sweet_ceana Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I have a brand new BC who has been with us for about a week and will be nine weeks tomorrow. As my other half and i have been combing the internet for BC info, I have not found much on ways to have little Ceana feel "useful." We got her from a farm where both her parents worked with goats and horses so i have an inkling she is going to need to be kept busy. We go on walks, I am pretty sure she is trying to herd us when we run and she is right on our heels, and we throw the frisbee and chase it (my little runt is only 6lbs and cannot pick it up)Yet, I cannot help but notice sometimes she gets bored with squeeky toys, ropes and bones. Are there other games that we can play with her to engage her mind? Sometimes she wants nothing to even do with the toys and needs to play one on one just with us. What is a good way for us to engage her in this type of play? I guess my fear is that we don't know how to efficiently play with such a smart dog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully not over thinking play time, Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I hope no one minds a double post, I want to see if my avatar is working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 You are not over thinking play time! Don't worry about that. Try using the search on the boards. There have been lots of threads about "useful play". Training for one, just teaching Ceana "sit" would really work her brain. Games like "hide and seek". Hide a toy and encourage her to find it (you have to start really easy at first). Anything where she has to think is great. It isn't as much a "job" (although that IS important) but at this age more just constructive play (anything that involves thinking). There are a lot of other things you can do but I think that they are all posted on one thread....I will see if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 OK, here is one of the things I was thinking of.... Posted by Miztiki ("101 exciting ways to feed kibble (got ok from Dr. Haug)": 1. Make him do tricks. 2. throw each kibble one by one down the hall and have him chase them. Great for exercise and funny! 3. Toss them for him to catch. 4. See how many he can catch in a row without dropping any. 5. Take pictures while he's catching them! Way too funny! 6. Toss them in all different directions one by one. 7. Throw them at his butt while he's eating the last one you threw. 8. Make him "wait" while you roll some past him. Reward him with some you have in your hand. 9. Send him after the ones that rolled by in #8. 10. Play hide and seek with them. 11. Soak and freeze in a kong. 12. Use them as rewards for obeying throughout the day. 13. Put some in your palm and let him eat them. Repeat several times, then slip one of his pills in with them and he'll never know. 14. Toss them to him one by one, then toss one of his pills. He'll never know that either. 15. Put some in a small container, then put that in a box or bag and have him go at it. 16. Put them in a small container, then wrapped in a towel, then in a bag, then in a box, then in a bigger box and tape it all up. Get out the camcorder. 17. Put them in a treat dispenser. I will keep looking for the other threads..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Somewhere in the last six months there is a thread about things we all wish we'd down differnetly in raising our BC's. I'll see if I can find it. I have a hunch that will haelp you a lot. I for one think that the basics are REALLY REALLY important and time consuming enough. Go squat, Sit, Wait, Stay, Down, That'll Do, OK, Come, Leave, No, Bite hinibition. This should keep you occumpied for the next three months! Edit to add link! I found it!! http://www.bordercollie.org/cgi-bin/ultima...t=010892#000000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersnap Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 This is what I was going through last year at this time. Both my dogs are about a month apart in age and we got them both as puppies.They are a year and a half old now. We used kongs a *lot* when the dogs were young. We always have lots of good nylabones around so they always had something to chew. I've put something in a cardboard box and let them tear it open. Outside we play all kinds of types of ball/frisbee. My BC is like a remote with that kind of stuff. The kiddie pool is a must in the warm weather. A tied up sock or tshirt is great especially if it was just worn by mom or dad. I give mine snacks during the day like apples, carrots, pears etc. They love that. There are some good puzzle toys out there, or you can just create situations for your pup to figure out yourself. We played patience/concentration games a lot, my guy really likes little squeeky toys they use for show dogs. My guy is happy to do *anything* with us, so he's not too picky. I found out last summer that my BC just loves to hang out in front of a floor fan. He adores it! We used to have to stay on top of him every second when he was younger, but he is much more mellow now. Now he can hang out for longer periods, although he's always ready to play at a moments notice. My BC was my first real dog as an adult and I was pretty intimidated at first. You have to be on the top of your game all the time. Once I got the hang of it I started having a great time. good luck!! keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Thank you very much everyone for the advice. We are going to put it in action ASAP. As and experiment we will have a blog of Ceana's progress. If you are interested it is http://bordercollietraining.blogspot.com Thanks again, Carrie, Chris, and Ceana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Some more info - follow this link, Black Dog Farm links page and you'll find lots and lots of useful reading - including lots about raising Border Collie puppies. The site belongs to kajarrel from these Boards, and is a great resource. Enjoy these puppy days. Doing the blog is a good idea - it'll remind you of things you'd otherwise forget, and in a year or two, will be very helpful when you get your next pup . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersnap Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Also I wanted to add that I make sure that even though we have a yard where we hang out a lot of the time, we always take them out somewhere at least once a day. We have different places we go to play or swim or walk, so it's not as predictable for them. I think that makes a big difference. Dogs do like routine, but they also like suprize and new adventures too. Focus on keeping their minds stimulated is what I have found is the best approach to keeping my dogs happy. Gordie (non BC) was always able to settle down in the house, but not Spencer. It's like having a toddler for a while. Try rotating toys too to keep things new. Something can become very interesting to a dog if it has it's owners scent on it, so you can put a toy in the laundry basket with worn clothes for a day or two. I have been thinking about Spencer's puppy days since I read this post last night. He used to have a pink nose and it is practically all black now, something that is breaking my heart. He recently just lost about half of what was left. I am a bit sad, but he is growing up very nicely so I am mostly proud. can we see pictures? I didn't see any on your site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted July 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 The pictures should be working now on the site, please let me know if they do not show up. Tonight Ceana came across my cat Tony's favorite toy... it is a circular track with a ball inside of it that goes round and round. My goodness does she love that toy, she spent 35 minutes trying to get the ball out until I helped her. (She was barking extreamly loudly and the ball that made her so fraustrated) I took some pictures so those should be up this evening. Thank you for all your help, Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Here's the site with pictures: http://bordercollietraining.blogspot.com/ Ceana's a total cutie! I love the pictures and the stories that go with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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