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GoldenCollie

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    Scotland, Rural North East

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  1. Yes, i agree. I think there is a difference in use of crates between the UK and USA. I think that nailed it on the head! And apologies if i came accross in a bit of an anti-crate manner, because thats certainly NOT the case! I completely understand where your coming from! Anyway, back on track to the original post now i think!
  2. I understand you can't leave her to roam free all day, but isn'ty their a neighbour or friend or even a local dog walker who could come in every few hours and take her into the garden for 15 minutes while your at work? Also, before going into her crate i'd personally always walk her. Even just a short 10-15 minute stroll in the park and then a 5 minute training session. That way she will go into her crate much more settled and relaxed, having released and used to a good amount of energy and having worked her brain too. In the crate you could also leave a tightly stuffed kong, which will keep her occupied for at least an hour if youv really stuffed in the food tightly so it challanges her and keeps her occupied and chances are after all that she'll fall asleep in the crate and be very content.
  3. Waking up, taking her out for potty then crating her is exactly what i meant as to why she may be getting frutrated.. I think you mis-read my original post. I meant that the pup is most likely craving a walk. It's like waking up a child, allowing her/him to goto the bathroom then sending them back to bed! A child would take a tantrum aswell if that were their routine. Personally however, i do think that any dog spending more than 3-4 hours (in total) in a crate is just to long. If your having to crate a dog for almost the whole day then i think this is a bit sad on the dogs behalf. This is my opinion however. I'd hate to think of either of my dogs having to spend their days in a small cage. I just personally feel its to long for the dog. I can understand a dog having to be put into a crate for a few hours while someone goes to work etc.. But to have a dog in there all day is over the top and unfair IMO.
  4. I don't crate any of my dogs so i guess its a little harder to give advice. Maybe try giving her a 1 to 1 after breakfast and before you goto work. Such as a 10 minute training session using a ball or frisbee as a reward. It will work her brain and body and help take that 'edge' off before she's put down to sleep while your at work.
  5. Can i ask how long she is in there each day (in total) ? If your out working from 8-5 PLUS she's in there while you shower, eat dinner etc then this sounds like far far to long to be in the crate. A dog should really only be in a crate for 3-4 hours max (IMO) If she's in it for long periods of time, she may be getting frantic in the morning because she knows that she's going to be in there until you return home from work. It may also be that she's looking for more interactive play / stimulation and exercise from you in the morning.
  6. Thank you! And thank you both for the words of encouragement! Such a huge help and its definitely got me more confident about all of this! Yes, thats definitely how i've been feeling. I sort of felt like i was out of my depth, which i guess is silly, because everyone has to start somewhere right?!
  7. I love both. Absolutely no preferance. I own both and love both exactly the same and when the time comes to get another dog - whether its a male or female will make no difference to me In my experience males tend to mature less quickly however, females, because they mature quicker become more independant than males. Because of this i've always felt males are more cuddly than females. They seem to enjoy cuddles on the sofa more. Whereas my females in the past, and the one i have now still enjoys cuddles but not nearly to the same extent as my males have done and do. As for the training, well, in all honesty, i'd have to say my male learns a lot quicker than my female. However, i tend to find this is because my female over-analyses everything! Where-as with my male he keeps things simple and it seems to just come naturally. But then in the past i have owned other females and they have learnt commands faster than you can snap your fingers. Both my males and females have been house broken very quickly, very little difference between them. So i really don't think there is much difference. I think it comes down to how the dog learns and the best approach for the dog. I think males and females are both fantastic and i'd never base a decision on a future dog according to its gender
  8. (Sorry, wasn't sure where to post this, so apologies if its in the wrong section) Myself and my BC meggie are about to begin shepherding. We will be getting guided from a professional to begin with because i'm still new to most of it all if i'm being honest Anyway, the trainer said firstly i bring meggie for an assessment and then it will be taken from there. I'm just wondering what an assessment will normally involve? (I know i could have asked the trainer this, but i've been asking her so many questions this week already! And feel like i'm pestering the poor woman! lol) Thanks
  9. Neither my border collie or Labrador smell. If i really get nitty gritty and smell both of them close-up i'd have to say my border collie smells a bit more than the labrador...But then my BC is a big fan of rolling in nice fresh heaps of poop which the cows leave nice and fresh in the morning in the fields near us..(Living-in the countryside does have its downsides! lol)
  10. My labrador sheds way more than Meg my BC. The hair that comes off him is out of this world. But then he has a really thick smooth coat, so the hairs just sort of glide off him. lol. Meg sheds, but not as much, but its soo much easier to see her hair, as the hairs are all black. lol. And most of my house is decorated in light colours, such as cream carpets, cream sofa, beige bedroom covers etc, so wherever meg lies, all you see is big patches of black hair. At least with the lab his hair blends in really well!
