doggietrio

My lab/pit does this, but when I say LONG pees...I mean long. In fact, one time, we were at a flyball tournament, and after his run, he found a tree and starting urinating. The heat ended and we were gearing up for the next heat (to be run immediately after the first)...but, Bogey was still peeing. The judge kinda waited for him to finish, but my husband looked at me, and I knew...one of THOSE, and I ask for just a moment. So, the judge walks over to the score table and talks to the volunteers, looks up and Bogey is still peeing. We, the team, decide to switch him out, grab a different dog, run the heat, and Bogey is STILL peeing. Everyone, both teams, volunteers, and judge are laughing so hard - none could believe it. But, for this dog, he's always done that. As a pup, he'd drink a ton of water then fall asleep and end up waking himself up because he was peeing in his sleep! When Bogey was ~2, we did an ultrasound, bloodwork, etc thinking there had to be something wrong and all was completely normal. The vet's conclusion was sometimes, he just has to go. Great...can I have my $1500 back, please? Today, he's 11.5yo and still happy as a clam and perfectly healthy in that regard (never had a UTI, bladder infection, anything). Bogey still has the reputation as the unofficial world's longest pee-er, too! Hopefully, there are no issues with Bill and he gets a good report back from the vet! Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

Can you work with him so he's not so crate aggressive? (Of course, I have Aussies, too...and they're notorious for being crate aggressive, so...it doesn't bother me so much!) I crate in my van and leave the doors/windows open. If I am in a high traffic zone (ie, people/dogs walking by), I'll put shade cloth over the van door so they can't see out so easily. I don't recommend leaving a dog loose in a car, with the windows down, because the dog can get out and either run into and disrupt the trial environment or head toward a road. Too risky for me. And, most venues don't allow you to just "tie up" your dog or leave him loose unattended while you go walk a course, or whatever. Anyway, good luck. Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

My dime, my choice. I have 6 dogs. 3 are rescues, 1 is a rehome and 2 were purchases. I love 'em all, but the two easiest dogs are my purchases. I think that's just the luck of the draw...and I will rescue again. But, clearly my dogs aren't "social status markers" (I'm pretty sure that's not possible with a BC or an Aussie!). To me, purebreds have lost their luster to those designer mutts who are your new social status markers. Labradoodles or lasadoodles or anythingdoodle. Those are the people that should be adopting a mutt instead of buying one for often multiple thousands of dollars. But, in the end, their dime, their choice. I equate it to kids (take it for what you will). There are thousands of kids in foster care who could use really great homes. But, folks still choose to reproduce and have their own kid anyway (when, often, they should be spayed or neutered and not reproduce! ). But, again, their life, their choice. Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA *Proud Aunt to a brand new foster-to-adoption nephew!

Try (starting with low distractions and from a close distance) calling and running away. When he catches you, play (rough house, tug, toy, whatever, just be exciting). If, in a low distraction environment, he ignores you, you can hide and wait for him to find you, or you can put a light line on, and give a gentle tug and then run away - but with a HUGE party at the end. Gradually, add a "here" or a "come" as you run away. The reward at the end has to excite him. So, if he's not treat motivated, up the treats - steak, liver, chicken, canned cat food - usually the smellier and ickier, the better. And, have him skip a meal and have training time when he's hungrier. If he's not toy motivated, work on that seperately. Ball, real fur tuggie, turkey neck in a sock - something that you can build on. Once he's excited by something, and running to get to you to play (or for his treat), then move your recall game outside. Try to control the environment to keep the distractions lower (ie, don't go out when a pack of kitties are walking through the back yard!). Start fairly close to the puppy, even swat his butt playfully and call and run away. I was lucky with our BC. When we first got her, we hadn't fenced the property yet (just 5 strand barbed wire for the neighbor's cows), and it was critical she had a good recall. I worked on it obsessively (using a game of ball as a reward), she thought we were playing - go figure. She quickly learned when I yell Fuze, HERE!, that means stop, run as fast as you can to get to me (and you get a ball - which she loves!). It worked. When she was about 4-5 months old we were working in the back pasture and weren't being very attentive to her, she got in with the neighbor's cows and when I looked up and saw the new moms ready to stomp on my puppy's head...I freaked. But, I called and she stopped, and came tearing over. Whew. The next time, she was about 9 months old, and we hadn't finished the drive gate yet. There is a canal across the road we let the dogs swim in when we're too lazy to walk back to the creek. Anyway, we were walking back from feeding sheep and she decided now was the perfect time for a swim and took off at a dead run. I thought - crap, she's going to get squashed crossing the road - and I called, she stopped, and came tearing back. Whew. Now, of course, the property is completely fenced and cross fenced and as dog proofed as I could get it...and, as a result, I haven't worked that recall in a while. I wonder if it's still there... Anyway, the trick is, the puppy has to think it's fun and a game. Keep sessions short and VERY high energy (from you). If you get frustrated or are tired, don't work on it - save it for later. Good luck! Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

Fuze would happily work for Godzilla if he could open a gate and whistle/give commands for her! This has happened, too. I was on the field with an instructor, and she would NOT get to work - just sat there and looked at me to the instructor (she has never quit before and she is used to working with both of us on the field, but I was having a bad day). I walked over to her to get her and she ran right past me and went to work - for him. She even looked back at me as if to say "STAY!"

