Is This Going to Be OK?

[Scoutthebc]

Love the snarly face pic of the two of them playing!

[RemsMom]

Well, I have only been a Border Collie mom for three weeks so I am no expert. I have had Miniature Schnauzers and German Shepherds and when I told people I was getting a BC for my 12 year old daughter I got a ton of negative comments. I wondered what I had gotten myself into! Thankfully my adult daughter found these forums and I was able to ask questions and do plenty of research and decided I would be a good BC owner. I have to admit that my puppy is very different from my other dogs but I really enjoy everything about her!

 

By the way, I came to the conclusion that many of the negative comments came from people that pay little attention to their dogs. The type of owner who never interacts with their dogs except to feed them, let them outside, and complain when the dog has an accident in the house (but would never crate a dog, that would be cruel ). I also was able to meet some wonderful collies and their owners and was able to witness firsthand that these dogs didn't have the horrible habits that "ALL" BC have.

 

And I have to add. Your puppy is adorable!

[erin_ohagan]

Oh my! What a cutey! I have a BC mix. She's about a year and a half....my neighbor has a black lab about the same age and I tell you that lab is as wild, hyper, energetic and drivey as they come. My dog looks like a masters degree candidate compared to a preschooler when compared to that dog! My dog lives in a smallish house, with a smallish lot...she gets one long walk a day in the mornings and lots of great mental stimulation in the evenings. What she really craves is just time with me. I often just take her with me where I go and she LOVES that and is great! I'd say, yes, all dogs are different and what you read about BC and their exercise needs is highly variable from dog to dog.

[Two Labs & Mia]

I can't tell you how happy, (and relieved), I am I found you guys for advise and encouragement. Thanks so much for all your answers and help, (and the nice compliments about Mia). Ha-she is pretty cute, but then most "Moms" are a bit bias. :-) Will be checking back often. Was reading an old post about crate training this a.m. Gave me the courage to get back to my original plan of an hour of crate morning and afternoon to keep everyone's sanity and teach her that she needs to learn to rely on herself at times. I did that with all 3 Labs, and a Brittany before them. I did not crate my Golden/Black Lab mix before them, my 1st dog as an "adult" living on my own and without my Mom's guidance. Boy was that a disaster. Worst puppy I ever saw, best dog I ever saw after she turned about 11 months. Have never forgot her, still have her pictures out, and her urn and collar are in a prominent location in the house 14 years after her passing. Smartest, sweetest dog I ever knew. :-) Have never seen such a fit pitched about crate though, as this pup. The yellow was the only one that even barked about going in it, and that would only last about 5 or 10 minutes, and she'd cry herself out. All the other kids loved their little crates for naps. This kid sounds like a combination of a dog, and a bobcat with it's poor foot caught in a trap. The whole time. Put her down for a nap the two times today, in the enclosed crate she hates, in the spare room. It just seems like the right thing to do for her. She does better with the wire one in the living room, but it could be since it is only used for short times when we are gone. Don't know, it's tough to listen to something so little be that upset. And when she's let out, she wonders aimlessly, and cries. For up to 5 minutes. (?) She had a tough past, lived almost 3 straight weeks in a kennel at the shelter, and was kept with her sister. They obviously did get them out and socialize them, as they are so friendly. She likes to be held, is very comfortable with that for what should be a much more squirmy puppy. But they have a rule no paws on the floor of the main area for the puppies, as they don't know what may have been tracked in that could make them sick. Who knows what went on in her "previous life", probably wasn't so good, people that would drive 3 tiny pups and dump them out on a road. Gets "frantic" and cries her little butt off at the scent of any food also. And I do mean frantic. Unless she has eaten in the last hour. Almost wonder if someone ate in front of her, (and the others), or fed other dogs in front of them and excluded them from meals. (?) She seems to think she needs to "tell us" that she also needs food. (?) She gained from 8.5 LBS to 10.2 LBS her 1st week here. Eats pretty good. So I cut her some slack for her 1st little bit, but has been 2 weeks as of tomorrow that she's been home. She knows us, knows the Labs, layout of house and yard. Knows we are trust worthy and even tempered and feed plenty. So time to show we are the pack leaders so we don't make the mistake of her becoming one, for lack of having one. But wow, is that hard to listen to her cry like that about the crate! OMG. Thanks for helping you guys! Teri

[GentleLake]

This kid sounds like a combination of a dog, and a bobcat with it's poor foot caught in a trap. The whole time. Put her down for a nap the two times today, in the enclosed crate she hates, in the spare room. . . . She does better with the wire one in the living room, but it could be since it is only used for short times when we are gone.

 

There's a very good chance that the problem isn't the crate itself, but that she's put in the crate in a room by herself, alone, away from everyone else and quite possibly scared.

 

If she does better in the other crate in the living room, is there a reason you can't crate her there for her daily down time? It might be worth trying to see how she does.

 

In the meantime, what are you doing to crate train her, to create positive associations with the crate? If she only ever gets put in the crate to be left alone, she'll have negative associations with it.

 

Do you feed her in her crate? That's a great way to help puppies learn to like there crates.

 

You could also try tossing a yummy treat in to the crate for her to get, but not closing the crate door when she goes in willingly. Let her come back out. Do this over and over until she's going in and out easily, then close the door for just a minute, then let her back out again. Do this often throughout the day, gradually increasing duration.

 

Frozen stuffed Kings are great for when she has to go in her crate and you leave her. It'll keep her distracted getting the yummy food out so she doesn't worry so much about being in the crate.

 

If you can make the crate a fun, happy place, you'll find her not minding it at all and quite possibly learning to love it.