Should I keep him?

[SignoVincis]

Hey there, I've recently joined this forum in hopes of some expertise. I grew up with dogs but ever since I've moved with my girlfriend, I've never even thought about adopting one or having pets, but it is something that I really enjoyed.

Coming up to the main topic, so, my neighbor that has 3 dogs recently found a small puppy ( 3 months) abandoned near her garage and she asked if I wanted to keep him, I said I wasn't sure, I needed to speak to my girlfriend but I offered to take him to the vet and pay (she's a really nice lady so), so I did and the vet then said "he's such an handsome boy, where did you buy him? who was the breeder?" I got really confused, I said I didn't, my neighbor found it near her garage, the, he said " congratulations, you have a healthy border collie pup" and then he said I should talk to an expert, trainer, breeder or online forums could be a big help, giving the specifications of the race.

And so here am I, both me and my girlfriend work 8 hours a day, me 8-17 and her 9-18, though she sometimes comes home for lunch because she works near our house, we have a big ground level apartment with a medium size garden, but the pup would've to stay alone for a big part of the day, thought I never owned a border collie, I owned some 3 or 4 dogs troughout my life, so I know what is like to live with dogs, I've recently started to read lot of topics in this forum to get acquainted with the race and the big problem is.. we're really starting to love the pup!!

But seeing our long hours away from home, do you (experts) think we should keep this lovely pup?

Sorry for the huge post, I just wanted to really explain the situation

Thank you.

[Mandy1961]

We have a 7 month old puppy. He is either very energetic or asleep. At 3 months old he got an early walk half an hour, play, then slept a couple of hours, same again ealy afternoon and again in the evening. The walking in the day is going to be your biggest problem, but could you get a dog walker in or perhaps consider doggy day care?. Border Collies do require a lot of care and stimulation, but you sound like you are already smitten. Good luck.

[D'Elle]

Hi there. It's pretty difficult to give advice on this not knowing any more about the puppy or the circumstances you have than what you are able to provide in your post. So I will just suggest some questions for you to ask yourself.

How much time to I really want to spend on a daily basis training this puppy? Playing with him, taking him out for exercise, and in general doing dog things with him?

How much do I know about training a very smart, probably very active puppy? Do I have the resources (money and nearness of trainer) to take good positive-reinforcement based classes with the puppy, or to hire a trainer to work on a one-to-one basis with me properly to train this dog? What will  my resources be to address any problem behaviors, if they arise?

How much can I dedicate myself to this dog? 

border collies are not couch potatoes. They are not dogs you can only pay attention to when you have the time and inclination. They are dogs who require a lot of attention and should have a lot of training, because if they are not well trained they can become very difficult to live with. Think of this puppy as someone who will become, very soon, a dog with the intelligence of a 6 year old child. This makes these dogs easy to train in that they learn things very fast. It makes them challenging to train because if you do not know what you are doing you will inadvertently train the dog to do something you really do not want the dog to do and then it is hard to undo that.  Ask yourself if you and your girlfriend can equally dedicate yourselves to the dog, because training has to be 100% consistent or it will be ineffective at best and disastrous at worst.

A border collie puppy is not what I would recommend to someone for their first dog, or to someone who is not knowledgeable about dog training. Having said that, however, I will also say that if you love this pup and you feel you are able to dedicate yourself to his well being you can make it work. Potty training is going to be a challenge if no one can let him out during the day, and you need to ask yourself how patient you can be with that. Also, ask yourself if you really want to spend a lot of your spare time doing dog things. If you are truly enthused about doing that, you can make it work for both you and the dog, and it will be an adventure with many joys. If the thought of  getting up earlier in the morning to take the dog out for training and exercise, and coming home from a long day at work and spending an hour or more dedicated to the dog makes you cringe, then don't do it. But, if you rehome the pup please make sure the person who gets him can  and will do that.

This forum is a very good place to get support, information, advice, and words of expertise. If you keep the pup come back here frequently. Read about other's experiences, and ask any questions you want. We are here to help. ( we also really like puppy pictures!)

[SignoVincis]

Thank you both for your great information.

To anwser your questions D'Elle, I usually train in the morning before work, I jog to the local park and do some exercise there and after work aswell. So exercise is something that I really love and I will never stop doing.