I agree, just limit Chuck's homes and make sure, even if the new owners don't have cats that they are aware. My middle Aussie is a cat (rat, small fuzzy thing) killer. Funny thing (not, ha ha, funny - odd funny) is that he leaves my cats alone and will only go after the strays. While some folks might not appreciate that, it keeps our property free from unwanted numbers of cats (my neighbors have about a billion barn cats and will not spay/neuter them). We've already "adopted" two (ie, they came, ate, and won't leave, so we spayed/neutered and vetted them) from their massive numbers (which my dog leaves those new additions alone). When we first moved in, the stray cats were a real problem, and my 12 year old cat just couldn't compete with the strays at feeding time. Now, we almost never see them anymore and my old cat is much happier. Good luck, Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

I was talking with a friend of mine who started with an Aussie as a kid. As an adult, he got his first border collie and trained and trials him in Open Field. I have had Aussies for several years, and I really like 'em. But, then we got a border collie - she is amazing (and is the calmest dog in our house!). My friend asked me if I would ever get another Aussie after having our BC. I said, of course, and he was suprised. He said the Aussie he owned was intense, high drive, and a nice enough working dog, but as a breed, he decided you can't really wear them out. They are very active dogs, but he believes they don't have the same focus as a border collie, so you can't keep them on one task too long. Kinda makes sense to me, but for a different reason. The Aussies never just hang out - they are always on alert - their standard puts equal weight on working as it does being a guardian. So, when their job is done (sports, working, hiking, whatever), the Aussies come back and still patrol and are constantly telling me of every little danger lurking in and around the property. When the BC is done, she can come back and either take a nap or entertain herself until the next job comes along. She's also a lot more selective when she alerts - if you hear Fuze bark, you'd better check it out. When the Aussies alert, I just tell them to be quiet. Of course, when I go into town, if I have the BC in the van, I bring one of my Aussies - with them, I KNOW it won't get stolen! The other thing I like about my Aussies is that *I* am their person. Not my husband, not the neighbor, not anyone who can open a gate and take them to stock - just me. They are very owner focused. The border collie, while she's a great dog, could care less who her "person" is the moment someone opens the stock gate - she'll work for anyone and actually prefers someone who knows what they're doing, and has even managed to tell me that. SO, it just depends on what you're looking for. But, while they are both nice breeds, in my experience they are not very similar at all. Good luck! Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

A friend of ours has a Toller and Chug is AMAZING! I love that dog, and after her would consider getting one someday. She's from a working kennel and many of the dogs they produce go to hunting homes. Chug is a dog that was purchased by novice dog folks, is super outgoing and friendly with people and other dogs, has no issues, and before they tried flyball, they thought of her as just an active little dog (but NOT hyper). Once they got into flyball, they found the intensly driven dog that lurks underneath - and, the Toller scream. She is fast, easy to train, and always ready to go, but can just chill when they are hanging out at home. I always wanted them to get into agility with her, as I think she'd excel there as well. I would pit Chug against a BC for performance events - she's pretty evenly matched (she is a bit smaller though - at 17"). Truly, for these folks, she is the perfect dog. Does that mean all Tollers are that way - probably not. Good luck, Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

Funny...I've never heard the term "border" referred to a Border Collie - only to Border Terriers. I guess I only use Border Collie in conversation, BC when typing, and caps randomly...I'll have to pay better attention. I have a black tri BC and a black bi (black and white - minimal white) Aussie. The bc looks like a bc, but as a pup, we got a lot of - "an Aussie with a tail?". With the Aussie, we get a lot of "I've never seen a BC without a tail" comments. I try to explan that YES border collies come this way, and Aussies come that way, but for the know it alls...I let them tell me I have an Aussie mix (the tri) and a purebred BC (the bi). Ok. Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

