adopting a BC this evening (probably)

[loggerboots]

Hi Folks,

 

I’m new on the board, but thought I ought to introduce myself. I’m heading out to a farm tonight to adopt a 1.5 year old female BC from a working cattle ranch situation. She’s apparently a sweet dog, but she’s afraid of the stock and not working out, thus the rancher wants to place her in an active companion home. Assuming all goes well with the meet and greet, I'll be taking her home tonight.

 

If Anyone has any advice on how to transition a working dog into a new home, with new people, please pass it along. I've done some reading, but most of the articles assume that the adopted dog is coming from a background of abuse or neglect, which certainly isn't the case here. I feel a little bad because the dog sounds like she’s bonded with the current owner and living in a pretty good situation and that’s all going to get turned upside down (new owners, living in the suburbs, no pack of dogs to hang out with, no livestock). That said, I'll be able to give her a good life, just different than what she's used to.

 

I’ve been advised to give her a few weeks to just be a companion before I bring her out for any kind of activities or training, so that’s what I plan to do – just walks and trail runs, maybe some fun ‘trick’ type training – things like that. After she's settled in, I've got a standing invite to take her to a local trial trainer to see if she is really hopeless on sheep or if maybe the cattle were just not her thing.

 

Anyway, I’ll post pictures when I bring her home. Nice to meet you all.

 

Loggerboots

[Tommy Coyote]

Wow! That is so cool. Good for you. And she will be able to adjust to a different lifestyle. I wonder if she could work sheep? if she isn't strong enough for cattle? You might be able to have fun going to herding clinics. They are everywhere this time of year.

[WildFlower]

Welcome! I hope that all goes well for you both tonight.

 

My advice would to just be calm and patient while she adjusts to you if all works out. BCs seem to thrive on routine. So help her get used to your life by sticking to a routine for the most part.

 

Best wishes.

[Maralynn]

Sounds like you have a pretty good game plan - low key with good structure is the best way to start.

 

My middle dog came from a kennel situation at a farm. He was 20 m/o at the time adapted very well to his new life. Some things kinda freaked him out at first - car rides, linoleum flooring and the like. But I just gave him a chance to figure it all out and it worked fine.

 

My other two dogs were also adults but from different situations so they had things to adapt to as well, it was just different stuff.

[speckle-legged dog]

Congratulations! I'm sure everything will go well for you and your new dog. It sounds like you have done some good planning already.

[Liz P]

Sounds like a win/win situation. Enjoy her!

 

I agree, take things slow and work on earning her trust. With trust you can accomplish anything.

[Cody & Duchess]

Congrats! My suggestion.. watch the dog. The more you watch your dog, the dog will tell you the pace you can move. I shake my head when I see people walking their new dog while they are on their phone. Watch your dog and she will tell you what worries her and what excites her. Sounds like you have a great adventure in front of you.

[Gary_and_Karen]

It may take a little time and patience for the dog to fully adjust to a new life, but I believe dogs can sense that you care for them and will feel more at ease after a while. Looking forward to seeing the pics !

[Gloria Atwater]

What the others have said: just be patient and really observe her, take your cues from her. Really pay attention to her body language and attitude, when introducing her to new people, new places and new situations. You don't want to overwhelm her and put her in a situation where she might react badly, in whatever way. Establishing a routine of things you do with her every day might be calming, too.

Also, if she's ranch raised and you live in a more urban/busy environment, be VERY careful where and how you take her out. You don't want her to slip her collar and escape the leash, if something that she's not used to scares her. I've heard more stories of newly-adopted dogs getting lost, because they panicked over something and got away. (And it could be something we think is totally ordinary.) A panicked dog can pull a lot harder than people expect, so do be careful.

Most of all, just take time. Establish trust and friendship, let her know you are the source of all good things and that you are her safe place.

Best of luck, and post pictures when she's settled!

~ Gloria

[loggerboots]

Thanks Folks!