In the weekends we usually do some small car trips, to the beach, forests or mountains, we like to explore so I guess that would fit with any (active) dog.

As I've said, I had dogs, and my last dog (still alive) but my mom refused to let him go with me is a german sheperd and I was the one that trained him from a pup (4 months) I read a lot and watch hours and hours of training tutorials and was able to train him into a awesome (not show biz or competition) dog, a good boy  .

Also I love spending time with animals, I would spend hours playing with him after work, sometimes I would even lost track of time!! They are incredible animals if trained properly.

I understand BC require much more attention and I know that I can give him that and a lot of exercice. I'm just afraid that him being alone for some hours that will transform him into a sad and angry pup.

Also, something that really scares me, is going to a dog pound or an animal association and leaving him there, not sure if he's going to be adopted or by who.

 

Any other questions or feedback I would be delighted!

 

Thank you again.

[GentleLake]

If you're worried about alone time during the day -- and I would be for a young pup like this -- options can include day care or a dog walker (professional or neighbor/friend). And you said that your GF can get home at lunch time as well. Some combination of these things will make things much easier until the pup's old enough, both physically and emotionally, to handle the longer work day on his own.

[SignoVincis]

35 minutes ago, GentleLake said:

If you're worried about alone time during the day -- and I would be for a young pup like this -- options can include day care or a dog walker (professional or neighbor/friend). And you said that your GF can get home at lunch time as well. Some combination of these things will make things much easier until the pup's old enough, both physically and emotionally, to handle the longer work day on his own.

Hey! Thank you for your feedback.

My question now is, If I get my pup used to walks during the day and so, won't that stick with him for the rest of his life?

When he grows up, won't he be expecting that routine of walks in the middle of the day?

Thanks.

 

[GentleLake]

When he's older, more settled and more in control of his bodily functions (remember he won't be eating 3 times a day forever) you can taper them off. Start by skipping one day, then two, etc. to see how he does with it. You can have he dog walker start coming a little later in the day until you can phase it out completely.

Think about little kids who grow up into teenagers and then adults. Not as many breaks and recesses in high school as there were in grade school. We're much more self sufficient now than when we were when we were younger.

Then again, some people who are able to continue to provide their adult dogs, especially if they're only dogs, with a break during the day if it's feasible and affordable.

[Flora & Molly]

I think your pup will settle into the routine as he matures. Especially if the major activities happen in the morning and after work. That is what I do with my dog, although I wouldn't leave her at home alone for more than six hours. 

On the days I have to work longer I usually have someone come and take her for a walk to break up her day or take her to my brother-in-law. I always make sure she has had a run in the morning so the people looking after her while I am away really only have to take her for a short walk (or longer if they like :)). My brother-in-law works from home so he provides some company. 

I think my dog could stay at home for 8 hours, but I wouldn't want to do that every day. I might feel differently though if I lived on a farm where I could be outside working with her more than I can now. Or you know, if I was a morning person. I think from what you describe it could be doable once the dog is mature enough to do without a midday potty break. 

[Icaraa]

I know in my part of the UK (who knows, it may be the whole country now), people tend to make you feel very guilty for leaving your dog at home during the day. I’m convinced this is all being driven by the dog walkers themselves. 

 

Its actually having the opposite effect in some ways and lots of dogs are not able to be re-homed as even the re-homing centres are refusing to let dogs go to homes where they will be left alone in the day. It’s a ridiculous situation. So don’t get caught up in all of that if it goes on in your country too.

 

Every dog is different, we both work full time but I’m lucky enough that mostly I can have my lunch break at home. If not I ask my dad to pop round. We fitted a camera in the kitchen where Ben is during the day. He mostly just sleeps and plays with his balls/Kong. He looks out the window too. Mostly seems fine. 

At all other times (apart from at night) he is with us. He sits and watches TV with us and we play with him, goes out with us when we do errands, all sorts. He gets two walks a day, before work and after  

He’s a great puppy and seems really happy, and is incredibly loving towards us both. 

[terrecar]

The first thing I would do if my friend found a pup would be to make sure the pup is, in fact, abandoned rather than lost. That includes filing a “found” report at the local shelter; scouring lost & found advertisements, Facebook pages and websites; and placing a “found” post making it clear that respondents must provide proof of ownership (the last part is important). There are often local laws that provide rules that govern found pets.