We started out with "free" sheep. A friend had some that she didn't want to sell, but we've had a drought in CA, so she didn't want to pay to hay feed all of her sheep, either (as hay is about $16-20 a bale for a SMALL square bale). We have a pasture that is irrigated (by the neighbors for their cattle) and we couldn't keep it mowed, as the tractor would sink. So, I fenced it for sheep and borrowed about 12 of her sheep and it was great! She pays for the upkeep, I get the benefits. She has taught me how to worm, trim feet, etc. I now have a few of my own sheep mixed in with hers. So, a partnership like that might be a good one if you can find it. You get education, experience, and weed mowing for free. Your partner gets free feed for the sheep. And, I get my first home-raised lamb (meat) this weekend. Good luck, Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

While it's true that the NSDR was one of the original registries for the Aussie, it is no longer used by most reputable Aussie breeders today. As to the question re: breeding Aussies for anything other than stockwork...that's a big debate in our community. The Aussie is no longer a pure stock dog breed. Yes, there are kennels that supply amazing stock dogs who are guaranteed to work, but...they are in the minority. So, breeding Aussies for non-stock purposes is the majority of breeding. Granted, I do not have working Aussies, so my opinion may vary. Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

While I don't know if it's hereditary...I have a small bit of experience through friends/family. My mom's 11yo Springer had this - and when he went to the groomers, he collapsed because he couldn't breathe. He had been having trouble for months (labored breathing) and they thought his heart was bad ala their regular vet. As a result of his collapse at the groomers, they rushed him to the vet with not much expectation to bring him home. Their vet recommended a cardiac specialist. The instant they walked in to the specialist, she knew what it was and referred them to a surgeon. Freddie, the Springer, had the surgery (he was bad enough he collapsed from lack of oxygen, so it was worth the risk as they weren't ready to let him go). My parents fed him out of a raised food dish and had a raised water dish as well for the rest of his life (that, and using a harness to walk him, were the only adjustments they made). He lived to be 15+ years old and never had a problem resulting from the surgery - although my mom did miss his deep bark. In fact, there was marked improvement (increased activity levels), I assume was because of an increase in oxygen he was able to consistently get? A friend of mine is also experiencing this with her 14 year old BC (started when he was about 12yo), and he is only bad enough that he'll cough when he gets over excited. So, she's retired him from agility, herding, flyball, etc and he is living a good retired life. He has not collapsed from being unable to get oxygen nor does he have labored breathing when relaxed, so his owner has decided not to do the surgery. The surgery is a huge risk, but, in my parents' case, it worked out well. And, the dog never had issue. But, my friend's BC isn't that bad, and she's elected not to do the surgery and she's had good results, even though you can tell it's gotten worse over time. Sorry...not a black and white answer, I know. Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

Several techniques...clicker train the dog to bring it back to your hand. Reward him with something good (treat, tug, something) when he brings it back. Keep your throws short, don't lob the ball a long distance so he doesn't have far to bring it back. But, what I do with ball droppers is to play tug with the ball while it's in their mouth. Start with the dog in front of you, do a SHORT toss (a couple of feet), and then when he picks it up, try to "steal" it. You can start by "fake grabbing" it - and then if he kinda pulls away - cheer like he won the super bowl. Then, put a little pressure on the ball while it's still in his mouth, then immediately let go and cheer him on like he just "won" it. Slowly increase the amount of time that you "tug" with the ball, and always let him win. Once he's tugging consistently and doesn't give it up easily, then start to lengthen your throw. If he enjoys the game, he will drive out to get the ball and come racing back to play tug. And, if he bites you while playing tug, suck it up...don't scold him. You'll teach bite inhibition after he understands the game and LOVES it. Sooner or later, you'll have a dog that then you'll have to teach to drop the ball. But, that's another issue for another day. Good luck! Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

ASCA does allow mixed breeds (and any non-Aussie purebred) to compete in any of their programs (stockdogs are limited to herding dogs and herding mixes), execpt conformation, of course. They (along with CPE) do not require a dog to be altered before participating. Your mixed breed does not need to be registered with AMBOR, either. AND...they are in the process of developing a rally program - YEAH, mixed breed doggies...I *believe* the rally program will debut at the Nationals in September - so I would guess it'll be available shortly after that (but don't quote me!). ASCA is generally more common than UKC in many areas of the US and Canada. So, check out ASCA (www.asca.org) and good luck with your obedience, tracking, agility, stockdog, or soon, rally ambitions. Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA

Ninso...they're not contradictory...in fact they are one and the same. Training a dog isn't about how many tricks a dog does or games it plays. Training a dog is about how it lives with you, fits into your community, and, quite simply, behaves. Alligande stated it much clearer than I did... I've seen too many people who are adapting to fit their dog. I wonder if that's what is creating the "bad dogs" and leading to all the "out of control" / "bad dog" posts? Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA