SarahAnn

Using a heavy weight leash has helped our very energetic BC mind his manners when walking with us. Because he is small (35 lbs) we were using a very light weight leash. One day as we started out to walk, I grabbed the heavy nylon leash I had used for our 100-lb male Lab. Suddenly there seemed to be a more clear-cut view of who was walking whom, and who was in charge. Our little guy walked like a champion, heeling on cue and sitting politely when we stopped to chat with a neighbor. No choke collar, no chain, just a heavier leash than he was used to. Our BC is also obsessive about squirrels, and I can't offer any advice on that subject. His "job" seems to be keeping the squirrels run up the trees, which is just fine with me -- keeps them from digging in my flower beds.

Our BC does a "property patrol" also. He has a morning routine that involves sniffing to see who has visited overnight, getting all the squirrels up the trees, chasing the neighbor's cat home, and running the property line (all 5 acres) to make sure everything is in place and secure. He does all this at lightning speed. Then he returns home for his first treat of the day -- a milkbone. He does respond well to the sound of a whistle, which we keep hanging on the doorknob.

We learned our lesson early with our newly adopted BC. We allowed him to go with us on our morning walk, and wound up carrying him home. He had a grand time sniffing and exploring till we reached our turn-around point. By that time the sun was shining brightly and he was exhausted and panting. He sought out the shade of the neighbors' shrubs and trees and we had to beg to get him to follow us. He found a ditch that was wet from an irrigation system, and he stretched out on his belly in the mud. We half-dragged but mostly carried a wet, muddy and panting dog home and from that point on we left him in the comfort of our air conditioned house while we went for our walk. No, he does not tolerate our hot and humid weather well. He would probably love the snow. His favorite spot in the house is a walk-in closet that has cool vinyl flooring and an A/C vent in the floor. I even moved his sleeping pad in there, so I'm sharing my closet with a dog.

Immunoregulin (sp.?) was used for the injections. Soloxine was used to treat the thyroid issue, and we kept antibiotics on hand for the skin infections that popped up frequently. We also tried an iodine shampoo for the red mange, but it was stressful for our dog and seemed to be somewhat ineffective so we ultimately stopped using it. We live in a small, rural community and at least one of the Vets who treated our dog admitted to not seeing many cases of an underactive thyroid; since the symptoms usually presented as a skin rash and responded well to antibiotics and steriods, the diagnosis was slow in coming. Skin scrapings were done, but it took a blood test to finally identify the underlying problem.

Tash -- I'm so sorry for your troubles. My DH and I dealt with a big, beautiful male Lab with an underactive thyroid for several years. He was on the same medication used for humans, different dosage of course, twice a day. An end result of the thyroid issues was a compromised immune system, and ultimately red mange, which required a labor-intensive treatment regime all it's own. He went for several years before being diagnosed, because each of the several Vets we consulted diagnosed him as having a flea allergy, and treated him with steroids and antibiotics, which resulted in temporary relief from the symptoms. The underlying problem remained untreated till, in desperation, we consulted a Vet we knew through a family connection. His office is 75 miles from our home but we drove once a month for injections to boost our guy's immune system. By the time he was diagnosed and put on medication, our dog had become very ill and weak, and it was almost too little, too late. He never really recovered, and we had him put down several months ago. He was 12 years old, so other problems related to age had become a factor. We tried a natural approach, paying close attention to his diet, giving him natural supplements, etc., in addition to the thyroid medication. Had he been diagnosed earlier, and at a younger age, this might have worked. I suggest you work closely with your Vet. Our experience has been that this is a tough problem, and ongoing treatment and frequent monitoring will be necessary. Good luck ..... SarahAnn

We adopted a BC (an owner surrender) when he was about 3 years old. He has a stub of a tail and looks very much like Airbear's Wick. Our Vet believes the tail was not docked, that he was probably born that way. He can wag that little stub about 90 MPH. He is so active, and gets into so much that grooming would probably be much more difficult with a full tail.

Welcome aboard, and congrats on being able to provide a good home to a rescue. We adopted an owner-surrendered adult BC almost two years ago, and he is a joy. The previous owner provided his approximate age, and we assigned him the same birthday as a family member so it would be easy to remember. He was also slow to play with toys, and we assumed that he had never had any to play with. He learned quickly, and taught us that if we gave him his own collection of chew toys, he would leave our shoes alone. Fair deal. Good luck.

Beautiful dog ..... Beautiful story. You have absolutely made my day. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing.

Welcome to the Boards Ryan. As you can see, there is no shortage of information to be gained here. About 18 months ago, we found a small BC who had been turned in to a local Vet to be euthanized. The owner said that he was "a little over 3 years old and had become a problem". ????? We had no experience with BC's and really had no intention of keeping the dog. We just looked into his eyes, listened to his pleading bark, and took a giant leap of faith. We waited one week to make sure that the owner was not coming back for him, and then brought him home with us. We live in a rural area and had every intention of finding a suitable home in the country for him with one of our friends. He already knew it, but it took us a couple of weeks to realize that he had already found a suitable home. Now I can't imagine life without him. I will encourage you to frequent these Boards. Everything that I know about Border Collies, I have learned here. I check out the site almost every day, and never fail to learn something practical or simply gain greater understanding of the breed. I also encourage you to look for a rescue dog. The need is so great, and so are the rewards. If you haven't already done so, look at the rescue site www.bcrescue.org. Good luck, and welcome back to Georgia.

The canned "in gravy" food we had been using was the first to be recalled; my second choice quickly hit the recall list. In a panic I immediately switched to human quality home cooked food and will probably stick with it. Our dogs are doing well, and have had NO diarrhea -- surprising since they all three have tender tummies. I buy meat on sale and cook once weekly; one large storage container goes into the frig, the rest into the freezer. The "recipe" I'm using yields enough for about ten days for 2 large Labs and a small BC.

What a gorgeous boy! Welcome to the Boards. We adopted an owner-surrender 3 yr old from our Vet 11 months ago and while it has been a challenge he is now an integral part of our household. These Boards have been invaluable in guiding me through the last year. I knew nothing about B.C.'s till I started visiting here and now it's a part of my computer routine. We have two 90-lb. Labs. Lucky (our 34-lb BC) did not behave well on his light-weight leash till one day, in a hurry to get out the door, I grabbed one of the heavy-weight leashes that I use for my Labs. Suddenly Lucky was on his best behavior and I had no trouble controlling him. I believe the difference in the weight of the leashes did the trick. We've had no problems since, and I still use the heavier leash. Best wishes to you and your beautiful Yoshi.

Thank you for sharing these great photos!! They are mind-boggling for those of us who rarely see snow. Watching the news is one thing, but seeing these home pixs up close and personal is great. BTW, after bragging last night about our 58 degree weather, our latest forecast is calling for snow flurries sometime early next week. We usually get just enough to lightly cover the lawn. Haven't had a monster storm here since mid-1970's.

Breathtaking photos to those of us in balmy south Georgia who see snow about once every ten years. It's 10:25 p.m. and 58 degrees here. A t.v. weather forecaster this a.m. advised those of you in the path of the storm to "get where you want to be for the next three days because this thing (the storm) is not going to let up till then." Stay safe. Thanks for sharing.

A couple of years ago, two huge bucks apparently got into a similar sort of battle, locked antlers and fell into the back waters of a river near our home. They both drowned. There was evidence of a powerful battle on the shore. A hunter found them in shallow water, still bound together by those powerful antlers.

I would love to post some pics of our charming little BC with no tail, but I can't get photobucket to work for me. I'll keep trying.