TaliC2007 Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 I feel like I did when I brought my son home from the hospital (21 years ago) and didnt' have a clue what to do. Of course, as all of you mothers out there know, I learned quickly, and I am sure I will learn with my puppy, but I need some help. I am getting my new puppy July 13th. He will be almost 6 months old then. The breeder I bought him from teaches obedience and agility and she has taught him sit, down, stay, and come. I orignally thought I wasn't going to be able to get him until August 30th and we were going to be starting obedience classes Sept. 10th. Fortunatley, I get to get him a little earlier, but we still can't start the obedience class until Sept 10th. This is my first Border Collie and I already have a ton of toys for him, including a kong extreme chew, and the puzzle ball, plus I have two Australian Shepherds who have a chest of toys as well, but I really need some suggestions on what kinds of things to do with him to keep him mentally stimulated. I am guessing any kind of games. Does frisbee count as mental or just physical? Are there any good books on training a Border Collie puppy, or web sites? I have looked at both a bit but they are all pretty general in what kinds of things to teach your new puppy when you bring him home, like sit, down, stay, come, plus they are more geared to an 8 week old puppy. If I got the agility stuff from target and started teaching him a little on that, can I do more damage than good since I don't really know what I am doing? we are going to go to agility classes, after we have mastered a couple of obedience classes, and I don't want to do it wrong so that it is a mess when we do start going to the classes. The physical part is a piece of cake, but I would be most grateful for any and all suggestions on ways to keep up the mental. Of course I will ask my breeder for some things as well when I pick him up, but if it involves purchasing some things, I want to get them before he is here. thanks for all your help, Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 I wouldn't do any agility or leaping frisbee until he's around one to one and a half (am I right on that?) years old. You can really do damage to his joints and growing bones. For the mentle I would keep doing all the basic commands just to make sure he has them down pat, and puppys have short memories. Lots of walks, playing ball, and working on commands will do good. You can also teach him to "find" or play hide and seek. Lots of fun games like that will tire him out. (at least for a little while ) They also have a puppy Kong that is really soft but still tough. That way he can chew on it and it won't hurt his teeth like the adult Kongs can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbies_mumma Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Teach him tricks and basic obedience. Even if he's been already taught basic obed. you can still refine the behaviours. You can also teach him things like fetching a ball up the hallway but don't do any jumping until he's much older. If you are interested in doing agility then there are plenty of foundation exercises you can teach you pup with no equipment. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip4420 Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Dale's about 8 months and he's really enjoying clicker training. We're doing obedience too but he gets bored with the sit down stand stay routines so I've tried one or two tricks as well. I used to dislike the idea of tricks but Dale thinks its fun and its nice to be able to get him to give a paw when he meets people or roll over at the vets. He also enjoys getting some meals served in treat balls and hunting for toys and treats in the garden. I also take him as many places as I can with me. Just sitting watching the world go by and meeting new people and dogs tires him and its a good excuse to stop for a coffee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 How about a good clicker class? Strengthen the bond between you, add to the pup's repetoire and a great way for both your BC and your Aussies to learn. http://www.clickersolutions.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INU Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 If it were my dog, I'd take him everywhere and focus on socializing. Meeting new people, going to different places with sound/smell can be mentally stimulating. Take him to hardware store, sit on the outside porch of a restaurant, parks and schools with kids. I also second clicker training. We do a lot of target training early using clicker and a cone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Another vote here for clicker training. I find it's the best mental workout that my dogs get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaliC2007 Posted July 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Thank you all. I think I am making this harder than it is. I do take my Aussie's with me everywhere and I will be taking the puppy as well and we go for lot's of walks and play in the park which is just on the other side of my backyard. I guess I thought of mental stimulation as training, always learning new things. I did know it is bad to have them jump when they are little guys. Someone else on here on another thread suggested rolling the frisbee for them to chase to get them used to going after it. And then tossing it to them so they can catch it without having to jump for it. Frisbee is the toy of choice for my Aussie's so he will get a lot of that. As for the agility training, I just meant tunnels and hoops, the kind they use in hoopers where there is no jumping, that kind of thing. I just didn't know if you can train wrong and then make it harder for them to learn the right way once you start the class. I have never done agility before and didn't want to make it hard for him. Abbies Mumma, you said "If you are interested in doing agility then there are plenty of foundation exercises you can teach you pup with no equipment." Thanks. I actually did some searching and found some stuff. I also went to the clicker site and printed off some of the articles and will start reading them tonight. Thanks for this! I am excited to read them. I think this will be fun for all of us and it gives me an idea of how to actually train the dog. I also like hiding treats in the yard for him to find. thanks, Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 some fun and easy tricks to teach for mental stimulation are: Find it - start easy, have your in a down stay or have some one hold him, put a fav toy in sight, tell him to Find it!, then do it again, make it a bit harder, partly hidden around a corner or under a chair, then gradually make it harder and harder till its under a box in another room, or in the bathtub, or, well you get the picture! Touch - again start easy with your hand in front of his nose, when he touches, click, treat. Gradually move your hand away, higher, lower, etc. When he has that you can start using a target and send him to touch (great for future agility) High Five, Shake, Leave it, Weave through your legs as you walk, Roll over, Play dead, Go round, Back up, Spin and twirl (one is clockwise, one CC),Bow, Crawl (and then crawl under something) the list is really endless. We incorporate all of these and more in our play, Hoku has to do something for most every ball, Frisbee, stick that gets tossed, a good way to exersize both mental and physical sides! And I also recommend clicker training, it's fun for all involved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaliC2007 Posted July 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Wow, thanks Kristin. That's a great list. I am putting that one on my fridge. In fact, I have printed this whole topic off so I can refer back to it. Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Your welcome! It was a HUGE help to me to realize that the mental piece of the puzzle was key for my boy. And besides, tricks are fun! Remember to keep trainings short (a few minutes a bunch of times a day is best) and quit while your pup still wants more. That way he'll always LOVE to learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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