Melody

Mine is 11 months now, so yeah roughly 4 - 6 months he would try to eat everything in site...steal a toilet roll aswell and try get away with it, envelopes, crisps packets...anything he could reach basically! He tried stealing food from my 3 year old and after that we made sure he had full understanding of "take it" and "leave it" command and that stopped hium trying to take things from this hand. you can put meat right on his lips and he wont touch it if you say leave it! He still tries to get to the bins if he can smell some chicken or something in there, but a "go away" makes him go into another part of the house lol I was giving 3 meals a day still around that age, i think up to about 7- 9 months old he went onto 2 meals because he started to leave some food at meals.

Awwwwwwwwww those pictures are beautiful! I dont suppose I will ever know if Scampi loves snow as we never get any! and if we do it melts straight away as we are on an island and the sea salt kills it lol

I cant ever bear to read the article!

I knew about using oil...but not peanut butter thanks for the tip, although.. after closer inspection when brishing him - I think the culprit is my son!! as i just found a sticky jelly sweet which they had after dinner!!!! probably that Scampi tried stealing when I wasnt in the room lol!

Scampi has only been to the beach in summer and he was4 - 7 months then and always went neck high in the water, has never swum yet. Up the country paths he is always desperate to jump into the brooks but I dont allow him too as I always get scared he will struggle or cant get out! as there is no way I could get to him if he did! puddles?? muddy ones particularly.....he runs stright into them and lays down! bathtime, he has only had a few in summer again to get the sand out but he also liked it... he is going to have a bth tomorrow probably as he has some sticky fur from somewhere today but it was too late to bath him tonight. will know if he likes baths tomorow lol

its mainly a overexcited behaviour I am trying to get at.... if the kids start singing or they are excited themselves as they come in the room, or anything not calm.... thats when scampi starts jumping up and down catching thin air LOL! it started in Summer but he was actually chasing flies than hahaha....now its like he is catching the flies but there isnt any...like its a habit!?? He is responding alot when i am telling him to stop now though and he comes to me and sits close to calm down! Also he will not act like this when OH is around cos he is master! this is something I constantly work on as things started out hard as a young pup....basically I let him get away with too much - mistake learnt though and slowly, very slowly its getting better.

I feel relieved now that its not just scampi that can have real hyperactive moments then.. I will have to work on it more seriously then and try get it under control. thanks

As some of you know I got our Scampi without looking into the breed.... but also as you know I took an intense training lesson and read up on everything I could and scampi is trained several times a day and has nice entertaining walks twice a day and is a great companion too. I know that his training will be a lifetime job but I love it, its great to teach new things all the time. Just wanted to add my bit but I agree most dont have a clue if they havent looked into it and dont give their dog enough stimulation! Luckily for me this site was available which set me on my way to finding out everything I needed to know. and I love reading through everyones experiences.

Hi Scampi has these "moments" which I think can be a known behaviour in Collies..from what Ive read, their so called Loonie Behaviour? He is 10 months now and very good with his training and is very well behaved on walks and his heel training is coming on nicely, still needing some work but he is much better now. The thing is, say for instance I am doing the rubbish and shaking a black bag, or shaking out the washing, he gets very excited and starts jumping up and down snapping at thin air with a high pitched yapping. I have to reprimand him by shaking my bottle with stones in to stop him then call him to me and distract him.. (the bottle was initially used quite a few months ago to stop his biting advised by my trainer at the time and this worked wonders) I go to carry on and he will repeat his nutty outburst. Is this something that happens to any of your BC's?? and do you do anything in particular to stop this behaviour? Thanks for your help

mt BC did that as soon as we bought him home at 9 weeks too. I was completely inexperienced then.. but now I would advise to give him lots of training and to let him know that "no" means "no" Like someone said above, focusing him on a ball would certainly help... I did the same. He would go to jump up people and I would says Scampi wheres your ball? and then I would have his attntion straight away

yes Scampi is always near me, if I leave the room so does he, and I am also one that needs to be looked after in the toilet LOL!

yes Scampi is always near me, if I leave the room so doe she, and I am also one that needs to be looked after in the toilet LOL!

