Shelley86

I'm hoping to find some more advice, as I'm having a lot of difficulty with Nova on one aspect - she wants to chase cars. When we are walking down the street she starts staring at them, which in itself is very difficult to get her attention away from the cars. She just gets so focused on them, and when they come close to us she will spin in circles and bark while on her leash. It's quite stressful for me, since there will always be traffic in the city/area I live in. Car chasing is a huge no-no in my books, it's dangerous. Nova is 5 months old right now. I've been really trying to practice on getting Nova's attention and rewarding her when she watches me. I've been using the words 'watch me' for the behaviour, and she does understand what I want. Except when cars come into the picture, she just seems to zone out everything. Any training information and advice would be very welcome. I'm starting to search for a trainer in the area that could help work with us on this issue, but I'm hoping that other BC owners may be able to give me some insight and direction. I've never had a problem like this before, so I feel a bit lost as to what I should do.

I tried to get my Aussie Cody into competitive agility, but at the moment between not being able to drive (thankfully I have a father who doesn't mind hauling me and the dogs around places), and having pretty much no money - we only do agility practice for fun. I'm training Cody in flyball though, hoping we'll be able to enter a competition in a few months. He'll be on a veterans flyball team, since he's almost 8 years old. Nova is too young still to do much - but I'm working on basics in agility, flyball, and frisbee. I'm hoping to be able to try her at Dock Diving in the future, and maybe one day I'll be able to test her on stock and see how she does. I love dog sports, but I'm just not in a place in my life yet where I can actually persue them much.

Going by his weight, he doesn't sound as small as he looks in the original pictures. Going by the weight, it definitely places him in the range of being a medium sized dog, I still personally think he could be a Border Collie/Jack Russell. Because I am involved in flyball, I've seen them as small as a JRT, or up to about 22" tall making them 'average' BC sized. What gets me are the markings - they look very much like a Jack's. The face looks like it might have some sort of border collie in it... but I'm not an expert. More pictures would help As far as personality, etc... High Energy is the first words that come to mind. They are often used in flyball because they are fast, focused, and driven. Where I train there are at least three BorderJacks around, and all three of them are amazing flyball dogs. My BC girl Nova is 19 lbs at 5 months, and 17" tall at the shoulders. When I got her she was 10 lbs at 11 weeks of age. If that gives any sort of indication of size for a smaller sized Border Collie.

This might be a long shot, I'm guessing... but he reminds me a lot of a Border Collie/Jack Russell mix. What an adorable pup

I just got a new bag of Canidae two weeks ago, noticed when I opened it that the kibble colour was different. So far I haven't noticed any change with Nova, but I'm keeping an eye on her. I really can't afford to feed anything too expensive, Canidae was a good price for me... So I'm hoping I won't have to change, but I am starting to consider it. This sucks since this is the third food I've switched to. I was finally happy, and now they change it...

Thanks for starting this topic - it is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Nova is 5 months old, and I'm currently faced with the decision on when to spay her. I want to get her spayed - but it's a matter of when is the right time. I'm starting to think I'm going to wait longer because she will be an active dog, most likely doing flyball/agility... I'll continue to think on the matter and research, but its interesting to hear others information.

I had to put down my BC at the age of 13 near the end of May. It was the hardest decision we've ever had to made, and we still miss him daily. We thought it would take us months before we'd be ready to introduce a new dog to the family... but a month later we had our new BC puppy Nova join us. Having her around has helped us move on, although there are so many things she does that just remind us of Lucky. We never compare them though, they are like night and day and so individual. You'll know when the time is right - and sometimes dogs just seem to fall into your lap when you aren't even looking. I'm very sorry for your loss.

I decided to try out the Canidae All Life Stages food, started mixing in a small amount with the Performatrin tonight. I'll gradually switch her over and see if there is an improvement in her coat and stools. I like the fact that the kibble pieces are smaller, and she seems to like the food so far. I saw some other brands at my local store like Merrick, Wellness, Innova, Nature's Variety... so finding them isn't a problem. I just need to find one that works for my little girl and isn't too straining on my budget

Thanks =) I'm actually really looking into Canidae All Life Stages - I've heard good things about it on some other forums. I'll keep searching around and will be heading off to the store later to hopefully get a new food. I've been browsing the website Paula listed, and it really has some good information on there.

