Jedismom

Jedi gets Orijen. He's lean, great coat, stunning..ok so I'm biased. Cadi gets Taste of the Wild because it's the only grain-free that I've found that doesn't give her the runs. I think the Orijen is better quality but she doesn't do well on it. Cody gets Acana now because they changed their formulation to a higher fiber content. He needs that. He used to eat Nutresca. So you see how individual it can be. It's the highest quality that meets their needs, and that I can afford.

If you're going to try this, then I suggest leaving a leash on that you can just grab. No chasing. Say, "Uh..Oh..too bad" or whatever else you want and time-out. When you get quiet from either one, give a quiet signal like finger to your mouth say "shush or quiet" then give them a treat or pet or good boy. Some positive reinforcement. I've used a technique similar to this to get my dogs to stop acting like maniacs at the door. Now all I have to do is approach the door and say "thank you" and they stop and walk away from the door.

Well, I don't know...I guess I personally don't see a problem with feeding them the way you are, if it's been working for them for a couple of years. What you've described, sounds to me like they're just respectful of each other and then occasionally play. The barking is probably just fun. lol Ok, if the barking is the real problem, and they are reinforcing each other to continue after you say stop, I would just take one of them out of the room and see what happens. Barking after I say stop means time-out. Good luck! :)/>/>

I am so sorry for your loss. I remember reading your stories of Buster's challenges and how you never gave up on him. He had your love and a good home, and you had the love of a good dog til the end. It's what it's all about. Rest in peace, Buster. Run free good boy.

Wellness has a Whitefish and Sweet Potato recipe similar to what you've been using with Blue Buffalo.

Total cuteness! I think if I had him I'd probably let him get away with everything.

Cody started shaking his head a lot a few months ago. The vet didn't see anything much in his ears. Maybe a tiny bit of something in one ear. She thought maybe he was extra sensitive to anything bothering him in his ear so she gave me some ear drops. A few days of drops and he was normal again.

What a beautiful place! I love the mountains but I live in hot, humid, sandy, Florida.

I hope it's nothing serious. Just wanted to share that this has happened to Jedi several times. I feel it and I find or see nothing. A couple of times I was pretty sure it was a bee sting. Once or twice probably a muscle strain. I take him to the vet right way, and the first thing we always try is an anti-inflammatory. He's always been better after 24 hrs.

Back to Basics seems like a good food. I would try it if they carried it here locally, I just haven't seen it. I think it's worth trying if it will save you a 90 min. round trip drive. If you really like the TOTW, you might ask your local store if they would carry it or order it for you. I've done that before and they were happy to oblige.

I hope you get the support you need to do what you think is best for your girl. May her treatments be successful and give you both more quality time together. Give her a scritch behind the ear for me.

I think Juno's Momma is golden for helping her little girl get through the fear phase. There might be another fear phase, but now you know what to do.

I'm so sorry this happened. Sending good thoughts and prayers that he comes home safely.

Great Lakes has what sounds like a very nice girl named Casey. http://www.greatlakesbcrescue.org/fosterdogs/casey2012/casey2012.html Good luck!

Have you tried sitting in front of her and asking for a down? Then continue to treat her (jackpot) if she maintains the down. When she has that, try it on your knees, then in a crouched position, then stand up. Perhaps when she's in the down position and then you bend over her to treat her, she feels pressure from that so she rolls over? Just a thought. I think she's doing amazingly well for such a baby. But then again she is a Border Collie. Enjoy her.

Stomach x-ray? Anything she could have swallowed that's bothering her? I'm so sorry she's not well poor baby.

Great book by a respected author. Free online resource. Hope it's helpful. http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AFTER%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf

Hello and welcome to the boards. You really have your hands full. My dogs are very food motivated. When they finish eating, they are always interested in what is left in someone else's bowl but they know (combination of my training and each other's growls) not to go near another's bowl until they are done. Once they're done it's fair game. When a new foster dog comes in I don't expect them (the foster)to be that polite about it because they're usually starving strays so they are always crated to eat or to have a bone. I do not allow the other dogs near the foster's crate until they are done. Of course, then pick up the food bowls as you've been doing. The training is not complicated. For me it just involves body blocking until they get the message. Then a sit/stay or go lay down. If you can't do this, then it's better to feed the puppy in another room. If fights break out when you're getting food out of the pantry to prepare it for them, then you can manage this by moving their food/treats to the laundry room (if you have one)and preparing their food without them around you. You can also teach them to stay out of the kitchen when you're preparing food. This would also help with dropped food. You can teach a "leave it". Google for methods on that if you don't know how. You can also crate the puppy while you're preparing food. Good luck and I'd love to see a picture!

Thank you for sharing. I have "Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep?", which I really enjoyed. Her website is also an excellent read. http://clbenjamin.wordpress.com/

This product helped Jedi back when he used to get car sick. http://www.arknaturals.com/p/112/happy-traveler

Have you seen the new Acana single source protein and single grain? It's not as rich and my new foster is doing well on it. There's lamb and apple and duck and pear. The grain is steel-cut oats.

Jedi does this clearing of the throat/coughing up hairball thing every once in a while. He's done it for years and I've never really worried much about it because he's perfectly healthy and active. Not trying to minimize any trouble your dog might be having. If it happens a lot, you probably should check it out.

I think this interaction was unpleasant for her, so she's probably avoiding the person who caused the unpleasantness. If you're worried about it and try too hard, she'll pick up on that too and it may take longer for her to come around. So I agree with Smalahundur, act neutral and go about your normal routine and she should be ok after awhile.

Congratulations on surviving 1st day of daycare jitters. That is so cute. About the leaping...you can confirm this with your vet, but she's not supposed to be jumping up in mid-air to catch anything at 4 mo. old. Not until her growth plates close. I've heard at least a year to a year and a half old. It may cause long term physical problems. I believe rolling a ball or frisbee is ok. Don't mean to get on you about yet another thing, but I know you want what's best for her. I'm glad the crate is working out.

I thought there were some good points. Her basic premise is that being "working bred" makes them less suitable for a pet home, and to understand where those traits come from so you can better work with it. Just wondering what others thought. http://agilitynet.co.uk/training/bordercollie_suekitchen_leewindeatt.html