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My pup will be 6 months in a week, and has seemed to stop growing. I was wondering if he will get any fluffier or get any taller after six months? He's not nearly as furry as I thought he'd be at this age. Also, what contributes to the change in his ears? They were off to the side for a good month, and now one is flopped over. Attached are pictures from when he was a pup, and him now

Well I haven't been on much so I just thought I'd post an update about Jinx, he's almost eleven months now. His birthday is coming up(July 14). He is becoming a wonderful companion and I can't wait to see him in the coming years when he really matures and becomes a dog, not a puppy. He's a great dog in and out of the house with only a few very minor "issues." - barking at strangers at night(this I actually really don't mind so much, it's not incessant and he stops, but stays cautious, if I tell him to quit) - slight pulling on the leash, I do have a command to stay behind me(not a formal "heel") and he does pretty well. Surprisingly he does better with this command off leash and on a trail rather than on leash out in public - shoddy recall(my own fault, and something we really need to work on) though sometimes I can call him away from things I didn't actually think he would come away from. But he won't come if he gets very interested in another male dog(he's intact, and I plan on keeping him that way) - he doesn't always bring fetched objects all the way back to me right away, but most of the time he does. I don't throw it if it's not brought all the way back and dropped at my feet or put in my hand - it's really frustrating when it seems like he likes my boyfriend better(bf=all fun and no discipline me=fun, food, discipline, training) Other than those few things he's amazing. He settles in the house, he crates well, he doesn't bark at the door, when we go on long car rides he just sleeps(we've done a few 6+ hour car rides and the first few I would stop constantly to let him out but he wouldn't go, so now I only stop when I need gas and he just sleeps), he's smart and mostly willing to please me, and he loves cuddles(on his terms) He's been a snowboarding, and backpacking, and climbing/bouldering, and fishing. He gets to go everywhere with me. I lived(seasonal, will be back winters) in mammoth lakes, which is a very dog friendly town(heck, you could take your dog into Vons, or your local coffee shop). I think there's a 1:3 ratio of dogs to people there, and not annoying small yappy dogs, these are all outdoor dogs; lots of border collies, actually; huskies, of course; and labs, the perfect dog for a place with so many lakes. Once the snow melted we discovered he likes swimming. Even in the freezing cold lakes that are freshly melted snow(I jumped in and it's quiet literally barely above freezing, you lose your breath and can't get it back until you're out of the water IDK how he swims in it and doesn't freeze to death). You don't realize how skinny he really is until he's wet, he looks like I starve him(which is definitely not the case, he almost never finishes all the food I give him.) People never believe me when I say he's only 42 lbs because he's so fluffy Now that we're back in Orange county, and he's of age I would like to start herding with him and was thinking of contacting Stock Dog Ranch regarding lessons, I believe she's a member on here. I'm hoping his instincts kick in and if the way he plays fetch is any indicator he'll be a stylish(stylish meaning he crouches down low and uses a lot of eye, correct?) dog. Lately he's been spending a lot more leisure time out of the crate as he's learned to be calm when no one pays attention to him, or that's it's ok to just hang out and chew a toy. But that's always with someone there as I'm not sure I'm ready to let him be alone by himself yet. But I suppose I will have to eventually... I just don't know when that time is??? It's not so much about him destroying my stuff, but him not eating something that could hurt/kill him. Anyways, thanks for looking

Hello everyone, We currently have a 5 year old Border Collie my daughter has trained since she was a puppy and whom she is currently training in agility. We are now looking for a second Border, a pup up to about 6 months, to eventually train in agility as well. We have checked the websites of some breeders around the Portland/Vancouver/Salem Oregon area but have not found any pups still available for this summer. We would be perfectly happy with a rescue as well. Is anyone aware of coming litters that are not all spoken for? Ideally we would pick up the puppy after June 15 so my daughter is home from school and could be constantly available for the dog. We have checked with the following breeders websites and have not found any puppies available for this time period, or else the dogs are all spoken for. Oregon Trail Border Collies http://www.oregontrailbordercollies.com/ Butte Ranch Enterprises http://www.butteranchenterprises.com/border-collies.html Highland Kennels http://herdeverything.org/ Hill Crest Border Collies http://www.hillcrestbordercollies.com/ Come Bye Kennel http://comebyekennel.com/ Hidden Valley Border Collies http://www.hiddenvalleybordercollies.com/ We would appreciate both tips about puppies and opinions about these and any other local Oregon/Washington area Border Collie breeders and rescues. Thanks, David

