borderfreak

Okay. Thank you Sue for this huge post!

I would like to know what you did when your dogs saw sheep for the first time. Because I'll gonna start herding in the next few weeks. Actually I was at a seminar yet when Bo was about 9 month old. But it wasn't that good. Too much dogs, too calm sheep, too much commanding the dogs (I think with most dogs it's not possible to give them much commands while the first time at stock). So what did you at your dog's first time? Just let him get to know the sheep? Some little exercices?

Ahhh, okay. I saw them before but I didn't know what to do with that. So, it's actual the same like a crook? Or does the working wand has some special application?

I switched Bo to raw a few weeks ago, too. We're very happy with it. Bo is healthier than ever before and he has thaaaaat great white teeth and bright rose-colored gums! Even my vet who is usually very conventional says I should continue feeding raw.

Totally stupid questions, but what is a working wand? How do you use it?

Here in Germany it's comman to use a "throw-chain" (at any kind of dog training) but it's usually thrown at the buttom in front of the dog and not at the dog (only in dangerous situations you need his attention RIGHT NOW). In classic German herding style shepherds having sticks with a shovel at the lower end wich will be used to throw some dirt at the dog to keep him off livestock. These are methods I would use if needed. It also depends at the dog. Some dogs just needs an angy spoken command, an other dogs doesn't care about that. Wich I would never use is a method I've seen is using a lash at my dog... that's going too far for my taste. And I would also never use my crook against my dog since a dog who's afraid of the crook isn't very useful at livestock.

Bo's doing this also. Especially when he was a puppy he had the half of his tounge out and it was moving slowly up and down!

Yeah, that's a good idea, since Bo loves his banana mush iced kong!

Hey, Bo is still fine on his new diet! Digestion problems are completly gone! I follow pretty much tom lonsdale's recommendation of 70% raw meaty bones and the rest 30% flesh, organs and fruits/veggies. By the way - do I really have to make a mush of the fruits/veggies? Because Bo don't really likes it as mush.

Hi, since Bo raised his paw for raw I threw the kibble away and get a bunch of rmb, meat, organs and fruits/veggies, too! It's raw-day no. 5 and he's going very well. That's what I have 'till now: Rmb: Lamb rips and backbone, calf knuckle bones and breast bones, lamb legs (with coat and hoofs!) Meat: Beef flesh Organs: Green tripe, liver, kidney, heart, larynx Fish: Salmon Fruits and veggies: Mostly a bunch of berries (Bo LOVES berries!), such as strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, rasberrys, currants. But also bananas, apples, pinnapples, carrot and gherkin. He also gets some of my leftovers. I feed the rmb, meat and organs in large pieces. It seems to be a real pleasure to Bo to tear and drag and chewing, chewing, chewing! Any suggestions what I can (or should) add? I could get so much more rmb, flesh and organs. Almost everything. I only can't feed him pork 'cause in here in Germany we have the risk for pseudorabies. Yummy, yummy!

I guess I need some help. Bo always loved to bark but meanwhile he became a real barking junkie. He barks and barks and barks and it takes no end. He wants someone to play with him - WOOF WOOF WOOF! He wishes attention - WOOF WOOF WOOF! He wants this, he wants that, he will tell ya with a lound heavy barking concert. I tried with ignoring him but it doesn't help. I tried to get him and hold is mouth shut, it helped partly, but mostly he is faster than me and runs away. Shouting at him doesn't help also. Anybody some ideas to cure this?

Yes, lots of people of a german board had to made the experience that the coat texture went bad after shaving. I don't shave and I won't ever. Some people shave (really shave - naked) their dog's tummy as an alternate. Dogs adjust their body warmth by their tounge and their paws (they actually have sweat glands on their pads!), so during the sommer it's important they have enough water to drink and maybe a little pool where they can cool off their paws.

mhh... actually I think that it's not an offical dog toy

Poor Sage! It reminds me on a likely situation I has once. When Bo was a puppy a Large Münsterländer came to us and SUDDENLY attacked Bo. The only thing what the owner had to say was "I knew that this will happen!" I was like "And why did you have your dog unleashed and let him go to my dog if you knew that?" her answer was a shrug. Stupid People! As for Sage, these days you should absolutly bring him together with other dogs wich he trusts! And for the future take him off leash if there is a conflict with another dog. Imagine somebody wants to hit your ass up, but you are on a leash - you'll be more afraid than you would unleashed, you know? Most people in Germany are taking pepper spray with in case a another dog will seriously attack their dog. That might be possible "weapon" for you to save Sage in case of another future dog attack.

yeah, tool time! We need new stickers: My Border Collie is Smarter than Tim Taylor