Andie182 Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 I have been involved with dogs for much of my life. The majority of that was spent with European-line GSDs and training and competing in Schutzhund. I got out of that about 10 years ago when I noticed a huge change in the politics of the sport and the breed in general and didn't like the direction that it was going. I focused back on my horses (which have also been a big part of my life and, sadly, are not any better than what is going on with the GSDs at this time) and got a nice Red Heeler that was my buddy and companion for 11 years. I ride reined cowhorses and while Cowboy, my heeler, was a wonderful companion, he was backyard bred and untrained- I was so disillusioned with the dog world at that point that I was a bit of a rebel. Cowboy passed away last October and I swore I would not have any more dogs. That lasted almost a year!!! lol I was on line one day and saw an ad from our local Humane Society for a BC that was up for adoption. I just felt a strong connection to this dog but when I called on him, he had already been adopted. Two days later, during a family BBQ, a BC wandered into our yard and, again, that connection was there- he was playing with my grandkids and greeting everyone, even my grumpy Chihuahua liked him and he usually hates any other dogs!!! I asked all of my neighbors and no one had seen him in the neighborhood or knew anything about him so I thought that we would keep him over night and get ahold of the Humane Society in the morning and see if anyone was looking for him, if he was chipped, etc. Not too long after we decided that, a guy that was visiting someone in the neighborhood claimed him. That was it, I was interested in Border Collies!!!! I began researching and learning everything that I could. since I had a background in working line dogs and that is where my heart lies, I knew that I wanted a working line BC and I knew that I would need to decide on some sport or activity that would keep my dog's mind sharp and boredom down. At first I was thinking obedience and agility but as I was researching, I kept going back to the cowdog lines. I was reading about other people who ride cow horses and use their dogs to turn cows back for them, etc and settled on that line of work for my prospect. I found a breeder that I liked and put my deposit down!!! I spent some time hanging out with the breeder at trials and I am hooked!!! I have had my puppy now for a month and I love her!!! So far she is all that I could have asked for in a pup. I do have a few questions, though. I have taught her to sit, down, stay and come to her name- all for food and all puppy stuff, of course, but she is doing really well. I have a friend that has experience with stock dogs and she has a pup that is about 2 weeks older than mine and she started an obedience class and told me to bring my pup so I did. The first class, she explained that they would learn to heel, sit, down, recall, stand and do a one minute stay. In my past experience with Schutzhund dogs, we would have never put that much obedience on such a young puppy and I wonder if that is too much for my herding prospect also. What do you guys think? The other question that I have is that I want to eventually do the horseback trials with my dog as it will be a good marriage of the two things that I love. So I don't want her to be afraid of horses and I don't want her to try and work my horses- I hate that!!!! I've taken her out to the barn with me, on leash, a few times and just let her hang out with me around the horses so that she gets used to them. The cows are quite a ways away from the barn so she doesn't even see them. Is this OK to do with her? Or should I just keep her away from all livestock until she is older? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Welcome! Whatever you do, don't let her 'turn on' to horses, even if it means not taking her there for now. I hope others will give more constructive advice. PS - I took my dogs to puppy and family dog classes. I felt that posed no problem. Nothing wro.g with manners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andie182 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Thanks Sue. I haven't seen her "turn on" to them but will definitely limit her exposure. That was what I was worried about but not sure if I should expose her to prevent it or just keep her away until she is older. I have definitely noticed some strong differences in the expression of her drives than my GSD puppies ever had, so I am worried about getting everything right for her!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Teaching that many things in one night at a puppy class is so the owners know what to work on during the week, no one expects the puppy to actually learn all that in one night, except a Border Collie owner. I had working GSDs for a number of years, and like you, I got sick and tired of it all and turned to BCs. And I also am a horse owner. There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences in training GSDs and BCs. Personally, I would take my BC pup out to the horses when I have time to deal with the pup and don't have to worry about dealing with the horses, in other words, as a training exercise. Teach the pup that whenever she is around the horses she is under command and doing the things you ask. Don't give her the opportunity to start thinking about what she would rather be doing and especially not to act on it. Horses are part of her job. It's not too early to teach her how to ride along with you, if you have a steady enough horse, and some extra help. She can start heeling with a person while someone else is riding to get her used to traveling along side a horse, but it should be started literally one step at a time, so she does not turn on to the horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andie182 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Gideon's Girl, those sound like good ideas. I'm sure that we have a horse out at the barn that is quiet enough to start her. I won't start her next to my cow horse- she's a little hot and that could be a disaster. Thanks for the suggestions!!! Hahaha, I didn't mean to make it sound like they wanted all of those obedience exercises in one night!!! It's over the 6 week course. I just keep going back to the Schutzhund stuff and we pretty much let our puppies be little hooligans until they were much older. They were horrible little creatures to live with until they were about 2 years old!!! LOL I am hoping that the BC world is a little different than the GSDs!! I'm also a little older now and so am more content to just ignore all of the goofy stuff that goes on out there!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 The BC world is a lot better than the GSD world, as long as you're talking about working world, not show world, that's totally messed up no matter what the breed is. Working BC people don't care what the dog looks like, if it is physically capable of doing the work, it will be beautiful, because pretty is as pretty does, and BCs do and do and do. I haven't seen any BC people that are really competing against each other either. At a trial, your co competitors want you to succeed with all their might. It's all about the dog, the sheep(or cattle), and the job. I think you'll like it here in the BC world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andie182 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 I did notice that at the cow dog trials that I have gone to. Everyone is supportive of each other. And I am also a believer in pretty is as pretty does! With my horses and my dogs! There is nothing more gorgeous than an animal doing what it was bred for!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 There is no reason a BC pup can't learn a wide variety of commands. Just remember that they're a puppy and keep learning fun and training sessions short. As long as you're not pressuring them into learning everything *now* then they tend to be little sponges who love to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Welcome to these boards! I agree with the above^^^. Puppy manners are a great start, just make sure that training sessions are short and fun. Trick training (look for ideas on Youtube) is also a great way to build a bond between you and your dog and keep their mind occupied. And there is no reason why your dog can't have more than one job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red russel Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 You are right in the middle of some of the best trialers and trainers in North America. Patrick Shannahan, Dianne Deal, and Don Helsley are all in Caldwell. Lavon Calzacorta and Rob Miller are in the area as well. If you would like contact information please pm me and I'll get you in touch. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andie182 Posted October 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 Thank you everyone for the tips!!! Dave. I have spoken to Patrick a few times and also to Diane. I went out to watch their last Nursery Trial too. I am hoping to meet Robin Nuffer next weekend at obedience class and will be heading over to Eastern Idaho to visit with my dogs breeder who also trials his dogs so, yes, am very lucky to have all of these experienced people around!!! I'm super excited about this and looking forward to the day I can start my pup!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red russel Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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