Bordercentrics

If our Ben does not get enough exercise, i.e. walks, he gets behind in his pooping, the goes off his food, and has some poop problems when he does go. He is almost 14, and we have observed this behavior many times over his life. We spent $700 at the Emergency Vet one weekend to find out that there was nothing wrong with him. If you have recently been in a serious accident and not feeling well since, perhaps Maple is not getting as much exercise as usual. That would certainly be the case here. Ben is also very sensitive to us, and when one of us isn't well, he reacts by not acting normal and not eating. Perhaps Maple is reacting to your condition. Not knowing her, I can't say with any certainty, but it could be. I would also sit and observe before calling the vet, since you noticed a definite improvement after she emptied herself out. Best wishes to you both for the New Year. Kathy Robbins

Michael's suggestion that the medication might be temporary fits exactly with my experience. One of my Bouviers was very anxious to the point that I wasn't getting anywhere with her training. I reluctantly put her on meds, and they just took the edge off so that I could train her. Once she was able to focus and learn, I was able to wean her off after about 8 or 9 months. Good luck with this gal. Kathy Robbins

D'Elle's mention of a medical condition reminded me that was the reason I first thought of. Had she pulled a muscle, or was there a lump? So just touched the spot where I was when Meg snapped and got no response at all. It was the stroking gently that was the problem. If there is a sore spot, you should get some kind of reaction when you touch it. Let us all know how this turns out. Kathy Robbins

Our first BC, Meg, did this. She is the black and white dog in the photo. Her coat texture was very fine, and I finally figured out that when she was stroked gently, static electricity was building up quickly and giving her a little shock. It didn't happen all the time, but I think she expected it to happen and would win us off. What is Molly's coat texture like and could this be the cause? Kathy Robbins

Our Ruby, who we lost this June at the age of 18, had it. She was about 7 years old when she had her first incident. She didn't have them very often as we we stopped her from extreme exercise after that. She did still have collapses off and on for several years, and then they stopped. Perhaps she went into remission or perhaps she just calmed down with ages that she didn't induce them any more. We will never know, and I don't think the experts know either. She was active for her age until then end, but no longer as intense. I don't think it is the length of the exercise that mattered, but rather the intensity. From her photo (cute), I would guess that Wisk is pretty intense. The only thing you can do is not allow the type of behavior that precedes the episodes. Fortunately there were no long term effects with Ruby. She actually would recover from the episodes much more quickly than what we read is the usual time. Once she was alert, she would just get up and be normal right away. But because she was always conscious, she seemed fearful during the episode when she had no control of her body, but she would recover from that as well. You will just have to manage Wisk, and hopefully one day, as with us, you will suddenly realize that she hasn't had a collapse in a very long time. Ruby did develop seizure activity in the last two years of her life at one to four month intervals. While they appeared to be Grand Mal seizures, they were of very short duration, and again, she would recover immediately once she was conscious. I don't know if the two conditions are related in any way, but I mention them here because they both are neurological, at least in appearance. Kathy Robbins

I second the Brenda Aloff recommendation. I attended a seminar she gave here many years ago, and her methods worked wonders with a dog I had then who was dog aggressive. I was never positive about it, until a year later two dogs in the neighborhood got out that we had never seen before and charged us. I instinctively did what Brenda had taught me and it worked! My dog walked calmly home with me, even after all that excitement. She was on a leash, but that wouldn't have helped if they'd attacked. Kathy Robbins

Ruby, our Red Tri in the photo on the left, was almost 18 when she died this June. She only seriously slowed down during the last year of her life. Moderate slowing probably started around 14. I am concerned about Zara drinking more water. She is only seven, so have your vet check her for diabetes. That can slow them down. They are all different. Kathy Robbins

We are so sorry for your great loss. Knowing it is coming doesn't make it any easier. You have given her the greatest gift you could by releasing her from her suffering. God Bless. Kathy Robbins

Actually I would categorize them as the WORST training school. But check with them and see if it is true. Even Cesar Millan is starting to do some clicker training! Kathy Robbins

I started by using Petrodex toothpaste, but I switched to Oratene after hearing about it on this forum and reading the Amazon reviews. I put the Oratene on the brush and brush the outside of the teeth. That seems to be where the tartar accumulates, and I think it would be too hard on the dog to try to open its mouth wide enough to do the inside.

Our first step was Molly watching the other dogs getting brushed, then letting her lick the brush, brushing for just a second and then finally the whole mouth. We have never had to have a dog anesthetized for tooth cleaning. I also use Oratene.

Do ask your vet what they think, but it is possible that Rylie is just running too fast to stop so suddenly. Does he stumble if he bends to pick something up when he is not going a mile a minute? I would say he has a problem if he stumbles at any speed, but if it only happens when he is running all out, he just hasn't learned coordination for this combination of moves. And it may not be his age. We had a DOG that ran too fast, and the choices she had were to stumble or overrun the object. She was very funny to watch at lure coursing! Kathy Robbins

Not only does she not look her age, she doesn't act it either. Yes, she sleeps more than she used to, but when she is awake she is still a little pistol. Ben is 12 1/2 and he sits and watches her run around! She also walks around a mile a day and wants to go farther. Kathy Robbins

I can only take this pressure for a few minutes before I have to give in.... BorderCentrics

Another contributing factor, in my mind, are all the studies that list the Border Collie as the smartest dog. When I was in rescue, I can't tell you how many calls I got from people who had never had one. When I would ask them why they wanted a Border Collie, they almost always said it was because they read that Border Collies are the smartest breed. I then told them about living with a dog that is perhaps smarter than you are, and how hard you have to work to keep ahead of them. And how much you should be doing with them. Most people just want to "have" a dog but not work with it. They want bragging rights that their dog is smarter than everyone else's. I didn't hear back from most of those people, thank goodness. Kathy Robbins