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Ah, yes. Although the OP did not indicate an interest in agility, I did want to comment that I can tell whenever an ACD is running the agility course at a trial -- they have a very distinctive bark and they use it the entire time they are running. It is sort of cute from a certain perspective, but I am glad my dog doesn't bark like that. Jovi

IMHO, Bennie definitely looks like he has some BC in his recent ancestry. Welcome to the Boards. In addition to BC-specific advice (behavior, health, herding etc.), I have found that the many dog-savvy members here also provide expert general dog advice. Do not be afraid to ask even if you may not think it is a "BC-specific" problem. Good Luck, Jovi

Thanks for the progress report. The night out at the custard shop sounds like a great idea. Best wishes for continued healing. Joi

OMG, Noooooooo! I don't think my instructor needs any more ways to torture us. Actually, that is a suggestion that I will bring up in a few weeks. Awesome idea. Jovi

I am not an expert in dog behavior, but after reading this thread and other related threads in the past, I think that your dog is extremely fearful. Not sure what your definition of 'antisocial' is, but to me, 'fearful' is very different than 'antisocial'. Jovi

Great news! Best wishes for continued healing. Jovi

Talking about body cues is very timely for me. Last night, our agility instructor challenged us to 'silent agility'. We were prohibited from saying anything while we were running the course except for 'OK' or 'Break' to start our dog. We could not name any obstacle while running (no 'Tunnel' or 'Weave'), neither could we say 'Here' or 'Go on'. ALL handling had to rely on body cues. All of us were rolling our eyes, imagining all the off courses that our dogs were going to do. What happened was the opposite. Our dogs had very nice runs - not perfect, but much, much better than we thought. I really learned a lot from this exercise. A. My dog did not drop a single bar all evening. I have trouble with timing since he is so fast. I seem to always be blurting out a command when he is in the air over a jump despite my best efforts not to talk while he is in the air. My late commands (while he is airborne) causes him to adjust and drop a bar. I really need to keep it zipped. B.I concentrated much more on body handling cues - turning my shoulders, etc. when appropriate. C. I hustled a lot more. Even though I thought I was hustling pretty fast, I realized that I was actually not as fast as I thought because I was relying on verbal cues. When I could not use verbals, I had to substitute more speed (which I didn't think I could do) to be where I needed to be to indicate my dog's path with body cues. D. Without the human blabbing nonsense throughout the course, all the dogs were more atuned to their handler. It was a very enlightening experience. I certainly hope that in the future I will "run silent". (or at least run quieter) Jovi

^^^ I agree. I miss living in PA and NJ where I could make it to the MS&W festival in about 3 hours (one-way). It made for a very long day, but it was worth it. Jovi

I re-read this and the 'glued it back on' jumped out at me. Not unusual to glue skin slices together. I use Super-glue, but I am sure there is an equivalent medical glue that the vet used. Jovi

Foot injuries are really hard to heal because they can not be rested. Well... I guess you could tie up the injured foot and have a 3-legged dog for a while, but that is not really feasible. Would using one of the commercially available dog booties be more comfortable for Daniel? He probably still won't like it, but it may be less irritating because it fits better. What are they wrapping it with? Just gauze? Or are they using vet-wrap or Elastikon? Jovi

If In a situation like this, I would take a step backwards since the dog is being challenged with too much change at one time. Make the change more gradual so the dog hardly knows that his obstacle performance is changing. For this example, the tunnel was probably too curved. Go back to a straight tunnel, then gradually curve it - keep the front end straight and gradually curve the exit end until you have the curve you want. Jovi

That chart is interesting. Is it an average for all dog breeds? My vet has told me that small terriers (for example) would have growth plate closure by 9-12 months, whereas the large/giant breeds could be 2 years old before the growth plates closed. Although I don't think he is an expert on BCs, he felt that the growth plates of a BC would be closed by about 14-15 months. Jovi

Just an observation from here: I usually buy 30 lb bags of dog food (either BB, TOTW and sometimes Wellness or Canidae). I think it usually lasts about 4-5 weeks for one 30 lb and one 40 lb dog. I say "I think" because I can sometimes have fosters here which alters the buying schedule. I also supplement with a little canned food. If I was feeding straight kibble, I would increase the amount of kibble and estimate that I would go through a 30 lb bag in 3-4 weeks. You can always try a bag to see how long it lasts to find out if you can continue buying it on your budget. Jovi

Glad to hear you are doing much better. I read your blog and enjoy it. Seriously, did you blog the same day you had the operations?? Jovi

Great suggestions all ^^^ When I read your post, I immediately thought of treats, and I also like recruiting a friend for training, stepping between dog and person or using a dog-in-training vest. Basically, whatever works. People just do not follow directions. I keep tring to deal with my uber-people-friendly dog who likes to jump up to greet people. No matter how often I tell people to just cross their arms and turn away if he jumps, they ALWAYS want to say 'no' and push him off with their arms. So he gets reinforced for jumping - pushing him off is just a game, right? I have had to try and be more restrictive in that I try to have him on a leash so I can control his behavior better since the humans are not 'trainable'. Jovi

Mucho mojo going your way. I am sorry Kaida and you have to go through this because of a vet that would not listen to you. I would certainly let him know (written) what has transpired and how you feel that he should have been more professional in his approach to your concerns, and that because of his inaction, you will no longer be needing his services, nor will you recommend him to any of your (many) friends and relatives (even though that is stretching the truth - i.e. the part about friends and relatives). IMO, an honest mistake is one thing, but lack of follow-up when an owner calls in with concerns is a whole 'nuther universe. Jovi

