New Puppers

[LittlestFinch]

Hey All! Just thought I'd introduce myself, Finch, and my boy, Mac. I've been lurking for a couple months now just reading and gathering info on life with BCs. Especially all the info I can get on city life for what is very much a country breed of dog! I'm a former vet tech who now works at a veterinary based company where I can bring the puppo to work with me everyday. He's my first puppy as an adult, which I'll say was because I was patient for YEARS so I could be financially stable before bringing a dog into my life. Now I'm about a year or two out from my dream home a few acres out of the city (after having grown up on acreage and living in apartments for the last ten or so years has been a DRAG). So I figured the timing was right when an old cowboy friend contacted me to let me know he had bred his BC whom I was once very much in love with, cause she was the most beautiful, chillest, clever girl.

I just brought Mac home over a week ago it was quite the trip from where I used to dwell in Wyoming and he got on a plane and flew with me at 7 weeks old. He's now working his way into 9 weeks and I love him so much. He's hands down the smartest puppy I've ever worked with and I'm not just saying that as a proud dog mom! I'm not disillusioned and I know his personality is still developing and we'll probably have many trials to go through together, but I'm still going to relish these good times, especially cause I hyped myself up for this energetic monster. So far though he's amazing on leash for being so young, his potty skills are super on point, he's great with other dogs, he's a champ in crate and he's getting more confident with other people by the day! He's also big for about 8 1/2 weeks he's sitting at 10.7 lbs most people who have met him at work can't believe he's so young.

My only issue now is that I can't leave his sight unless he's asleep or occupied by some one else. We're going to really focus on this now since I need to be able to leave him unattended!

For now here are some cute pics of my boy. He's going to be very pretty I think. I've only seen one other BC with the same marks. (Not that it really matters cause he'd be beautiful no matter what, that's the biased dog mom though )

 

 

[Mandy1961]

You are right he is super cute. Wish I could help you with the following around.  All I can say is that my boy is now 10 months old and from around 8 months old finally let me go upstairs without him barking. He still follows me around, but not so much now. I don’t think he had a problem, but just wanted to see what I was doing and wanted to stay near me. Do you have a crate for training?, this will help you with your work.

[EvoPA]

Congrats and cute puppy. I have a 13 week old right now and I don't know what I would do without his exercise pen during the day. I just put him in there with a kong and he relaxes. The first few days were rough with him whining but I just let him cry it out and now it's no problem at all. I've noticed that this breed seems to have a higher occurrence of separation anxiety so even when I can be with him all day, I try to make sure that he's by himself at least some of the time. I'd also cover his crate with a blanket if you're not already, that seems to help.

[LittlestFinch]

I did not think about a blanket over the crate that's a really good idea! Currently he's blocked into my bedroom since he's still so young and I want to be able to keep an eye on everything he can get in to. However, if I leave to use the bathroom or whatever that's where the whines begin. When I put him in crate he is great, if I'm in the room. If I'm not in the room he gets extremely whiny and since I live in an apt complex I worry about leaving him to just whine/scream himself to sleep. Generally I'll stay out of sight, tell him to hush firmly and he'll quiet himself for a moment so I can re-enter the room. I don't want to come in while he's in the middle of  peak screams and reward him. I don't let him out of the crate either, at the point he will just fall asleep. I make sure he gets naps in the crate (just while we're potty training and stuff) when he gets sleepy and he does excellent.

Also I forgot to ask. Has anyone heard of testing for the MDR1 gene? We had two vet visits to find our fit and one of them mentioned the gene testing. Neither of his parents have had any issues with dewormer or heartworm pills so I wanted to get some feedback on it?

[EvoPA]

Yeah I hear you. My neighbors happened to be on vacation when we got him so I wasn't concerned and it was only really bad one night where it was about 2 hours. I think that a blanket over the crate and some music or a white noise machine could help so he doesn't realize you left the room. Maybe a kong or bully stick could also help keep him occupied. 

[diane allen]

Univ. of Washington does the gene test.  Do it!

As far as "separation anxiety" - he is young!  He just left his "family," so now you are it.

I would just work on extremely quick trips away from him - like 5 seconds, then 10 seconds, then 7 seconds.  Then minutes.  Then hours. And of course, things to occupy him when you're gone - Kongs, bully sticks, etc.  I must have 10 different Kongs!  Stuff with peanut butter (no xylitol, of course), cream cheese, interspersed with kibble or other treats, and frozen.  Those tend to keep them occupied for quite awhile!

I just adopted a 1+ yr old who hasn't had a lot of human contact.  He wants to be EVERYWHERE I am.  I tried covering a crate and it just made him crazy. So - I think you'll just have to figure out what works for your cutie pie. 

diane

[Rigby]

Hey! I too have a young (6 month or so) border collie I just started bringing to work. She will cry if left alone but I bought a Treat and Train so I can give her a food reward from a distance for being quiet. After about 2 hours of learning how it works she now doesn't cry when I walk away, just eagerly awaits the food from her magic food robot that only makes treats when Mom walks away. It's been an absolute life saver at work!

I think I'm going to go with Embark to test for MDR1, it's a little pricier but it will test for a bunch of other stuff too and I can find out if she's actually a border collie or if she has some LGD mixed in.

[Hooper2]

It's actually the Vet School at Washington State Univ that does the MDR1 test, not Univ of Wasington.  That distinction matters to Cougar fans

[Merrill Anne Jordan]

I'm just here for the puppy pictures  Don't mind me. 

No, but seriously, congratulations. As another condo-dweller, it's challenging raising a pup in such a small space, but if you're willing to keep them busy and go, it's SO worth it. And these boards have helped immensely. I got Quinn at 6.5 weeks as a foster for our county shelter and adopted him at 8 weeks.

On the separation note, I also used kongs to help keep Quinn (9mo now) occupied while I was away. We started crate training immediately and whenever he would go in, he'd get a peanut butter stuffed Kong. It would keep him busy long enough for me to sneak out and he did really well with it. After a while (around 6 mos), we've stopped Kongs entirely save the occasional treat and he's actually no longer in the crate during the day while I'm out or at work. I also invested in puzzles early on to help keep Q occupied. We currently have two puzzles in addition to the Kong Gyro and the Kong Wobbler. He LOVES all three and they're invaluable because they enable him to keep himself busy when I'm otherwise occupied or need a break. I also keep many many chew things on hand for the same purpose. And the chews have evolved over time, but he continues to LOVE to chew. Which he is currently doing on a beef knuckle . It took me a while to understand that the mental tiring out is almost just as important as the physical tiring out, and these items have been lifesavers. 

Best of luck with your little one. They bring so much joy and it's SO exciting. And welcome to the Boards!