New Puppy

[Lionel's mom]

Hi,

I have enjoyed reading all the posts and getting more of a bird's eye picture of what a BC (and its owners) are like. It is so great to see such happy, excited committed folks and their dogs. I fell in love with a border collie mix at our local shelter when my daughter and I went to volunteer. Like any "older" parent, I have been reading and researching everything I can on the breed, and I want some feedback.

I am married with an 8 year old and a six year old who have been raised with a very active Jack Russell (who is now 11 and just starting to calm down:). We live in the suburbs and have a very large shaded corner lot. Phineas has loved this location. We have an invisible fence and he knows exactly where he can and can't go. He races along the edge of the yard and barks hello, wags his tail, etc to every passing biker, walker, runner. Everyone in the neighborhood knows Phineas. Kids know that they are not to come in the yard when we are not here and they abide by that. My brother-in-law and sister live across the street and he works from home and keeps an eye on our place. I have medium size crate inside, but we don't use it for Phineas anymore. He stays in our room at night and is inside or out as he prefers when we are home. He does stay out all day when we are gone. I am a teacher and am generally gone from 7--4:00. My husband works at the hospital and is usually home 2 to 3 days during the week.

So, if we adopt a puppy who is somewhere between 12 and 14 weeks, are we going to be able to handle him? On the plus side, I have a 3 weeks before school starts and can work very closely with the pup. I am a walker/jogger and would walk the pup each morning and afternoon for a mile and a half each go. My neighboring brother-in-law is a dog trainer who would work with me to get pup acclimated and obedient. I am the alpha with my JR and would have the most interaction with the new dog. We also have great river trails just 5 minutes away.

The negatives are: we would have to crate the pup during the day. My brother-in-law may be willing to come over each day at noon and let the pup out to potty(this will be paramount in my decision). My husband is meticulous about the house and yard and I am worried about destruction potential (he understands the potty training aspect, but not the dog who might eat a fence, deck, couch,etc.) I do have children and am worried about the herding aspect which will not show itself for a few months. I will work with our fence distributor in regard to the invisible fence but am worried the pup could break through. We had a chihuahua rescue who would do so. While the kids in our area know not to come in the yard, there is obviously no guarentee that they will stay out. In saying that, we would be outside with the pup all the time, but I am thinking forward to when he is older. The final question mark is that the pup came home with us for a 24 hour visit and did great with our dog and cat and kids and was well on his way to potty-training, but the next day he began to vomit and became lethargic. I was concerned and called our vet and the shelter. The folks at the shelter forgot to tell me that the pup had coccidia and should have been medicated. We brought him back to the shelter and he was quarentined and medicated. He had three rough days of lethargy, vomitting and not eating. On day 4 he began to bounce back. On day 5 I brought him boiled chicken and rice (3 days worth) and he has kept it down and seems to be back to normal although he did lose weight! So, he has several more days of medication until day 10 of treatment. Then I will take him to my own vet for a check up and if gets a clean bill of health, we must decide whether or not to adopt. In my heart, I know I want to adopt this pup and am 100% committed to his care. My husband is willing to adopt but has his reservations, which makes me more hypervigilant in making the best decision. Help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Lenajo]

lots to address here, but first and foremost you need to rethink leaving a dog outside all day with only an invisible fence. That fence may keep Phineas in, but it won't keep ill intentioned people or animals out! He is completely vulnerable in such a set up and I would never recommend it for any dog.

 

After that, a lot of what the pup will be like is BC, plus that 50% of what the non-BC half is! Any ideas? Large? Small? What drew you to the pup? Coccidea is not uncommen, and once treated he should be fine.

[Jack & Co.]

I have a BC mix and when he was old enough to train on Invisible Fence, he only went over the line one time early in the training. He was extremely easy to train, but I followed IF's instructions to the letter. He always wears his collar with fresh batteries and we never leave him in the yard unattended. IF has been great for us...my two cats are on it also.

 

We don't know what the other breed is in Jack besides BC, but he wasn't a chewer as a puppy.

[diane allen]

Just my two cents' worth....