 

Well, I ended up taking her home. It was a very tiring evening... First, on the way out to the farm, we were caught up in this. We were literally stopped, on the highway, for over 3 hours... At least it was a scenic spot where were were stopped so we could get out of the car and walk around...

 

Anyway, it turned a 2 hour drive to the farm into a 5 hour drive to the farm, but we finally got there late evening and met the owner and the dog. Everything went really well. The dog is very sweet, a little shy at first, but after she gets to know you (about 10 minutes, haha), she loves you. She's really affectionate, like Golden Retriever level of affection... not expected, but not unwelcome!

 

It was actually really sad when we were leaving the farm. The rancher got her into our SUV and said her goodbyes, she was understandably sad. As we were driving away, it took a few minutes for the dog to realize that her master wasn't there, but when she did she started up with the most pathetic whimpering I think I've ever heard. It went on for about 15 minutes, but we got her settled down with a lot of soothing.

 

We didn't have a crate due to the delay (we had planned to buy one when we got back), so she slept in our bed last night. I think that was a first for her, and she seemed pretty nervous and acted a bit silly, but eventually settled down and slept. I got up at about 6am and took her out through the neighborhood and she was wonderful. This is the most obedient dog I've ever owned and I didn't even train her... I walked her through the neighborhood public open space, and she wasn't so great on the leash, she wanted to stop and sniff everything, but she wasn't pulling or resisting to bad...

 

I took her to the off leash area and let her go, and it was funny, but I had trouble getting her to leave my side - just followed me everywhere like a shadow, haha. Another dog came to the off leash area and they met - she was ok, seemed a little nervous, but showed no fear aggression and let the dog sniff her. She resisted the other dogs overtures for play, though - seems like she's not really into other dogs...

 

I walked her for about an hour and a half, around all of our nearby open space. Eventually, I figured out that she really didn't seem to need the leash, so I let her off (I hadn't read Gloria's post yet, sorry Gloria! She did seem pretty calm and there were lots of joggers and dog walkers out, so I felt comfortable at the time). She just followed me everywhere I went, would stop and sniff and whatnot, but never let me get more than 20 feet or so away from her. She was perfect crossing roads (keep in mind, this is very deep in a neighborhood at 7am on a Sat., so no traffic, I didn't feel that it was dangerous), I'd give her a down, stay, cross myself and then release her once I could verify there was cars coming, and she bound across the road and rejoin me. I wouldn't do this when more traffic is around, but this is a really useful skill.

 

I'm still trying to figure out what she knows. She's really good with down and stay, and we had a good time testing the limits (I'd down her, tell her to stay, and walk hundreds of feet before releasing her and she'd come sprinting to me - really good). She doesn't seem to get distracted real easy. She paid no attention to the few cars that passed by, showed a little interest in dogs and joggers, but didn't attempt to move towards them, but definitely really attuned to me.

 

She's tuckered out, sleeping at my feet at the moment...

 

Anyway, that's enough for now. I'm off to get a crate and a few other things. I've attached some pictures, just snapped with my phone, and I'm no photographer, but you'll get the idea.

 

 

 

Thanks for all the advice and well wishes, folks!

[urge to herd]

Congratulations! Sounds like things went well for your first day. A warning - as she gets more comfortable in her new environment, she'll start to test her limits a bit. Well, anywhere from a bit to a lot. That's natural, keep up your routine. This is a natural part of adjusting to a new home. She sounds very sweet, and you might just sail through. All of my dogs have come to me as adults and we had our 'omg, what have I done? I thought she/he was perfect!' moments with all of them.

 

What's her name?

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

[beachdogz]

she's beautiful!!!

[Gary_and_Karen]

She looks like a very loving and sweet dog and pretty too !, hopefully the love you shower her with will ease her missing her old owner.

[Liz P]

She is NOT bonded to you yet. Please don't let her off leash for at least a few weeks! Many new adopted dogs run off, never to be seen again.

