New BC owner

[GOLF]

STORY

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Ok so I just purchased my first border collie for $250 on friday (9 weeks old). I was at the beach when I saw the ad in the paper so I left a day early and went to pick him up about 2 hours away which left me with a 5 hour drive home with the dog. After about 3 hours or so we stopped at a taco bell to grab some food and I had my girlfriend walk him around in the grass. I came back outside and he hadnt done anything so I put him back in the car while she ran inside. I went and threw some old cups away and came back to see the dog standing against the door with his paws on the lock and I immediately thought the worst...........and I was right...the dog had locked us out of the car. After she came back out we had a good laugh about it but was kinda mad because we didnt even know what city we were in lol. I called a locksmith and he told me where I was and it would be 30 minutes for a $45 charge. There happened to be an advanced auto parts right there so I went and asked them what we might be able to do to get in and they mentioned that the police would open your car if you have a child in it or something. I called the police and they dispatched me to a patrol car and I told them the story. 5 minutes later a firetruck pulled up and opened the door for me They all had a good laugh when I told them what had happened.

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QUESTIONS

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I have one dog right now and she is a mutt but I had a Sheltie who recently passed away. I put both of them in a crate(while pups) while we were away and at night but Rex (my border collie) whines constantly and has actually done #1 twice and #2 once while in the cage. I dont really know how to tell him no if I dont see him do it. My other dogs never once used the restroom in the cage.

 

also..He seems to pee a lot but thats probably just him being a puppy - for example: I'll take him out for a walk to use restroom and he will pee and then when he comes in he pees again but on the floor, right beside the pee pad lol

 

 

Thats all I can think of right now.

[Sue R]

Welcome to the boards where you can learn a great deal about Border Collies if you chose.

 

That said, your purchase of this pup has all the hallmarks of what we don't want to see in someone getting a pup - no research into the breed in advance apparently, purchasing from a newspaper ad (that's where you find backyard breeders and other irresponsible producers of poorly-bred pups advertising), no indication of meeting the parents of the pup and seeing what they are like tempermentally and physically, leaving a pup in a car unconfined especially since he hadn't gone potty and might have found your car more appealing than the little walk he'd just had, and somewhat of a lack of knowledge about puppies.

 

How long did you leave him in the crate? Puppies of that age don't have very big bladders or much control of their bowels, and need to be relieved quite frequently, particularly after eating or drinking, when waking, after playing, etc. If he's had what he needs (food, water, exercise, mental stimulation, successful potty trip, etc.) then, if he fusses in the crate, let him fuss. If you react to the fussing, he'll just learn that it "works" to fuss because he will get your attention and get out. When he is quiet and content, then is the time to let him out so that he learns to be mannerly in his crate. Left alone for reasonable amounts of time (and having a toy or chew to occupy himself in the crate is okay), he will get over the fussing if it doesn't get him what he wants.

 

In addition, if this pup was produced in a poorly-managed kennel (in a cage, as is done in many puppy mill or back-yard breeder situations), he may have had no opportunity as a tiny pup to differentiate between sleeping area, eating area, and pottying area. Pups produced under those conditions can't be expected to keep their crate clean like a properly produced pup would, as they haven't had the opportunity to develop those habits of cleanliness.

 

Remember to treat "mistake" locations with a good enzymatic cleaner made to destroy the odor that will encourage the pup (and other dogs) to return to that place to potty.

 

That said, you can train him but it may take a little longer. Have you had him to your vet for a check-up and vaccinations, as well as deworming and checking for other parasites? Did he have any of this health care before you picked him up?

 

Is he registered? Any form of papers? Working-bred or conformation-bred (and, with backyard breeders and puppy mills, these descriptors are largely meaningless because they are not bred well)? Did you meet his parents and have a chance to interact with them? Are they laid-back or energetic, friendly or shy, working stockdogs, companions, performance sports animals, house dogs or yard dogs? The parents can be a good indicator of what the pup might grow up to be like, if they have been raised responsibly.

 

I'm likely over-reacting but we have a number of board members who have faced an apparently similar situation - being poorly prepared to get a Border Collie pup and getting one from a probably less-than-good source. We all make mistakes, some more than others. You have a pup and can do a good job with him if you educate and apply yourself, and you will find these boards an excellent place to learn a lot of what you need to know.

 

Also, use the search function at the top of the page to find threads dealing with crate-training, puppy raising, etc. I am sure others will welcome you and offer advice that can help you with your questions.

