Charlie keeps hurting himself

[sleeping]

So my pup Charlie is energetic at the flip of a switch. He'll be sleeping one moment and chaseing the ball the next, he's always been go go go stop. Well up untill now we've called him the dog that never quits, cause he can and will play as long as you will But 2 days ago I had him with me at my grandma's house, and he hurt himself. She has a lot of land compaired to my little house, so I let Charlie play with the other dogs while I wen inside and talked with the rest of the family. He was only out for a little bit before he started pouncing on the door asking to come inside (the pouncing on the door is another behavior I need to work on with him) After dinner about an hour after we got there I went outside to keep him company cause we were supposed to keep the dogs out of the house. I played ball with him for about half a hour or so and then I started to notice little red dots on the concreet, and then I saw Charlie's back paw covered in blood.

 

After freaking out for a little and wondering if I should call the emergency vet I got a napkin and started to clean him up. His outside back right nail was bleeding. I held him the rest of the night, fortunatly my bc makes a good lap dog, and by the time we went home he had stopped bleeding and was fine. When we got home he didn't really seem himself, he was really droopy, but I thought playing hard combine with his bleeding might account for that. The next day we had a party at the house and I was showing off all Charlie's tricks, he was catching the ball all sorts of fun ways and then I saw the spots of red on the carpet. Same nail was bleeding again. I cleaned him up and held him till the bleeding seemed to have stopped then crated him up till bedtime. I've tried to keep him sadate most of today and even crated him a little while, but I'm worried, is this usual? does it take a really long time for a nail to heal? Should I have taken him the the emergency vet?

 

 

 

Any opnions and information would be welcome. He doesn't even seem to notice when his nail is bleeding...

[Laurae]

If he's ripped his nail off or split it, it will take a little while to heal--think about it you ripped your nail off. I'd keep it clean, maybe soak it in betadyne or a salt water solution if you didn't clean it before any kind of scab formed, and then wrap it for a day or two and keep his activity on the lower side.

[silhouettestable]

If he's just worn the tip down too much you can dab on a little crazy glue or something "new skin" or liquid bandage. Not sure how long some of them take to dry though, the crazy glue will dry fast. I've heard that most dog mushers carry crazy glue just for this purpose, sometimes the sled dogs will wear their nails down to the quick and bleed, needing a quick patch-up job and then booties. I've also heard that applying cornstarch can help to stop the bleeding. If he continually plays hard enough that the nail doesn't get time to regrow much you could always get him booties to wear to protect his nails.

[sleeping]

Thanks, it's just the nail wearing down, not split or broken or anything, I thought about glue, but wasn't sure if it would really be good. I did put corn starch on it to help stop the bleeding the first day it happened. I might have to get him booties, cause he's one bc that goes and goes and I love him for it.

 

 

When I got him I wanted a dog who would play all the time, didn't realize there would actually be times he needed to stop.

[Shetlander]

When I got him I wanted a dog who would play all the time, didn't realize there would actually be times he needed to stop.

 

How old is he and how long have you have had him? Does he have any kind of off switch at all?

[BustopherJones]

When I got him I wanted a dog who would play all the time, didn't realize there would actually be times he needed to stop.

He must be Annie's brother (and she is 3-1/2 years old now)...

[sleeping]

He's just under 7 months, and if he's got an off switch I have no idea what it is.

[Carson Crazies]

You're probably going to have to encourage (ie enforce) him to have down times. I never *made* my first puppy (Bree) have quiet times, and I regretted it for the longest time. She's now four years old and I instilled an off switch in her AFTER I realized what a terror she was otherwise, and it took a while - and some maturity. However, I started that with my next puppy right away.

 

They need to learn that sometimes life is boring. They need to learn that there are times (sometimes more time, sometimes less time) that we do nothing, and we expect them to chill out. When my youngest (now 16 months) was tiny I basically enforced his down time by crating him. As he got older I taught him a "go to your place" type exercise, which was a small bumper bed next to me. I also taught him that there are times when I don't care that he's in a particular place, but that he is reasonably sane. He can chew a bone, play with toys, or whatever - as long as it's reasonably quiet.

 

Had I not taught him to settle down at times then he would just go until he wore down (much like my first puppy). I can tell you this... get control of it now or you'll be pulling your hair out later. My first puppy was probably about 2 years old before I figured it out, and therefore she was closer to 3 years old before I didn't want to kill her EVERY day.