I have access to pretty much any food brands around here, Global Pet Food carries most of them I believe. I haven't been in there in a while, so I'll probably make a trip there on the weekend and see what the price/ingredients/etc. are for various brands. The veterinarian did give me a sample package of MediCal, so I will probably look into that as well. I have heard good things about Innova too, so I think I'll check it out as well. Thankyou, gave me some good starting places to look

I decided to get a puppy because I've never raised one before. My original BC I got when I was 7 years old, so the raising-a-puppy part was all my parents work. My second dog I got from the shelter at around 10 months of age, and he was a terror on four legs for about two years. He just had such a terrible history of abuse and neglect that it was very difficult for me to raise him. He still has his issues and quirks, but I accept them for what they are. Now that I'm in my early 20's I decided I wanted a puppy, and even though I tried to read and prepare myself for it - Nova is a bundle of craziness of four little paws! She's a good natured puppy, but she just gets into trouble all the time. I absolutely love the puppy cuteness, and the fact that I get to socialize her early on and let her experience many good things in her young age. I got a puppy though, wanting an adult dog one day. Right now I'm a bit impatient wanting her to grow older so I can do more with her, take her more places... but I know I will miss the puppy silliness once she grows up. It's a bit of a trade-off, Lol. I'm just enjoying the ride while it lasts, and one day she'll be a trained adult dog. =)

This question has been bugging me for the past while, and I decided I'd ask to see if I can get an idea of food choices available. Nova is 13 weeks old right now, and I'm trying to find a good dry kibble to feed her. Right now she is on Performatrin Ultra, Chicken +Brown Rice Puppy formula. I don't know how that particular food stacks up against others, but in general I've never had any issues with Performatrin. Nova's fur is a bit dry, which the vet thinks is due to the food and suggested I change her diet. I have about another week left of food in the bag, so I'm hoping to see what other options are out there that I could try her on. Thanks for any information, looking into all the food choices has left me a bit lost

Some people just have such strange ideas about what dog breeds our guys can be. I don't have a BC anymore (but will very soon!), but used to have a classic marked short haired BC with spots/ticking all over his white. I got asked ALL the time if he was a dalmatian mix. Mind you, this was also around the time 101 Dalmatians was popular- but it got ridiculous after a while of correcting people. I have an Australian Shepherd, and the one comment I get tired of hearing is "OMG, What happened to your Border Collie's tail??" He is totally Aussie, he has a heavier structure and wider frame, but he has a good amount of herding instinct and eye, which is probably what confuses them. People don't believe he's an Australian Shepherd, they always ask if I have papers. No, I do not.. Unless rescues give out pedigrees.

I'd start with checking out the Agility Association of Canada's website, they do have a club listing there and perhaps you could find someone in your area to talk to. I built a whole bunch of my own agility equipment and ordered some tunnels from the US. There are a lot of good articles and even some agility training videos on YouTube you could check out. I do agility only for fun with my dogs, I'm not into competition yet but may do so in the future with my new BC puppy. Frisbee is known as Disc Dog as well. There is one website I remember Canadian Disc Dog Association. There are some trainers that will help you out in learning, but frisbee is also something you can do on your own. I'm going to have to wait and see if my puppy takes to it, I don't know yet, she's too young Anyway, good luck and I hope I didn't mess my information up! I haven't slept much these past few days.

Rest in peace Lucky, I love you with all my heart. Born: July 7, 1994 Lucky, I love you with all my heart. I cannot believe you are gone. We will meet again. Words cannot express the hole left in my heart, the pain that throbs in my chest when I breath. I can't belive your gone. We've been together since I myself was 7 years old, you've always been there for me. A kind lick, a tail wag, a glint in your eye... You made me who I am today, you are a part of me forever. Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there, I did not die.