 

Best wishes with your new pup!

[GOLF]

He already had his first shots and been dewormed when I got him. I saw the mother and father and their papers and I will have his papers as soon as I get his name sent in. Yes I know they have small bladders, I was just saying......and the only reason I questioned the crate behavior is because I've never had a dog do that. I also played with the mom for a bit before picking out which one I wanted and as for leaving him in the car, it was a ten second thing as i ran to the trash can

[Sue R]

Good! Do take him to the vet as soon as you are able for a "well puppy" exam. The puppy shots are given around three week intervals, I believe, and so you should schedule an appointment for vaccinations, fecal check, physical, etc. Also, the sooner a pup becomes familiar with the vet's office (in my opinion), the better.

 

So, back to the crate question, it could be a matter of time (how long he was in there compared to how long he can hold it); not being sufficiently "emptied out" before crating; housing as a younger pup where he didn't develop separate potty place habits; maybe even excitement and being tired, stressed by being in a new place, etc.

 

Just be consistent in your training, giving him plenty of opportunity to go, avoiding water later in the evening, etc. Give it a little time and see if this is a habit or just something that was part of adjusting to a new situation.

 

Best wishes!

[Pippin's person]

If he isn't now, you might try crating him in the bedroom when you are sleeping--that way when he whines to go out (and a 9-week pup given last call at, say, 10:30 pm can be expected to wake up at least once if not twice before 6:30 am needing to go out), you'll hear him and can let him out. Basically, you can leave them crated for as many hours as they are months old--so, two hours plus a little for your boy. In addition to what Sue recommended, you might also consider enrolling him in puppy kindergarten where he will get a lot of important socialization with other dogs and other people. Border collies *can* be (but aren't necessarily--depends on the breeding and what the breeder did with him before selling him to you) squirrely about new people, unexpected motion, etc. and the more situations you can socialize him too--different kinds of people (people with hats, with beards, children, women, men, people with a variety of skin tones and hair colors, people wearing rain coats, etc), different kinds of places, different kinds of noises, different kinds of movement, the easier he will be to live with.

 

Start working his mind now--several short sessions (maybe 5 minutes each) throughout the day--what I have done with puppies is use their feeding times (and I feed three times a day until they were about three months old, then switched to two) as training time--basically having them do basic exercises for food--this trains them, teaches them that good things come from your hands and that your hands touching their food is no big deal.

 

 

Good luck with him

[OurBoys]

Golf,

 

I'm curious. If you don't mind me asking, why did you pick a BC?

[hoku's mum]

Welcome!

 

How big is your crate? Sometimes if the crate is to large, they will 'go' off in the other corner. If it is big, try blocking some of it off to make it smaller and cozier. We got a crate that had an adjustable 'wall' to accommodate Hoku's growth, and it's been great from 3 months to his now adult size. Remember how tiny their bladders are, at 9 weeks you pup should be given the opportunity to do his business quite often (every 1/2 hour or so, and a few times in the night). I am a bit unclear from your description, but your pup should have his own crate, not share with another dog. As Sue said, if your pup's needs are met (food water and potty), ignore the fussing, or he will never settle in the crate. He could have a toy or two in with him, as he gets older a stuffed Kong, etc. Here is a link to a good house training article, and will lead to lots of other great puppy articles.

 

Your story of getting locked out of your car is familiar! A friend came by one day with a pup she was sitting, and as she was leaving, turned her back for a second and the pup locked himself into her truck....we ended up taking one of her back hinged windows out (luckily it was open and we could unscrew the latch!) to unlock the door. As we would unlock it, the pup who was *wound-up* kept locking it again! Oh-boy....

 

Good luck with your pup, and, of course, please post pictures!

[GOLF]

Golf,

 

I'm curious. If you don't mind me asking, why did you pick a BC?

Because I have always liked them and I wanted a friendly dog and they are very intelligent. I hope maybe I can train it to hunt golf balls also

[ShoresDog]

Good luck with your puppy. This board is an amazing source of help and information. As Sue mentioned, the search function is very useful. There have been detailed threads about lots of puppy topics and problems. It's almost like there's a whole border collie book here! For starters, the "Archived Threads" and "FAQs" are rich sources. And for fun, you cannot beat the Gallery. Be sure to look at any thread started by MrSnappy or SoloRiver.