[sleeping]

so how do I go about creating an off switch?

[Shetlander]

so how do I go about creating an off switch?

 

I'm sure there are a variety of methods. One of the best ways is the "enforced rest" Laura mentioned through crating or having a place where the dog needs to stay for periods of time. During those times, he may chew quietly on a toy or doze. Up to him. Because I work, Quinn had to spend several hours a day in a crate when he was a puppy with play breaks through the day. So right off the bat, he learned that there were times when he had to rest and times when he could be as lunatic as a BC pup wants to be.

 

Having a routine of play, exercise, training, rest, and just hanging out around the house went a long way to helping Quinn learn to be mellow and not always need one of the other dogs or me to keep him amused. When he was little I used to put him on my lap in the evenings to brush him. He always dozed off during these grooming sessions and I let him sleep on my lap while I watched TV or read. Though I hadn't started these grooming sessions as a way to reinforce his off switch, they became a crucial factor in getting that switch installed and functional.

 

The off switch was crucial because I wanted a dog who could be as happy playing and training as he was relaxing around the house. Quinn is always ready to go at a moments notice and I love that about him. But for all those moments where it's not convenient for me to do things with him, I'm happy he's fine with chewing on a Nylabone, looking out the window or dozing at my feet.

 

I don't think most BC's come with their off switch in place. But through routine, exercise and training you can get a dog who knows how to relax and not need to be on the go 24/7. I'm not sure what training you're doing -- but basic obedience and self-control exercises are very important for high energy, high drive dogs. Of course, different dogs will need different amounts of exercise and training and a routine that works for one dog, may not for another. It also depends on what you want in your dog.

[hoku's mum]

I second ( or third or whatever) the off switch idea. It is so important that they understand that life is not one big dog game, and that they can chill out while you do what you need to do. We used some crate time, I work at home, so a BC pup pushing me to play at any time the whim hits just does not work for me. So, all play is at my initiation, pestering to play only gets you ignored (play can happen as soon as they settle for a bit as a reward). We use a large pen outside to teach and enforce down time even with all the outdoor distractions. Now, at 2, Hoku will happily go to his pen and hang, he knows playtime will come soon, and he has a great off switch, inside or out. Lots of mental and physical exersize, a strong routine (including enforced down time), and you being a fair and consistent leader will all help Charlie. Good luck with your pup, he sound like a pistol!

[Carson Crazies]

Another way to start working on it is - and I don't know what training methods you use - is to put the dog on a leash. Sit down with a book, and ignore the dog. No toys nearby, just you, the dog, the leash, and the book. If the dog sits or lies down, click and treat. Go back to reading. Basically what you're wanting to do is reinforce the dog lying down and doing nothing. Once the dog lies down I'd stop treating the sit. Then you can start c/t the lie down after longer and longer pauses. I'd do this in short phases initially, and eventually put a command on it and phase out the c/t and the leash.

[Carson Crazies]

Or you can shape the "go to your place" command. I basically shaped with a clicker & treats a "go to bed" command, which now means curl up near to me wherever I am and chill out.

[sleeping]

Ok, his same nail started bleeding again. This makes no sense to me, I would think that a BC, a dog that should be able to heard sheep all day should have the durability to keep up with a 22yr old with an exercise complex. This is just really frustrating. Before I got him I really wanted to contact a rescue and get an older dog, but seeing as how I have a pretty small house and yard, work and go to school I didn't think a rescue would give me a dog. I wonder if I made a mistake getting a puppy instead of a grown dog.

 

As far as the off switch I've got one working out pretty well, I put his toys on time out. I let him keep bringing them to me and one by one I put them in his crate and lock them inside. He has some chews that we don't play with, so by the time all the balls and the rope are put away he just lays around and chews on a bone, or he sleeps on my foot, but his energy level drops immediately.

 

I found these cap things for their nails online, and I might try some of those, for now I think I may call a vet on monday and get him examined again or something.

[Shetlander]

I wonder if I made a mistake getting a puppy instead of a grown dog.

 

Well, if you wanted an instant exercise partner, then I'd say a puppy was not the best choice. While puppies need to run and play, their bones are still growing and it isn't good for them to be going on long runs. In fact, there is a lot of damage you can do your puppy by pushing him too hard or letting him play too long. He's still a baby. A grown, fit dog would have been a better choice for exercise addiction. But even with a grown dog, you need to make sure he is eased into a heavy exercise routine and in condition for it.

