Lionel's mom

Thanks everybody! Hmmm! Setter or Spaniel would explain the perm he has on top! Lionel has an 11 year old "brother" Phineas, who is a Jack Russell as well as Griswald--a wild outdoor cat who ignores everyone. We had a lovely walk today down at Saluda River--shady and beautiful--so he should sleep well tonight regardless . Speaking of Phineas--he and the pup have been playing well together--with a little rough housing and alpha posturing--but the funniest thing is happening. The dogs are about the same height, and Phineas is trying to be the tough big guy, but Lionel keeps nipping at Finny's stubby, white tail. So here Finny is--chest out, head statuesque (for a stubby JR), poker face...and tail tucked demurely under for protection--kind of ruins his Clint Eastwood appeal!!!!!

Hi! Well, it is official! We are the proud of owners of a Border Collie mix who is maybe 13 weeks old. He is a rescue animal from our local shelter, and he is a doll! We have named him Lionel "the lion-hearted" because he was able to overcome a rough case of coccidia. He has been with us for two days and he is keeping us very busy--lots of early walks, late walks, ball throwing, and chewy toys. Any guesses on his mixed lineage? We have heard Aussie, Lab, and even Dalmation...? We would also love any crate training ideas. He will have to be crated for several hours (3--4) in about two weeks when I go back to work. I get up and take him out and then feed him and walk him around the block and play with him and will continue to do so before going to work. He has spent 2 nights in the crate plus I am feeding him there and making it as friendly as possible. Both nights I have spent downstaire with him and when he whimpers, I place my hand in the crate and speak soothingly and he settles immediately. Tonight I want to go back upstairs to our bedroom as my husband does not work tomorrow. Would it be better to bring the crate into the bedroom and settle from there or would it be better to have the pup sleep downstairs and "cry it out" now that he is a little more familiar with his surroundings? He does not mind the crate now, and I don't want to scare him, but my husband would like me back upstairs! He has kept the crate dry both nights and we've had only one accident in the house--not on my watch!!! We will try allowing him to stay in the crate today while we run a 30--45 minute errand and build from there. Send any ideas about the crate, the mix, and any other training ideas!

Thanks! Hopefully, if all goes well, pictures will follow!

Thanks! I will let you know! I love the pics of Black Jack!

Hi, Thanks for the great ideas. My BIL is the proud father of twin 9 month old girls and he works from home (with a nanny during a large portion of the day) Needless to say, trading babysitting for puppy training could be a great deal! We have hardwood or carpets throughout the house, but the linoloeum would work. What is an x-pen? I have seen the heavy plastic corrals which can be moved in and out. Petsmart had on that was 26''--is this what you mean? Do you then paper a portion of the corral? Or just clean up if an accident occurs? Would this hinder eventual house training? As far as exercise, we can play in the grass, certainly and take short walks around the neighborhood. How far is too far for a 12 week old? He seems to like to explore on leash when we visit him. Thanks for your help!

Thank you! With consistent training I hope we also have good fortune

Hi, I looked into small dog corral for pup and a dog door for Phineas and for the puppy once he is more independent. I do not know what the other half is--perhaps beagle? He is tri colored with black, white and some gray dappled marbling along the chest. He has what we call a "painter's tail" Long and thin black tail with a tip of white. He also has a fluffy curl on the top of his head--almost poodle like?!? I spoke to the shelter today and thet said he continues to respond well and may be ready to go tomorrow or Wed. Thanks for your imput.

Hi, I have enjoyed reading all the posts and getting more of a bird's eye picture of what a BC (and its owners) are like. It is so great to see such happy, excited committed folks and their dogs. I fell in love with a border collie mix at our local shelter when my daughter and I went to volunteer. Like any "older" parent, I have been reading and researching everything I can on the breed, and I want some feedback. I am married with an 8 year old and a six year old who have been raised with a very active Jack Russell (who is now 11 and just starting to calm down:). We live in the suburbs and have a very large shaded corner lot. Phineas has loved this location. We have an invisible fence and he knows exactly where he can and can't go. He races along the edge of the yard and barks hello, wags his tail, etc to every passing biker, walker, runner. Everyone in the neighborhood knows Phineas. Kids know that they are not to come in the yard when we are not here and they abide by that. My brother-in-law and sister live across the street and he works from home and keeps an eye on our place. I have medium size crate inside, but we don't use it for Phineas anymore. He stays in our room at night and is inside or out as he prefers when we are home. He does stay out all day when we are gone. I am a teacher and am generally gone from 7--4:00. My husband works at the hospital and is usually home 2 to 3 days during the week. So, if we adopt a puppy who is somewhere between 12 and 14 weeks, are we going to be able to handle him? On the plus side, I have a 3 weeks before school starts and can work very closely with the pup. I am a walker/jogger and would walk the pup each morning and afternoon for a mile and a half each go. My neighboring brother-in-law is a dog trainer who would work with me to get pup acclimated and obedient. I am the alpha with my JR and would have the most interaction with the new dog. We also have great river trails just 5 minutes away. The negatives are: we would have to crate the pup during the day. My brother-in-law may be willing to come over each day at noon and let the pup out to potty(this will be paramount in my decision). My husband is meticulous about the house and yard and I am worried about destruction potential (he understands the potty training aspect, but not the dog who might eat a fence, deck, couch,etc.) I do have children and am worried about the herding aspect which will not show itself for a few months. I will work with our fence distributor in regard to the invisible fence but am worried the pup could break through. We had a chihuahua rescue who would do so. While the kids in our area know not to come in the yard, there is obviously no guarentee that they will stay out. In saying that, we would be outside with the pup all the time, but I am thinking forward to when he is older. The final question mark is that the pup came home with us for a 24 hour visit and did great with our dog and cat and kids and was well on his way to potty-training, but the next day he began to vomit and became lethargic. I was concerned and called our vet and the shelter. The folks at the shelter forgot to tell me that the pup had coccidia and should have been medicated. We brought him back to the shelter and he was quarentined and medicated. He had three rough days of lethargy, vomitting and not eating. On day 4 he began to bounce back. On day 5 I brought him boiled chicken and rice (3 days worth) and he has kept it down and seems to be back to normal although he did lose weight! So, he has several more days of medication until day 10 of treatment. Then I will take him to my own vet for a check up and if gets a clean bill of health, we must decide whether or not to adopt. In my heart, I know I want to adopt this pup and am 100% committed to his care. My husband is willing to adopt but has his reservations, which makes me more hypervigilant in making the best decision. Help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!