[Sue R]

This was my feeling, also. Right now, you are the only one she is at all familiar with in her new location but anything or anyone could set her off and you don't have the connection yet that you feel you have. Be considerate of her situation and go easy with the off-leash and freedom. I could be too conservative in my feeling on this but if you were wrong, your new dog could pay for your optimistic outlook with her safety or her life.

 

It might be inconvenient to keep her on leash (and use a non-slip collar like a martingale collar) for a while but that would beat the regrets of losing her because she tests her limits, gets chased by another dog or frightened by a situation (she already has a very limited level of your-world experiences), or simply *something happens*.

 

I had a foster dog here who was stuck to me like glue - until he was off-leash and took off in the woods just to explore - and all my calling, raw meat treats, and efforts had no effect on him. It took myself and several youth quite some time and a lot of walking/running to locate and capture him. My Mom used to say that it was better to be safe than sorry. It was good advice.

 

Very best wishes!

She is NOT bonded to you yet. Please don't let her off leash for at least a few weeks! Many new adopted dogs run off, never to be seen again.

[Naddi]

If you want her to run around in the green area, you could always buy a 50 feet leash or something. Being in the city, this is what I do.

[loggerboots]

re: off leash - thanks for the advice, will do. She seems reliable, but better safe then sorry.

[Gloria Atwater]

What an absolute beauty! Oh, that sweet little face. I'm glad things are going so well for you. She has come to a good home.

I will say, though, my hair stood up when I read about all that time off leash in suburban areas. Please, PLEASE don't take those risks. I have heard too many tragic stories of adopted dogs escaping from new owners and then never being seen again - or worse, being found dead. You are all she knows right now, but all it takes is one unexpected thing - a neighbor fires up his motorcycle, a child runs out shrieking in play, a local dog dashes out barking at her - and she could bolt and you'd never see her alive again.

Also, as she gets more comfortable with you and at home in her new environment, she may well begin testing boundaries. She is, after all, a border collie, the world's smartest and most athletic dog. You don't want to lose her because she suddenly decided to chase a neighborhood cat or run across the street to visit someone else.

She's a nice dog. She's a drop-dead beautiful dog. Please, don't take anything for granted or assume that her gentle nature is proof against tragedy. If she's awkward on leash, get a flexi-lead or long line to give her more freedom - but clip it to a harness or halti to prevent her pulling out of her collar if something goes wrong.

Sorry to be a nervous nanny - I lost a beautiful, promising young dog because he got out on the road just once, due to an open gate, so I am forever terrified of dogs loose in anything but a huge open field 50 miles from anywhere.

Best of luck with this beautiful girl!
Respectfully,

Gloria

[alligande]

I will add my voice to those that say go slowly and carefully... In the past I have got away with what you did and never had a problem, but after numerous foster dogs I am a lot more cautious now, and go very slowly before a dog gains our trust and obviously for the dog to trust us, and select the locations with care.

[SS Cressa]

Wow she is a beauty! <3

[Kelleybean]

awww, she's so beautiful! I know you must be completely smitten by now. She sounds like a fantastic dog. I would like to echo the sentiments above about your off-leash forays. PLEASE, keep her on a leash AT ALL TIMES! It's amazing how fast a dog can go from "reliable" to dead. I realize that the leash is an inconvenience and that she is not used to them, but it could very well save her life. Also, I would take it slow with other dogs at the dog park. She may be overwhelmed now and show fear/aggression later as she becomes more used to her situation. I would take things super slow till she is very comfortable before introducing too many new situations. Keep us posted, we are all excited for you and your new family member!

[gcv-border]

She is gorgeous, and sounds like she has a wonderful personality.

 

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but you are still in your honeymoon period - where everyone is on their best behavior. It is well known that a 'rescue dog' (or dog changing homes) will often not be relaxed enough to show their true behavior for a week, a month, up to 2-3 months. A good read for dogs that are re-homed is "Love Has No Age Limit" by Patricia McConnell. A very quick read (& only about $10) which reviews the major issues that might show up in a newly adopted dog.