Hi! We got our Noah when he was 10 weeks old, and told he was a tri color mini aussie from a breeder. I don't think he looks much like an aussie at all, and was wondering if anyone could give their opinions on what breed he is? I think he is a border collie/aussie mix. He is now 4 months old, and weighs 28 pounds!!! Whenever people ask his age, they say "look at those paws! he's gonna be huge!" Also, his fur is very short and slick, I was wondering if you think his fur will get any longer. There are a few photos when he was younger, and some more recent! More recent ones show one of his ears is changing, it sort of just sits to the side now

Hi! Glad to finally be able to post, as I have been stalking the boards the last few days. I have been looking to adopt a border collie for some time, and was waiting on a BC to come through that might work for us from the AZ BC rescue (we are in NM). We have been looking for a dog that can help me herd sheep, as we have a small flock of babydoll southdown sheep starting, but no more than 4-5 adults at any given time (plus lambs occassionally). I also have young kids, two dogs (rhodesian ridgeback, an aussie--who is useless with herding btw, but when I picked her out we didnt have sheep and I wanted a dog to "play" doggie sports with--I got my wish in that respect but she is an absolute failure at herding, in particular, submissive to sheep as if they were woolie dogs LOL). So we want something with some herding instinct. As cool as trialing would be, I don't forsee me having the time to be competitive, I just want the dog to help me get them in pens, seperate if need be, load into a trailer if need be, stuff like that, since my husband is gone often and it's just me and a 5 year old LOL. I really preferred to rescue over buy, but gave myself a year of searching before seeking out a working bred pup. Anywho, my fellow rescue friends knew I was searching and found a little apparent border collie pup from a shelter down south. I was hesitant in some ways, as adopting a single puppy from a shelter with unknown breeding etc was a bit risky. I had the shelter do some testing (mainly for food aggression and friendliness etc.) Chances are high that she could very well be a purebred BC or mostly BC based on the location she came from---a very small farm & ranch town. Appearance wise there is nothing about her so far that strikes me as a mix of much other than BC, no pit, no beagle, lab, heeler, that sort of thing. Long story short, her 5 days were up and I decided to "foster to adopt." She is about 8 weeks old, drop eared for now, although one seems to be "rising" haha. Smooth coat. Those two things alone have resulted in a few "knowledgeable" dog people to tell me she must be a mix. Which I generally laugh at because I know anyone who truly knows border collies must know there is so much variation in coat, color, ear set, etc. At 8 weeks she already shows more promise than my aussie (woohoo!). Most noticeably, she crouches, eyes, stalks, (and even nips or heels) my aussie, Sydney when they play. It seems to be her go to move especially when I am throwing a ball for Sydney. It's not just occassionally, it's a majority of her play "style", unless of course I go to get the camera to record it--then she stops and just wrestles, or eats chicken poop, or sits by my side. I have one video that I managed to catch just some of this apparent herding. Now, she has seen the sheep and horse through the fence, but doesn't seem to mind them other than the barking she did at first. She watches them but so far rather watch me or eat a strand of hay or something. I have free range chickens and she doesn't seem to always want to herd them, but every so often one my run by it's lonesome, and she seeks to bring it back to the "flock", I've seen her take a few wide runs around them, and earlier today when i was feeding she gathered one in the group and ran a tight circle around them twice before going to wrestle Sydney. Most of it seems opportunistic, and she never seems to serious about it, in fact she will easily get distracted in the middle of trying to "work" the chickens. She shows the most intensity and better crouch eye combo when playing with my dog than she has shown with the chickens period. I of course, do not allow active chasing, or getting to close to the chickens as if trying to actually catch one, which she hasn't done yet. Mostly trying to observe her, hoping to see something that says, "aw yes, she has potential." I am a dog trainer, obedience, and have a ton of experience with foster puppy behaviors. So I know how to read a dog pretty well, timing for praise and corrections, and have read up on what not to do (like distract her instead of scold her for trying to herd stock so that i don't turn her off, keep her safe while she is young so she has no bad experience, yada yada). But, admitedly I am very green to sheep and even more so to herding dogs other than a few trials I've seen, videos I've watched, articles read etc. I'm trying to find a little insight. Does she sound like she has good potential? She does have a bit of fiestiness in her which I like, at least I know at the very least she wouldn't submit to my sheep LOL. Here is a video I took. STILL trying to get video of her in her "eye crouch stalk" mode, but here at least you can see her do her thing while being a little puppy ADD (sniffing, distracted by banana peels, my dog, more sniffing, me, etc etc) with not as much crouch eye going on as she gives my dog. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100617206375387&l=6673591963760853204