I wouldn’t want to just leave him at a shelter either.

Other than that, I think D’Elle and others have offered great advice.

 

[Michael Parkey]

A puppy will require frequent supervised trips outdoors for play and toilet.  But an older dog can learn to use a dog door.  Is there any possibility that you could install one?  Of course your garden would need to be secure and safe.

[SignoVincis]

18 hours ago, terrecar said:

The first thing I would do if my friend found a pup would be to make sure the pup is, in fact, abandoned rather than lost. That includes filing a “found” report at the local shelter; scouring lost & found advertisements, Facebook pages and websites; and placing a “found” post making it clear that respondents must provide proof of ownership (the last part is important). There are often local laws that provide rules that govern found pets.

I wouldn’t want to just leave him at a shelter either.

Other than that, I think D’Elle and others have offered great advice.

 

My neighbor that found the dog already did that, 3/4 days ago, turns out there were more of them, 4 pups that were abandoned and something scared this one and separated him from his little brothers/sisters.

 

13 hours ago, Michael Parkey said:

A puppy will require frequent supervised trips outdoors for play and toilet.  But an older dog can learn to use a dog door.  Is there any possibility that you could install one?  Of course your garden would need to be secure and safe.

I can totally do that, I had that in my mom's house and I would have no problem in building one in my own.

 

19 hours ago, Icaraa said:

I know in my part of the UK (who knows, it may be the whole country now), people tend to make you feel very guilty for leaving your dog at home during the day. I’m convinced this is all being driven by the dog walkers themselves. 

 

Its actually having the opposite effect in some ways and lots of dogs are not able to be re-homed as even the re-homing centres are refusing to let dogs go to homes where they will be left alone in the day. It’s a ridiculous situation. So don’t get caught up in all of that if it goes on in your country too.

 

Every dog is different, we both work full time but I’m lucky enough that mostly I can have my lunch break at home. If not I ask my dad to pop round. We fitted a camera in the kitchen where Ben is during the day. He mostly just sleeps and plays with his balls/Kong. He looks out the window too. Mostly seems fine. 

At all other times (apart from at night) he is with us. He sits and watches TV with us and we play with him, goes out with us when we do errands, all sorts. He gets two walks a day, before work and after  

He’s a great puppy and seems really happy, and is incredibly loving towards us both. 

Yeah I guess so, my german sheperd stayed alone all day and he was/is a super happy dog, really lovely and loves sleeping with us, but offcourse we give him tons of exercise and attention in the morning and evening.

I was a little more fearfull because it is a BC and they're different from GSD.

 

Thank you so much for your amazing anwsers. We probably will keep him and hire a dog walker so he won't stay alone all day! We love him too much

 

[terrecar]

I’m glad this pup found a home. Congrats and good luck with him!

[urge to herd]

Congrats on your new addition! As for border collies being ok at home for long periods. all mine have gotten used to it. If I'm gone longer than 6 or 7 hours, I get a dog walker. 

Puppies need more frequent trips outside, of course, but that's not forever. Have a wonderful time with him, and post pix!

Ruth & Gibbs

[D'Elle]

From the replies you gave to my questions, it sounds to me as if this puppy is lucky to be in your home. Our companion animals all have to live around what we as human beings need to do, including our work, which we do in order to provide for them so well. :-)  I think you will do fine with this dog, and if you want to keep him you should.

I adopted a two year old very high drive BC while living in one room with no yard in Los Angeles. I made it work for two years, and he had a good life. I made up those long alone weekdays by taking him out of the city with me every weekend to hike and explore and camp. If you want to make it work, you will. And you clearly want to.

If by any chance you decide not to keep him please, please do not leave him at a shelter! Go the extra mile and find him a good home on your own and check out the house he is going to, and the whole family both two and four legged before you let him go.

But, it sounds to me as if you will (and should) keep him. :-) Reminder: we love puppy photos!

[GentleLake]

1 hour ago, D'Elle said:

If by any chance you decide not to keep him please, please do not leave him at a shelter! Go the extra mile and find him a good home on your own

A responsible rescue -- and there are plenty of good border collie rescues around -- would also be a better option than surrendering the pup to a shelter. 

But I think perhaps this puppy's already home.