In my area, TS is a great place to take dogs. They welcome them. We have several pet stores that also allow dogs. Lowe's - it depends. I have had someone intercept me in the parking lot as I was walking to the store with my dog, and she told me that dogs were not allowed. (She was quite adamant about it.) OTOH, I had been to that same Lowe's another time with my dog, and into another Lowe's where I have encountered staff that petted my dog to staff that told me dogs really shouldn't be in the store. My Southern States stores (feed and grain) also allows dogs. We have a great FolkLife festival here in the fall that is a great place to bring your dog. Other events include 2 different dog-oriented days - Woofstock and Dogtoberfest. A couple of the wineries around here will also allow dogs on leash on summer nights when they have entertainment and wine tasting. Not a bad way to spend the night (if only I had more time to do something like this). Jovi

Thank you for Zippy's story. I was glad to finally 'meet' such a unique dog. My condolences for your loss. Jovi

Really, really cute. I heart Traveler. OK, here is my "I want this dog". Actually, I am fostering this dude, and he fits in so well. I have him on the BRBCR website, and he needs a sports competition home. There have been a couple of bites in the 3 weeks I have had him, but the homes don't fit the bill. (Don't they read his bio? I know 2 one-mile walks per day just won't cut it.) Jovi

I agree that longer is not necessarily better for the pet - and the best interests of the pet should be put first. Having said that, I have also had a cat in renal "failure", but my experience was that the cat had a very good quality of life until the last two months - and I regret not being brave enough to make the decision at that time. For over 2 years of his life (~17-19 years old), my cat loved the goat milk he got morning, noon and night. He ate a normal, high-quality cat food (I would not feed him that awful corn-based Rx food the vet wanted to sell me), he had no 'accidents' - although he peed buckets and litter usage tripled, he was normally mobile and slept up on our bed every night. (Actually, he spent more bed time with me during his lifetime than my husband, who travelled a lot.) Although the vet suggested daily fluids, I gave fluids every other day because I felt that if I needed to do more than that, I would have to seriously think about continuing to extend his life in this manner. I think he actually LIKED his fluids -- I would warm up the fluids in a bowl of hot water, he would settle in my lap and I could feel him relax as the warm fluids went in. The 200cc took only about 5 minutes, every other day. Then, as I said before, the last 2 months he took to staying in a closet where I provided a bed, food (he still ate) and a litter box (he still used it). I had to give him daily fluids, and he no longer came up to sleep in bed. He was obviously not happy. I finally realized that, and ended his suffering. Next time, I hope I will make the call earlier. Jovi

Sending helpful mojo your way. It sounds like Sasha's prognosis is good. A little off topic: as you know, the pee will come, and when it does, what a relief! -- for the dog and you too. When I was in my teens, our dachsund was hit by a car (middle of winter in Vermont). His back legs were broken, but the vet didn't do much since they have such short legs. I don't remember a cast or anything. The vet kept him for a couple of days, then sent him home - partly because he had not peed or pooped for the entire time. The vet felt that he would feel more comfortable at home. We picked him up in the morning, and FINALLY, that night, when we carried him outside (for about the 5th or 6th time, he finally let go. I think I stood waiting for him to finish for about 3 or 4 minutes. He must have had a quart in him (for a dachsund) Jovi

There have been multiple suggestions put forth here (and said in a more elegant way than I can convey), and IMHO, most of them very valid. What I think you are looking for are ideas that are simple and straightforward and do not require an attitude adjustment on the part of the handler. Based on what you have described, this handler is not willing to listen. Jovi

SS Cressa, I did not see your last post before I wrote mine. After reading your last post, I have to say that I think that there has to be a major improvement and/or realignment in attitude for this person to enjoy agility with any dog. Jovi

"The person doesnt feel its in the dogs best interest to jump performance. Other venues is a no go. Partly due to what secrete said." It sounds like many of the issues and frustrations this handler has is due to ego problems. I am surprised that she does not yet know that the ego has no place in dog training and handling. "The dog is very sensitive to motion. If you lift a finger at the wrong time a bar will come down." That is just an excuse. I guess she doesn't appreciate what an awesome dog she has. Yes, a dog like that is 'harder' to handle since your handling has to be 100% PERFECT, but if your handling is sloppy, you really know it. Since her dog isn't getting the Q's she wants, sounds like she still has to improve her handling. "Also has had different handlers. One handler is one of the really good handlers. All have had the same issue knocked bar or weaves." If the dog is as sensitive as indicated, I am not surprised that they also had problems with handling. You really have to have worked out a relationship with this type of dog so that your timing is PRECISE. Both of my agility instructors have tried to run my dog (who is similarly sensitive to the slightest motion) without as much success as I have had. I don't consider myself a good handler, but I have run my dog so much that I have learned his speed, commitment points, weaknesses, etc - so I am a better handler when it comes to my dog. "I had said been competing for the last 5 years but that isnt right per say. Has had 4-5 months off the 1-3 years. 2 of those years dog was being handle by other people. Also they just recently within the last year or two been able to run together. Then a year ago they started running like a team. With ~1 month off and 3-4 months with a sore back(missing weaves)." I am still mystified why she is whining about her lack of Qs. The dog's career has included injuries, time off for healing, continuing health problems, different handlers, and so on. Of course, they are not going to be at the same place in the dog's career as other dogs of the same age. Jovi

I agree. ^^^^^ Well said, SecretBC Dropped bars - also consider an ileopsoas strain. I speak from experience too. Jovi