 

And while BC's tend to have tons of endurance, most of them do get breaks throughout the day. Farmers did not have the dogs moving sheep 24/7. From what I understand, there are times, sometimes even days (think harsh winter weather), when the dog is not expected to work but instead needs to be ok with hanging out.

 

As far as the off switch I've got one working out pretty well, I put his toys on time out.

 

Great! Eventually, you may want him to understand a command that means enough for now or that'll do so the switch can turn him "off" immediately rather than over time.

 

I found these cap things for their nails online, and I might try some of those, for now I think I may call a vet on monday and get him examined again or something.

 

So a vet has looked at the nail before? I don't remember reading that. If it is still bleeding after all this time, I would say have the vet take another look. At the very least, put the pup on rest and give the nail a chance to heal.

[SincereArtisan]

Softpaws, or rubber caps, are for when you don't want your floors scratched up by your dog. They make them for cats, too. Since they have to be super-glued on, I wouldn't think you'd want to patch up your puppy's broken nail with it. Like putting a thimble over a paper cut, I don't think it will do anything but get in the way...

 

It sounds to me like your puppy is not getting enough ''off'' time on that foot. If you break your fingernail down to the quick you don't use it to open sodas for a while, do you? This would be agood time to work on his down-time, and some tricks that don't require a lot of running and jumping. Yeah, its hard, and yeah, its a puppy, but if you want him to heal then you need to keep him QUIET. My dogs are crated when I am at work, and they spend anywhere from 1-3 hours crated quietly on days I'm home all day. Thats when they have their rawhides to work on, or whatever other toy I let them take in with them. I don't tolerate any barking/whining/hopping/digging/circling while they're in there, either. It all started with a good 'lay-down', and now when I tell them to lay-down they know that also means "...and be quiet."

 

And see a vet if it keeps bleeding. Yeah, BCs are made to herd sheep all day and keep up with you and all that, but the downside to that is they're not really good at showing you their weaknesses....when they're hurt, they would much rather cover it up and keep 'working'....There have been a number of times I've had to crate-rest Ido for a couple days because she wore her paw-pads raw fetching or chasing. He could have an exposed quick or something and you'd just not know it.

 

You might want to make sure you're trimming your pups nails regularly, too. The longer they are, the more likely they are to break or snag on things. My dogs have a little pedicure about once every two weeks, the claw-tip is trimmed down a bit on those that look to be getting too long. Have your vet or some one knowledgeable show you how to do it, and have some quick-stop on hand in case you cut one too short.

[sleeping]

Charlie's been to the vet a number of times, first for shots and a full check up (including specifically looking at his nails) the second was for his snipping and to get his leg xrayed. After examining it the vet thought he might have broken it, but it turns out it was just a sprain. Come to think of it the leg he hurt was the same leg with the week toenail. The only nails ever trimmed on him were his front dues, aside from that his nails have always been short, they've never clicked on the concrete as he walks, it's always all pad. When the vet looked at them last he said it was good that they were being kept nice and short. My vet is a very nice guy, but he hasn't been all that helpful to be honest. I really wish I knew one in the area that knew bc's really well.

 

Obviously I didn't do quite enough thinking when I got Charlie, but I do love him

[sleeping]

Oh on a side note, assuming I get this bleeding nail thing under control, when is the right age to start training a dog for flyball. One of my roommate's cousins trains dogs for a living (she hadn't ever heard about Charlie's nail problem except in cases where the dog was going much farther and harder than Char is) Anyway she saw how good Char was with a ball and I guess is going to be starting a flyball team with the dogs in her pack. Char is the only bc, I know she has a golden and an ausie shep she's working with, but she offered to train him to do it pretty inexpensively. I only said no, because I'm still not satisfied I've got a way to keep him from hurting himself, and no one keeps as close an eye on him as I do.

[SincereArtisan]

I also wanted to add, there really may not be a 'problem' with his nails....it just happens. One of my borders, Pi (RIP) tore a nail while romping with dogs at the park. Rune has worn a nail down to the quick digging a little too enthusiastically. Just like we stump our toes and break nails of our own, it just sometimes happens...