First, bless you for considering an adoption, particularly one who is starting out on not the best foot (with coccidia). Do some research on that - it may show up again and again, in spite of medications, and you may have to do some "adjusting" of diet, depending on how severe it has been.

 

You will not want the pup unattended outside, as I think you know. Crating is one option, as you have mentioned. If you have the space, here's another idea: get a tall x-pen (as tall as you think the dog is going to be, plus about 12"!), and keep the pup in that during the day. A potty break mid-day is critical for several months - if your BIL can't come over (does he like chocolate chip cookies?!? or can you trade him some work time on weekends - mow his yard, etc.?), maybe there is someone else around who could help out - a neighbor, a professional pet sitter who might stop in, etc.

 

If you don't have a linoleum or tile floor to put the x-pen on, get a scrap of linoleum from your local floor store, and put the x-pen on that. It gives the pup a little more room to walk/roll around, lets him see more of what's going on, but keeps him safe indoors. I have a 15-month old who STILL spends a fair amount of time in his, and he's totally happy with it. He gets lots of exercise too, but that is not a jail, it is his "resort."

 

I would never leave a young dog in a yard with an electric fence - wood is my preference. But that's just me.

 

Also, you won't want to be walking a very young pup 1.5 miles. While they may run and walk that much on their own, it is on their terms - go, stop, run, walk, etc. It also depends on the surface - if it is sidewalk or pavement, definitely nix until closer to a year old. Your river trail sounds wonderful! but of course, don't let him off-leash until you are SURE he'll come back - even with squirrels, other dogs, etc.

 

OTOH, it sounds like you've done some great research, have some dog expertise at your beck and call, and even a DH who is willing to consider this! Yes, puppies chew; buy stock in the Kong company, then go purchase a bunch o' them! Mine still gets one most mornings - alternating cream cheese with pea-size kibble, frozen the night before. Yum!!! Lots of other safe chew toys will help reduce the furniture destruction...but face it, it's gonna happen unless you are a Premier Manager of Pups!

 

Best of luck - hope everything works out.

diane

[WyoBC]

I think it's a great idea to adopt your pup from the shelter. There's lots of dogs that need good homes.

 

I think you would give him a really good home if you can care for him while you guys are working. I think it's a great idea to have your BIL coem and let him out (on a leash) at noon then let him out first thing when you get home. If you could get a pen like Diane said that would work great. It would be hard for a pup to stay in his crate for that long and not go to the bathroom, or have to sit in it either. If he's like Black Jack he'll throw up before he goes in the house

 

Myslef I would never let one of my dogs have free run of an unfenced back yard when I'm not home or other wise either. I know the IF works good for some dogs but I wouldn't trust if I'm not home. Having a dog run away or get lost is the worst feeling in the world and I do everything I can not to have it happen.

 

Also I wouldn't walk/jog with him that far until he's more fully grown, it can hurt his growing bones and joints. I would try to stick with walking on grass or other soft stuff for a while.

 

I'm gald your doing so much research into them before you get one. If more people did that there would be far less BC's in rescues. Tell me if you get him!!

[Lionel's mom]

lots to address here, but first and foremost you need to rethink leaving a dog outside all day with only an invisible fence. That fence may keep Phineas in, but it won't keep ill intentioned people or animals out! He is completely vulnerable in such a set up and I would never recommend it for any dog.

 

After that, a lot of what the pup will be like is BC, plus that 50% of what the non-BC half is! Any ideas? Large? Small? What drew you to the pup? Coccidea is not uncommen, and once treated he should be fine.

 

Hi,

I looked into small dog corral for pup and a dog door for Phineas and for the puppy once he is more independent. I do not know what the other half is--perhaps beagle? He is tri colored with black, white and some gray dappled marbling along the chest. He has what we call a "painter's tail" Long and thin black tail with a tip of white. He also has a fluffy curl on the top of his head--almost poodle like?!? I spoke to the shelter today and thet said he continues to respond well and may be ready to go tomorrow or Wed. Thanks for your imput.

[Lionel's mom]

I have a BC mix and when he was old enough to train on Invisible Fence, he only went over the line one time early in the training. He was extremely easy to train, but I followed IF's instructions to the letter. He always wears his collar with fresh batteries and we never leave him in the yard unattended. IF has been great for us...my two cats are on it also.

