dennis malec

my dog max is an 11 month old border collie who i thought was doing wonderfully, we go to the dogpark daily, he is in great shape lean and full of energy. max has been on chicken soup for puppy lovers, adding yougurt and cottage cheese for interest. not a lot of treats usually used in training, she is enrolled in beginners agility at a local kennel. last week i noticed a red spot near his eye which i treated with neosporin after calling my vet. the spot became larger and ouzing so i took him to the vet and was diaganosed with demodectic mange. i read on the internet that dogs under a year old probably have inherited this from their parents. i understand that the mange is not the problem it can be corrected with medicinal dips which i am doing. the first one was yesterday and max who is usually pulling at me to go to the dog park is fast asleep at my feet. i am told that the real problem is max's immune system. has anyone out there ever suffered through this with their dog and what was the outcome.

MY MALE BORDER COLLIE IS COMING UP ON 8 MONTHS IS DOING WONDERFULLY ON CHICKEN SOUP FOR PUPPY LOVERS. I WAS WONDERING WHEN TO SWITCH HIM TO ADULT CHICKEN SOUP OR ANOTHER RECOMMENDED BRAND. MAX IS LEAN AND ATHLETIC, NEUTERED AND FAIRLY WELL TRAINED. I AM NOW GIVING HIM TWO CUPS IN THE MORNING AND TWO IN THE EVENING, SOMETIMES HE WILL NOT EAT IT ALL. ALL IN ALL I WOULD SAY THAT HE IS NOT AN ENTHUSIATIC EATER.

max is 3 mos old. great dog typical puppy. i enrolled him in a puppy class at petsmart and basically it seem a great place to meet new friends and interact with them. i asked where i should go for the next step in training and most everyone i talked recommended a place called tops, it is where they train canine units for police depts, and also train individual dogs. they have a hospital and rehab center, and their facillities are like no other that i have ever seen. they offer three levels of training, group lessons which last for 8 sessions for $140 private lessons for $50 an hour or boarding and training for $400 per week. i met with and talked to a trainer who evaluated max as a smart dog who could use the boarding training if i could afford it, she told me that normally it is a two week period but because max was a border collie she recommended 3 weeks. tops is located in grayslake, illinois and is on the web. i have had friends that have gone through the training and said that their dogs have turned out wonderful as long as you continue to enforce the rules. max right now nips, bites, jumps and just about attacks anyone approaching as well as family members. the trainer said that max will need a job when trained which i was going to enroll him in agility, flyball or whatever would be good for him. my question should i enroll him and at what level. thanks for all of your previous help.

my male 3 mo. old puppy does not want to come in the house after being outside, 17.0 degrees this morning. he would rather stay in the garage and shiver, literally. must be 10.0 degrees warmer in the garage if that. is this normal, i can make her come in but she resists.

Thanks for all of your input, it sounds like every dog is his own dog. No one method is going to work on every dog. I just discovered a plastic bottle with bolts in it. I suprised him with it when he was biting be and he jumped, now when he goes after me all i do is rattle it from my pocket and he stops, trouble i can' carry this bottle everywhere but it does work. The resounding message from most of you is that they will outgrow it. I now know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. What a great forum you have, I am on it every day and love it.

I AM A NEW MEMBER AND LIVE WITH A 10 WEEK OLD MALE BORDER COLLIE. HE IS A JOY TO LIVE WITH, HOWEVER I CANNOT STOP HIM FROM BITING MY SHOES,PANTS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MY HANDS WHICH ARE COVERED WITH CUTS. I HAVE READ ABOUT AN TRIED MANY TECKNIQUES, NONE SEEM TO WORK ON HIM. I TRY AND NOT GET EXCITED, I HAVE CRATED HIM, NEVER IN ANGER, I HAVE SAID NO BITE A THOUSAND TIMES TO NO AVAIL. HELP