mrsjordanjr

My sister's first BC used to do that too. We finally got to the point of having to crate him so that he wouldn't jump into the front seat and cause an accident. He just enjoyed watching anything pass by but in the crate he couldn't see so it kept him quite on trips. I would only recommend crating to anyone now because there's enough distractions with cell phones and the like. Yes, you may be attentive when driving, but the guy passing you by might not be. So, crating is definately a safety feature. My father wanted to try something else for a while and it worked for a time, but it really wasn't all that necessary. He would have my sister put a leash and training collor on her dog and correct him through the crate. We had a wire cage at the time. He wouldn't bark though because he couldn't see much at that level anyhow. But if you have someone along with you in the car and want to try having them correct him while you're driving, you could try that. I just don't think it's going to help keep him calm though. I know other people who have gotten drugs at the vet to keep their dog calm on trips. I don't know if I'd go to that extreme. I wonder if other breeds of dogs experience this as much.

My family used a popup once and we froze to death. It was hard to sleep because of the cold and wind. Couldn't get warm the whole next day. It was used in Minnesota around October. Not a good idea. If you get a popup, pick warmer states then we did!

I've had other breeds of dogs then Border Collies so I'll give you my experience. I had a beagle mix, fixed him, didn't help a thing regarding all the stuff you mentioned above. I had a doberman/terrier mix, fixed him too, helped a little bit but still had problems with him marking and some other annoyances. Never fixed a Border Collie so I don't know about that. Always had purebreds and was breeding them for sheep dog herding. I say your chances are 50/50.

Although your pup turned around with his shyness, you need to make sure he understands who the boss is. I think your dog may need some structured training. You have to be consistant in what you allow or disallow in your home. Your dog will only get more disruptive if boundries are not set now. For instance, let's say he has a knack for barking all the time. You always have to go back to the basics (you'd learn this in obedience school). The basics would be putting him on leash and correcting him everytime he barks. Keep a loose leash and let him make the mistakes so you have an opportunity to correct him but when he barks be quick and timely with your response. After repetition, your dog will start showing signs of changing his habits. The less often he barks, the less corrections he gets. When he stops barking altogether, he gets the privilege of no leash. If he starts barking again, the leash goes back on and he gets some more reminders. It's that simple. One more trick to the trade is praise. You must praise your dog verbally everytime he does it right. In otherwords, when he doesn't bark or stops barking, you praise him "good dog" or "good boy". Praising him is letting him know the correct behavior. You can't expect a dog to know what you want from him until you show him...and showing him is sometimes as simple as praising him for NOT doing something. [ 03-22-2006, 01:31 PM: Message edited by: Eileen Stein ]

Dogs will be dogs. You take that risk even at trials or other competitions because there's always a loose dog somewhere at some point during the event. That's why everyone should always have their dog on leash in public. You could always try to keep a squirt bottle of water with you to diffuse such an attack in the future.

Good advice Laura. However, I think the age of these pups definately gives you an edge over whatever they've experienced or haven't experienced yet. Get them excited about something so you have opportunity to work with them in listening to you. You can't correct what they AREN'T doing.

To know what to expect, you might want to check out my blog listed in my signature/homepage. I was taught by Jack Knox and competed for several years at various trials. I also did obedience with my dogs. I had a waiting list for puppies every year. My dogs did quite well and I credit it to God giving me the talent, my parents for taking me to Jack Knox's clinics and Jack for teaching me the tricks of the trade. Now I teach others how to start their dogs, both herding and obedience. Yes, it's highly addictive!

Definately attend. He taught me everything I know. Thanks Jack (and Kathy)!

Like the spot on the hip. My dog used to have that.