I am experienced border collie handler and trainer, but not in herding although I have attended Jack Knox and Lyle Lad clinics. I have 3 border collies, two of which compete in canine sports. I clicker trained those dogs. I have a new puppy who is 10 weeks old. She comes from good imported herding lines. Since I would like to focus my attention herding with this pup I would like some advise from experienced people who trial on what type of training they do with a puppy who they intend to trial with, hopefully someday. I don't plan to start any type of training involving sheep until spring. My question is, other then the basics, what should I teach this pup? I have also heard that playing fetch, clicker training, training her to focus on me and doing those type of things with her will be a determent to herding, is this true? Do any of you have a dog, that trials successfully, that also competes in other sports? Thanks for your help.

So this morning Jinx had his meal at 7, about an hour earlier than usual. I'm trying to change his schedule a bit. I was feeding him 1/2 cup in the morning, afternoon and evening, but he would always be wanting more food. So I've been giving him for the past couple days 1 cup in the morning, using a half cup for training throughout the day and then another half cup in the evening for dinner. He's getting almost 900 calories a day... does that sound like way too much? We play a lot and he's definitely not getting fat, he stops eating once he's had enough. He's a very regular dog, I've been keeping track, he poops once in the morning(usually after breakfast but sometimes before), once in the afternoon(between 3-4) and then once again between 6:30 and 8 before bed. And it's normal. No more diarrhoea since that one time on the 20th. So about an hour after his meal I took him out to potty. He peed and we played outside for a little bit, I threw a stick for him a few times and we played fetch for maybe 5 minutes. Went back in side sat down to give him some pets, he sat down with me and then walked away after a minute to a rug(of course, wood floors and he picks a rug) he heaves a couple times and out comes undigested kibble in sausage form. Not really any fluid or bile, it was very easy clean up, picked up the rug and threw it out. Is this something I should be concerned about? He's acting like his normal self. Growled at me when I moved him away from it to put him in his pen... looked like he wanted to eat it again... dogs. He's been playing by himself in his pen, totally normal growling and very vocal with his toys. And also nosing and trying to get to his food container and bowl, he does that when he's hungry. Could it be as simple as not waiting long enough for his food to digest before playing? He pooped totally fine this morning, best I've seen all week actually... I'm going to wait till his lunchtime to feed him his half cup then see what happens

So I rescued my puppy about 3 months ago making her around 6 months old. They said she was around 3 when we got her and she recently lost all her teeth and her adult teeth have almost grown in completely, so I'm assuming she's around 6 months. Whenever I go on walks or to the dog park a lot of people ask if she's a border collie, but asks what she's mixed with. Other people don't see border collie at all. I only see border collie, but see the confusion with the shorter hair. She's around 40lbs, give or take. What do you guys think? I don't really have good pictures of her standing up, but she's pretty lean. She's sleeping now but maybe I'll take one and post it.