 

I will bet that you will be able to train your dog to search and find golf balls. That sounds like something that Daisy would love to do. Her reward for finding one would be a toss of her frisbee, say.

 

As to the pup getting locked in the car accidentally, you'll know to prevent that in the future. I personally once accidentally locked my daughter -- at that time a 2 month old baby!! -- in the car while I was unloading groceries. I closed a car door without realizing I'd bumped the lock button. Thank goodness it was the Stew Leonard's parking lot where they had parking lot guards who must have had previous careers boosting cars. They had all the right break-in equipment at the ready in their pockets! I was into my car within five minutes.

[OurBoys]

"I hope maybe I can train it to hunt golf balls also"

 

LOL That won't be a problem! My brother came up for a visit last year and brought his clubs. He went out to the backyard to hit a few. JJ loved it! Every time he hit the ball, JJ would run get it and bring it back to him. The only problem was, JJ likes to chew! He wasn't able to use the balls on a course afterwards but they both had fun for a little while!

 

One day our next door neighbor's boy was practicing in his front yard and hit one in our yard. We have a small patch of woods in our front yard so he wasn't able to find it. A couple of days later, I took JJ out front (we didn't have Jake then). While I was sitting on the steps, JJ came up and nudged my hand. I looked down and found JJ standing there with the golf ball in his mouth, grinning. If it's round, it has JJ's attention! He was a hoot the first time we brought a pumpkin home after adopting him.

 

These boards are great and very informative. If this is your first bc, you're going to need them. BC's aren't just dogs, they believe they are an extention of you. The more you discover how deep their intelligence runs, the more impressed with Rex you'll be.

 

Good luck and Welcome!

[BustopherJones]

I hope maybe I can train it to hunt golf balls also

I had to laugh when I saw that. There is a public park near us, where I occasionally take Annie. We sometimes run into a gentleman who also has a Border Collie. He comes with a golf iron and his dog. The dog will remain stationary at his side until he hits the ball; then she is off, chasing down the ball and retrieving it. She drops the ball into a basket, then resumes the ready position until the next ball is hit. I doubt that he takes the dog with him on his gold outings, however; as I understand golf (which I do not play), it is not desirable to have your ball retrieved and brought back to you...

[GOLF]

Yea I def wouldnt want him with me as I was playing lol, There was actually a stray on the course one day that kept doing that to me and he enjoyed every minute of it but hunting through the leaves and all in the woods is a little more difficult probably

[OurBoys]

BTW, Golf, I forgot to mention. Never pop Rex's backside or rub his nose in his accidents. Just point at it and say No! and take him out. After eating, playing, first thing in the morning and all the other times you talk him out, have some treats with you. When he uses the bathroom, praise him a lot (Good peepee! Good poop!) and give him a treat. He'll catch on fast.

[Sue R]

I second the suggestion to get him enrolled in a good puppy "kindergarten". One that is high quality will have lots of supervised interaction between pups and also between each pup and the other handlers. In addition, it should include gentling exercises (to prepare your pup for vet exams, administration of liquid and solid medications, nail clipping, restraint for exams or other handling, etc.), lots of positive training (well, within limits for a pup - my emphasis was on "positive"), and plenty of opportunities to experience new and different things.

 

Our classes here include all the above and they are well worth every penny that they cost. Toys (including battery operated ones that move or make noise), agility equipment, strange hats and umbrellas, and all sorts of things that might be quite off-putting for an animal that isn't well-socialized, are used so that they become used to all sorts of things. Plus, we do a scavenger hunt over the weeks of classes - that gets both puppy and owner out and about, looking for new and different experiences.

 

Puppy socialization is essential. A dog may or may not be able to be socialized later in life - puppyhood is the ideal time to accomplish this. Studies indicate that an animal that isn't properly socialized as a youngster might never be able to socialize, so don't pass by this golden time to accomplish that. Don't do frightening things - just do new and interesting things of a great variety. Remember also to take him to the vet when he doesn't have an appointment or need to get a shot - just take him, socialize with the staff, check his weight (this is especially good when he's a pup so you can keep track of growth), give him goodies, and enjoy a dog that will be comfy (or at least reasonably confident and positive at the vet's later on).

 

I would suggest being careful with the golf balls - they should be safe if he doesn't attempt to catch them but they are getting down into the range of ball sizes that can present choking hazards for a Border Collie-sized dog.

 

Best wishes and enjoy!