  11. Meg is a healthy 1 year old bitch. Sinse i brought her home as a pup, shes never been a big eater. She won't eat treats, and even as a pup would consistently miss meals and just refuse to eat some days. I read a few BC books, and some stuff online before i got her, and knew that somtimes BC could have tendancys not to be huge eaters, and so i wasn't all to concerned, as she was staying a healthy weight, and obviously just eating what she felt she needed. However, it is now that i am becoming concerned. I'll give you the whole picture, as i think i know what may be the cause, but i'm unsure of how to deal with it. Last week, On 3rd December, myself and the dogs were in a car crash. I was in my car, on my way to the park with both dogs - to get to this particular park, we have to go down a hill. As we turned the corner in the car to go down it, there was lots of ice all over the road, car spun out of control, and smashed head first into a sign post, because of the force of the impact the signpost came crashing out of the ground, smashing on to of my bonnet. Because it was going downhill the whole time- it was terrifying and the car continiously just speeded up as we were spinning which made it all feel even worse! - and Meg the BC in particular was in bits. She was absolutely terrified, and even after getting out of the car, she was seriously in shock. Considering the accident was so bad that the whole car was a total write-off, we were lucky we all came out of the car relatively unharmed. I came off worst, but it was an absolute MIRICAL that both my dogs were not hurt, apart from shock of course! (Thank god i go overboard on all the old duvets/pillows etc that i stuff into the back of the car boot for my dogs to be comfy!! - This time, it saved both their lifes!) The only thing i could think of after getting out the car was the dogs! I just didn't care about myself! But then who does in those situations! I started crying because i just couldn't believe they were okay after what happened. Anyway, sinse then, her eating habits have went terribly downhill. She won't eat breakfast or dinner. She won't eat anything infact. I went to the pet store to maybe try her on a different brand, to temp her to even eat a little... Nope.. won't even touch it. I bought her some raw - Chicken wings/legs etc... She will pick-up the chicken legs or any other raw meat i give her and bring it into the garden and burry it, or will put it in her crate and hide it under her bed but won't actually eat it. I'm begining to get a little worried now. The only thing i think shes actually ate is peices of toast which i managed to get her to eat, but it was still reluctently on her part. I know the car accident probably has a big part to play in this, but i don't know what to do now. She's all fine - medically she is fine too (She has been seen)... Also 3 days ago my mum came round and we took them both out in my mums car, to see how they would be after the accident. My Lab was absolutely fine, but Meg was shaking in the back for about 10 minutes before settling down. When we arrived at the park, she was absolutely fine and after her walk in the park, she raced back to the car and hopped in with no problems atall. So all-in-all, she's fine about cars again now, no lasting scars when it comes to jumping in or out of cars which is a blessing! But despite this, her eating is still terrible. She still isn't eating breakfast or dinner, and will eat nothing in-between that i offer her. (My other dog - The labrador - is eating normally... but then something would definitely have to be wrong if a greedy labrador missed a meal! hehe ) Please does anyone have any advice? x
  12. First dog as a child: A cross breed. A mix of many breeds, but one of the best natured and loving dogs. First dog as an adult: Leo, My yellow Labrador. Why a BC? My partner has one, although its a cross, but the BC in him stands out much more. It sparked my interest and things developed from there i guess! Also, being an active person, i felt i could give a BC a good, active life. Did you do research? Yes, and lots of it! First BC: Meg What have you done with your dogs? I done the KC cit awards with my lab, plus a little gundog training and some other things...Currently i also have an application in for him becoming a PAT dog. As for Meg, she does her Flyball and hoping to get her into agility around Easter time. Apart from that i do regular training with them in the field out front. How many BC's? One (and a half, if you also count my partners cross ) How many do you have now? Same as above. Still have them both. What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Meg is so cheeky! She always gets what she wants, and she absolutely knows how to play me to get it! She always HAS to be center stage and will bring out every trick in the book to make sure she has it! City dog or country dog? Country (Am a keen hiker & hillwalker so don't think i could live anywhere else!) Would you ever get another breed? Whilst growing up and living with my parents things were inside-out... We had the farm living INSIDE not outside So experienced living with quite a few different breeds.. I do love the labradors... However, after getting Meg and experiencing living with a BC, i honestly don't know if i'll ever get another breed. I have completely fell for them. They have absolutely everything in one package!