Hello fellow dog people! I am new to the boards and to border collies - last weekend I brought home Laika, who is 8 weeks old and an adorable ball of energy! I've wanted a BC for a long time, but until a few months ago I was a full-time college student and didn't think I should get such a high maintenance pet with so many constraints on my time. But I graduated (hooray!), and could finally get a BC puppy (SUPER HOORAY!) I feel like even after all the reading I've done over the past years I am STILL amazed and a bit overwhelmed by how smart and energetic the breed is, particularly since she's such a wee pup! She seems to want nothing more than to bite every surface in mine and my boyfriend's place when she's not trying to herd us around. So, this post is an APB asking for any helpful tricks and tips y'all have accumulated in your time dealing with BCs. Any advice is welcome, in particular how to stop nipping/biting, since Laika will often get into what Adam and I refer to as "herding frenzy" and become difficult or impossible to focus, while she launches herself around our ankles crazily, snapping and biting anything that comes close to her, even if we yelp and act hurt. Is this normal for BC puppies? Will she grow out of it/learn to channel her energy and listen to us as she gets older, or does anyone have suggestions of things I should be doing so she knows that we are not sheep/cattle? I'm really worried that she is not getting enough of an exercise outlet, but whenever I try to play with her it just riles her into "herding frenzy" and I can't calm her down. I don't know if I'm expecting too much of her (since she is still a baby, and adjusting to her new home/family), but I also feel like I should try my best to gently nip this habit in the bud, if possible. I'm a mountaineer, and I can't wait until she's big enough to take climbing/hiking/backpacking, but until then I'd just like to be able to tire her out without sacrificing my fingers and toes Anyway, I'm a newbie at this but I want to mold the healthiest, happiest, least-bitey dog I can, and this seems to be the place to ask for pointers. Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi! I have a 10 month old BC. I plan to do sheep and eventually (long term goal) cattle with him. I am about to have a baby so I cannot make it to herding class at the moment. What are some safe exercises for a growing puppy? I don't want to run him too much or do anything repetitive or strenuous since he is still growing and developing. I also don't have access to grassy fields at the moment to run him on as a softer turf (nor do I have a yard at the moment ! ) Ideas? Thanks!!

My family and I adopted a smooth BC about two months ago from a shelter. We think Quigley is the best dog ever. She was five months when we got her with a very calm, submissive personality. We were told she was a stray. She came to us with pneumonia, hook worms and tape worms. After a month of antibiotics, several breathing treatments, and clearing her worms her energy has certainly increased. She's a quick learner. She knows sit, stay, come, let go, come around. Quigley loves fetch and of course wants to chew often. When told no - she stops and doesn't go back to the behavior. We have been leaving her in the house alone out of her crate for the last week for up to 3 hours and haven't had a single problem. I didn't know dogs could be this good! In my ignorance and zest to be a good dog owner I think I've run her too much too early. Being afraid of under exercising her, I bought a "Walky Dog" extension for my bike to run her while I road. She loved it, however, after about 4 runs of 3-4 miles in the early mornings she started to limp a couple of days ago favoring her left front leg. We promptly took her to the local Vet (who knows us well after the pneumonia) and she thinks it's minor - no specific diagnosis given. She started one week of anti-inflammatories and strick rest for 2 weeks. Which means no outside running or jumping. Outside on the leash all the time! This is only day 2 of rest and it's driving the family crazy. I'm trying to stimulate her mind with new tricks, but she desperately wants to run. Anyone with ideas here? I'm worried this maybe Osteochondritis Discecans (sp?) after reading on the forum. I'm hoping that her wanting to run is a sign it's not super serious. I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Matt and Sadie (my nine year old daughter)

Hello All- I have a wonderful 4-month old BC. Her parents are both champion herding bc's, and she has a wonderful, friendly temperament. I want to train her for frisbee for sure, and maybe agility and fly-ball. Is she too young to start training now? When is the best time to train? Is this best handled by a professional trainer? If so, I live in Westchester County, NY and would welcome suggestions and introductions. She is very smart and athletic...so want to keep her busy!! Thanks