 

We don't know what the other breed is in Jack besides BC, but he wasn't a chewer as a puppy.

 

Thank you! With consistent training I hope we also have good fortune

[ShoresDog]

Oh my, he sounds so cute. I can't wait to see a picture!

 

I haven't any advice to give, having gotten Daisy in a completely unanticipated, unplanned-for way, and having had only cats forever! It sounds like you, on the other hand, are doing a really good job of planning ahead and getting prepared. These boards are just the greatest source of BC information and fun stuff. Hang around, OK?

[Lionel's mom]

Hi,

Thanks for the great ideas. My BIL is the proud father of twin 9 month old girls and he works from home (with a nanny during a large portion of the day) Needless to say, trading babysitting for puppy training could be a great deal!

 

We have hardwood or carpets throughout the house, but the linoloeum would work. What is an x-pen? I have seen the heavy plastic corrals which can be moved in and out. Petsmart had on that was 26''--is this what you mean? Do you then paper a portion of the corral? Or just clean up if an accident occurs? Would this hinder eventual house training?

 

As far as exercise, we can play in the grass, certainly and take short walks around the neighborhood. How far is too far for a 12 week old? He seems to like to explore on leash when we visit him. Thanks for your help!

 

 

 

Just my two cents' worth....

First, bless you for considering an adoption, particularly one who is starting out on not the best foot (with coccidia). Do some research on that - it may show up again and again, in spite of medications, and you may have to do some "adjusting" of diet, depending on how severe it has been.

 

You will not want the pup unattended outside, as I think you know. Crating is one option, as you have mentioned. If you have the space, here's another idea: get a tall x-pen (as tall as you think the dog is going to be, plus about 12"!), and keep the pup in that during the day. A potty break mid-day is critical for several months - if your BIL can't come over (does he like chocolate chip cookies?!? or can you trade him some work time on weekends - mow his yard, etc.?), maybe there is someone else around who could help out - a neighbor, a professional pet sitter who might stop in, etc.

 

If you don't have a linoleum or tile floor to put the x-pen on, get a scrap of linoleum from your local floor store, and put the x-pen on that. It gives the pup a little more room to walk/roll around, lets him see more of what's going on, but keeps him safe indoors. I have a 15-month old who STILL spends a fair amount of time in his, and he's totally happy with it. He gets lots of exercise too, but that is not a jail, it is his "resort."

 

I would never leave a young dog in a yard with an electric fence - wood is my preference. But that's just me.

 

Also, you won't want to be walking a very young pup 1.5 miles. While they may run and walk that much on their own, it is on their terms - go, stop, run, walk, etc. It also depends on the surface - if it is sidewalk or pavement, definitely nix until closer to a year old. Your river trail sounds wonderful! but of course, don't let him off-leash until you are SURE he'll come back - even with squirrels, other dogs, etc.

 

OTOH, it sounds like you've done some great research, have some dog expertise at your beck and call, and even a DH who is willing to consider this! Yes, puppies chew; buy stock in the Kong company, then go purchase a bunch o' them! Mine still gets one most mornings - alternating cream cheese with pea-size kibble, frozen the night before. Yum!!! Lots of other safe chew toys will help reduce the furniture destruction...but face it, it's gonna happen unless you are a Premier Manager of Pups!

 

Best of luck - hope everything works out.

diane

[Lionel's mom]

Thanks! I will let you know! I love the pics of Black Jack!

[Lionel's mom]

Thanks! Hopefully, if all goes well, pictures will follow!

 

Oh my, he sounds so cute. I can't wait to see a picture!

 

I haven't any advice to give, having gotten Daisy in a completely unanticipated, unplanned-for way, and having had only cats forever! It sounds like you, on the other hand, are doing a really good job of planning ahead and getting prepared. These boards are just the greatest source of BC information and fun stuff. Hang around, OK?

[WyoBC]

He does sound cute. He sounds pretty much like a BC except maybe the head. Most BC's have black tails with a white tip. Black Jack doesn't like his though, it stalks him