Could I have some advise please on your techniques for heel training your pup? Mine is 10 months old and I must say has improved ALOT on the lead but there is always that full lead tug that if I were to relax a bit he'd pull me with him! I had a mouth halti at one point as I had a bad back and needed him under control...worked wonders although he hated it! But I want to train him properly without harnesses or haltis Ive tried walking in opposite direction as he gets to the tug stage or to stand still and he then sit down and we set off again. I was thinking from what Ive read that they can master this pretty quick under a week?? is this where we should be at cos its been alot longer than that! He is mainly off lead which I know wont help so now I have split the walk to off lead then we walk home roadside way on lead to try and get more practice. How did you Heel train yours and what age was is mastered? thanks

I was thinking the second dog to be "housetrained age" so 6/7 months + from a rescue centre or local ads etc. Scamps recall is good but not 100% just yet. thanks for your ideas

I was thinking about 2 years old aswell when Scampi knew the ins and outs... Also the other question was weather it be another BC or a smaller dog? I have plenty of time to find out on another breed too. Everyone I know with 2 dogs tell me they dont know how they ever lived with just the one Its an adventure I'd like to take and like you say probably in a years time when he is that much older. But if I have plenty of time to look into other breeds then I can decide over time too lol. My sis in law commmented if I got a smaller house/pet/lap dog, then Scampi training would be much harder as the new non BC would not be as cleverly trained and be getting in the way. But she has never had a BC either so its just a opinion too any tips would be great thanks

I was just wondering what your opinions are on having 2 BC's?? Our pup is 10 months now and I am always thinking about having a second... When is the best age to add to the family and is Scamp likely to approve? (he does like all other dogs so far and always wants to play and has never barked at any) This may not happen yet but I think i would love 2 dogs? Is it much harder work or did you find it the same?

Mine is 8 motnhs now and his left ear is always up and the right in half.. but if he is REALLY alert they are both up and if he is tired they are down and resting lol!

thanks for the replies guys, im happy now that it wasnt some awful infection lol... the blood being trapped explains it! I did believe the vet receptionist but I wanted to hear from other dog owners lol

I am training Scamp (8 months) lots of new things and he picks things up very well. But... The past month or so he has started to ignore me when we are out walking. I am training him to go DOWN before I throw anything for him so it gives me more of a chance to command him to go down if a cyclist comes along as he tends to chase them! Whether I was to throw anything or not he looks at me and wont go down, I try and persuade him with treats/meat but when we are out he loses total interest in food. At home he will go down every single time. Its only when we are out. and we are in a field with nobody about so it isnt really a distraction problem. I have to point out that I am not his master, my husband is, as much as I'd like to be LOL!..but things are improving and he has started listening to me alot more now and like I say he does his training and tricks perfectly at home every single time with me. Any tips how I can get him to listen to me when we are out?

My puppy is 8 months now...last week and today I have noticed after he has got excited and his willy has come out... it was purple and lumpy looking. I put my mind at rest this morning when I phoned my vet to ask for advice as the receptionist informed me this is fine for a pup and it can look "messy &swollen after getting excited. Just thought I'd ask for your experiences on here just to confirm this

looks like a Jake to me although he looks the spit of my Scampi LOL!

Im from Isle of wight UK

I had the same problem too when mine was a younger pup, he is now 8 months and its very rare he will bite, mainly through exciting play. My personal dog trainer, trainerd him in 30 seconds not to nip me cos it did get pretty bad! She filled a plastic bottle (ie water/soda bottle) with some stones. Told him to take some meat and he did told him again and he did then she didnt tell him and he took the meat from her hands so she whacked the bottle on the floor and it was very loud and it scared him! from then on I shook the bottle if he went to bite me or the furniture....it stopped immediately!! and if he tried another time I would go to hold the bottle and that was enough to stop him! Hardly use the bottle at all now and as I said he is still only 8 months old... He is so much better now and a very good boy

I'm going through it right now lol

My choice would be keep her inside safe and sound How long was you thinking she would be cooped up for? she will have a lovely "settle" time and sleep whilst your gone with no worry what she might be up to