  13. My Meg was incredible at how fast she picked up the whole retrieve thing. She has always had a strong drive, so running out for the ball was absolutely no problem, so that was a great start... But getting her to bring it all the way back is more tricky.. First thing i done was, when she ran out for the ball...I started walking backwards, but all the time facing her, as soon as she picked up the ball, i'd shout "Good girl Meg, bring it here" and i'd start walking backwards a bit faster, that way she would speed up towards me, when she got about half way, i'd turn around and start running really fast away from her further... This spurred her on to catch me up as fast as she could... All the while she was bringing the ball with her. When i stopped, so did she - Right at my feet, with the ball in her mouth !! Bingo! A dog which has done exactly what you want without even knowing it! I repeated this maybe 4 or 5 times, afterwhich she knew exactly what she had to do to get 'mummy' to throw her ball again --- If any hiccups arrised, and she maybe dropped it a few feet away from me ... well, then i moved to the "stare-out".... She stared at the ball, waiting for me to walk over and pick it up for her.... So i played her at her own game... If she wanted that ball thrown, she'd have to bring it all the way to me.. I stared at her ball, just like she done - Standing firm in my spot! She learnt very very quickly that mum won't fetch her ball for her! This all happened at a very young age.. Now at 1 year old, she is ball crazy! The good thing about this, is its incredibly easy to teach her new commands because she will do anything if she knows the reward will be even just 1 throw of a tennis ball!! - They are so easily pleased As for the not giving the tennis ball up thing - Sometimes that happened when Meg was younger. She was so into the game with her ball that she sometimes got so excited and didn't want to give it back to me when asked. The way this problem was solved was - I would bring an extra toy into the park/field with me ... If she didn't give the ball back, i'd pretent i was having loads of fun with this other toy and that she was missing out! - She couldn't bare missing out on fun with another toy and so would immediatly drop her ball and run over to attempt to join in my fun game with this other toy. As soon as she'd drop the ball to come to me, i'd quickly shout "DROP - gooood girl" and go over to pick up her ball.... A few repititions and she was dropping on command... If she ever chanced her luck and tried to keep the ball in her mouth, then i'd just pretend that i was no longer going to play with her and go off and pretend to have fun on my own - Which she hated! They always want to join in your games, and so will usually figure out very quickly what you want in order for the game to continue! Don't know if this is of any help, but its certainly what worked for us!
  14. Just a quick update on meg - She LOVES her crate !! She goes in and out of there constantly! She even brings her treats in there - Like if i'm in the kitchen and give them a dog treat from the cupboard, she will take the treat away into her crate to eat it in there or hide it under her bed in her crate! I cannot believe how much she is enjoying having her own little 'den' ! My labrador even goes in there with her to curl up next to each other! It's the sweetest thing iv ever seen! I Can't stress enough how greatful i am for all the advice here!
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