just because of the bond between Phoenix and our Terrier girl Bree. I thought jealously may set in and Phoenix would possibly be a jerk with the pup....but actually...it was Bree that was stand off ish for over a month. Now ALL 3 are fine together! Phoenix set the puppy straight the FIRST day she was home as to HIS "play or approach me" rules...in a VERY assertive but appropriate manner. He put her on the floor but did not hurt her at all...she didn't even yelp! Now it is the 2 BC's ganging up on Bree telling her where and when she can go!! Of course I strongly step in to let those BC's know just who sets the rules around here!! LOL! Suffice it to say we have a VERY lively household these days!

For those of you from out of the Washington, DC area...either driving or flying into Dulles Airport..... If you are coming into Dulles you can easily avoid 495....so this is really for people driving! Starting about 7am Friday morning and supposedly through the weekend, apparently there will be a "truckers protest", around the entire DC beltway (Rt. 495). The plan is to tie up as many lanes as they can with their 18 wheelers!! creating an even bigger nightmare than our beltway normally is!! Who knows if it will pan out or not....but I thought a heads up would be good soooooo....... JUST A FRIENDLY FYI IN CASE YOU HAVE TO TRAVEL RT 495 ! See ya there!!!

Thanks...see ya there!

I have 2 questions: 1. What is the age range for Nursery? 2. I see gates open at 8am, but how late do runs usually go and or any demos. Basically guess I am asking when dose each day wrap up? This will be my first finals and I am seriously stoked! Me and my puppy girl Rose will be there Volunteering at the Hospitality Booth, Saturday and Sunday! Hope to be able to put some faces to the names on the Boards! Will you be there!? See ya, JA and Rose

As a Trainer I can say it can be a pre conceived judgement about certain breeds on the part of a trainer! It can come from experience with a specific breed or lack of experience! I am "sensitive", when I hear anyone "profile" a dog based on his or her breed at first meeting. EVERY dog is and should be treated as an individual, especially if you do not know that dog. (This is not to say that there are not behaviors specific to a breed), as we who know our BC's can attest. This was something I learned a long time ago when I first started training dogs. Sounds to me like your trainer made this mistake when saying ...most BC's are not that friendly. Even if I think that about a breed I would not as a Professional Trainer say that to a client I just met. Please understand, I am not saying she is not a good trainer, but , I believe we all do better when we know better....and I would hope she learns this sooner rather than later. With that being said, I feel training should always be fun...so I wish that for you and your amazing little pup. I am currently working with training my little BC pup ...5 1/2 months old , Rose, and she keeps me on my toes all the time! Good luck and have fun!

As Mom of 2 BC's ....Phoenix 9 y/o and our new puppy Rose 5 1/2 months..as well as being a Dog Trainer...I have very mixed feelings about Dog parks period. I never take my dogs. Too many issues coming together with dog personalities, sizes, excitement levels, lack of training or good recalls, ages, disease potential and then probably the biggest of all the PEOPLE in the mix! Too many "owners", not paying attention to their dog and or the children they bring with them, as well as owners who think it is ok for their dog to bully other dogs and will tell you so! I feel it is safer to have my dogs get friendly with either neighbor, family or class dogs and cultivate those doggy relationships. My first question would be ....is she spayed? If not she could be about to go in heat which MAY, account for "odd" behavior at home....not at the dog park necessarily. I agree with much of what is being said here, including taking a dog into not only a very large group of dogs but with yours on leash. dogs on leash are always more on alert than when off. I have been volunteering at a local pet store supervising puppy play time and taking my puppy of course. As others have said I am observing a constant behavior pattern with my 5 mo. old pup . She REALLY has a problem with dogs she does not know, bounding up to her and getting right in to her face. It does not seem to matter what size or breed. Someone had a wee little pup, smaller than my Rose do that very thing and she showed major teeth and snapped! She does fine when dogs , adult or puppy big or small greet her calmly. Gloria put it perfectly! BC's do not like their space invaded PERIOD! I have noticed the same thing with my 9 y/o as well. That space invasion can be by dog or human. That was VERY well put Gloria, indeed! Watching my puppy is teaching me a lot , as well, that it is definitely approach more than size or breed! I would be VERY cautious about the dog park, and especially if there are a lot of dogs present.

I use Here and a leg pat with the pups name and a very upbeat, happy voice from a wee pup, and soon introduce That'll Do along with Here, once they have a good recall. Then I use that'll do sparingly when not working sheep, once I know the pup has learned it. I try to keep the that'll do very positive with a happy but assertive voice and pat my leg.

I will be there! My first finals, and I will have my new puppy girl Rose with me. She is now 5 1/2 months old and quite the awesome pup! Love the video Michelle!

WWBC....what are the room rates for last 2 days of finals? I may be interested in a 2 night stay with my pup.

So it is ok to take our leashed dog to the finals if they are not participating?

Journey... that would be good if there was some darn way to know, it would give her more time to "mature". But, apparently there is not which is too bad.