myiavedder

Wow, thanks so much for all of your responses. I really appreciate the time and advice. To answer a few of your questions... He was given to me by my sister and her family. While I myself would never in a million years give someone a pet as a gift without consulting them first, I know her heart was in the right place. I had to have my 13-yr old Bearded Collie put down in October (cancer) and it was heart wrenching. I know my sister thought a puppy would cheer me up after having to make that awful decision. So I can't fault her entirely. I can curse her repeatedly but I can't blame her for wanting to fill the void my beloved Beardie left. She had arranged to return Ranger to the breeder in case I didn't want him. But my heart is not made of stone and he is just cute as a button. Someone mentioned that him being so smart was both a blessing and a curse. This I'm definitely well aware of. I have to admit it's a little creepy to have something in your house constantly studying you. I swear he sits and looks at me just trying to figure out where I keep the car keys. My beardie paid me no mind in the house unless I happened to be holding a hamhock but Ranger is always there and always watching. He's enrolled in puppy primer starting next week and he attends doggy daycare once a week. I've read conflicting advice regarding socialization until puppies have had their full round of puppy shots. Ranger has had 2 rounds and is not due for his last for a couple of weeks. The puppy primer class is limited to puppies 16 wks or younger so they assured me it shouldn't be a problem. The doggy daycare keeps him isolated with only 1 other pup about the same age. Hopefully I'm not putting him at risk, although I feel pretty good about it considering the precautions in place. Anyhoo...thanks again for your thoughts and advice!

Hello all, I'm new to the BC Boards and new to BC puppies. I was (unexpectantly) given an 8 week old BC puppy for Christmas. (Seriously....who gives a grown woman a puppy without consulting her first???) While I was thinking of getting a dog in the spring, I was definitely not thinking of getting a puppy. Especially a BC puppy! However, once it was plopped into my lap, I couldn't refuse the adorable furry package. So now I have a 10 wk old BC puppy and I'm terrified. Why terrified, you ask? Well...I live in a condo in the city and don't happen to have a flock of sheep in my dining room waiting to be herded. I've known a few border collies and unfortunately all have been hyper, neurotic nutcases. I can't live with a hyper, neurotic nutcase! I've been reading these boards since Christmas evening (they've been incredibly helpful, thanks!) and I've noticed that many of you have BC's that aren't hyper, neurotic nutcases. What did you do to keep the neurosis at bay? What advice do you have for a BC newbie? While I don't have a flock of sheep waiting to be herded, I am more than willing to do agility, obedience, intense exercise...whatever it takes. Where should I start? My 10-wk old bundle of fuzzy joy (Ranger) is very smart. He already knows how to sit, down, up, stay (for as long as a puppy can). He's crate trained and well on his way to being housetrained. He LOVES the clicker and responds very well. Tonight I introduced "leave it" with a cube of cheese and half a donut and he got it in about 2 minutes...without even a nibble of cheese or donut. Basically, my question is....what mistakes did you make in raising your BC pup that you wish you had avoided? What do you wish you had done better? Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom and for reading all this rambling!

My last dog was a storm phobic Bearded Collie. I got him from the Beardie rescue group when he was 5. He died at 13. His thunder related anxiety only got worse as he got older. He had no other noise phobias or anxieties. His anxiety with storms was also not just noise related...he could be on the deck and sense a storm rolling in well before it started. And since we live in Texas, they roll in unannounced on a regular basis! His reaction to storms was interesting. Other storm phobic dogs I've had wanted to find a safe place and hide from the storm so they would cower under beds or in closets. My beardie wanted to attack the storm. He crashed through more than one screen door and even a 2nd story picture window in an attempt to get to the source of the thunder. I went to numerous vets with this issue and none recommended medicating him. I brought it up a few times and they said it was too dangerous. I always left those vet offices wishing those vets could spend a stormy afternoon at my house and then assess what was more dangerous! Through much trial and error, I found a combination of melatonin, Rescue Remedy, an anxiety wrap, and confinement to be the only way to cope. I now have a 10-wk old Border Collie. He doesn't seem to be scared of anything (ANYTHING!) yet. He even cuddles next to the warm vacuum cleaner when I'm done vacuuming! However, I now know that these phobias/anxieties can occur later in life and I'm grateful to be prepared with info regarding medication. Thanks!