 

Jovi

[loggerboots]

No worries ,I'm here to get advice for more experienced folks, so fire away. She's doing a lot better on the leash now, not constantly straining to try to sniff everything.

 

We ended buying a crate yesterday, so she spent the night in the crate next to our bed, and she actually seemed to enjoy that. She was crated where she used to live (along with her pack, literally crates stacked on top of one another), she knows a command to go in the crate ("crate up") and goes in willingly, and settled nicely and slept through the night. She seemed really well rested this morning and a lot more relaxed.

 

Only minor problems is that she seems sort of fussy about where she'll do her business. I've walked her for hours (she didn't go to the bathroom for nearly the first 24 hours she was with us) and she didn't go in any of the areas where I wanted her to go. Twice now, she's gotten back from our walks and then minutes later is "asking" to go out (she wimpers when she has to go to the bathroom), so I let her out the back door and she promptly pees in my backyard. I had wanted to avoid using my (tiny) backyard as a bathroom, but oh well, there are much worse places. She's only slightly less fussy about where she does her other business. She won't go in the unleashed area or any of the mowed fields around the house - she'll only go in the long, unmaintained grass at the edges of the green spaces. It almost makes me wonder if she's been trained not to go in areas that look like pastures, which a lot of the green spaces around my house look like. is that something working dogs are trained to not do? Not really a big deal, just means I have to walk further in our am walk to get out of bounds to a place that she'll "go".

 

The only other issue is that she won't play with balls, so in order to get her to really run, I have to down her, cross a field and the release her (she'll sprint full speed across the field). Would be a lot easier on me if I could just throw a ball, but I guess that's a small deal in the grand scheme of things. She also doesn't seem interested in playing with other dogs (she blew off the neighbor's Viszla last night just like she did the dog in the off leash area), so getting her to run at high speeds for exercise might be a little more challenging than usual. She likes to run with me, but she barely has to trot to keep up with me at a full sprint, haha.

 

Other than those couple things, she's really wonderful.

[juliepoudrier]

Actually long distance, slower pace running is probably better exercise. A long trot is exactly what I prefer my dogs to do. Sprints don't do much in the way of building stamina.

 

I don't know of any working dogs that are trained not to go potty in pastures. But lots of dogs like longer grass, woodsy, or brushy areas to poop in, so she's not unusual in that regard. Many male dogs will back up to a tree or stump and poop there, a behavior they share in common with wolves.

 

Border collies also do not typically "recognize" other breeds. There are exceptions of course, but you will probably find that she's much more selective about who she plays with, compared to many dogs.

 

You've had her all of what? A minute? She can learn to play with balls and other toys, but she needs to settle in and get used to you and her new life. She may surprise you on down the line with what she likes to do that she's not interested in now. My 16 y.o. was described by the rescue I got her from as a dog not interested in playing and definitely not interested in balls. Well you've probably guessed it, but within a few *months* (i.e., not a few days) of my getting her, she started to play and loved toys. She became an awesome frisbee dog and would fetch with the best of them and also loved tug. She still likes to fetch, though her body isn't nearly as cooperative as it once was (and she did a lot of damage to herself over the years because of her great enthusiasm for frisbee and fetch). If your girl was raised as a working dog, she may never have seen a ball or similar toy. She'll need to figure it out. Give her time to do so.

 

As others have said, put a "go potty" command on her, Many people who have dogs that travel to trials put such a command on dogs just for the convenience of being able to pop them out somewhere and get them to go quickly so travel may resume. I am right now training my pup with that command. I take her outside when I know she has to go, wait for the moment it looks likes she's going to go and give the command. As she's doing her business she's gets a "Good potty!" from me. She's already getting the idea. I use just one command, but some folks will put a command on pee and poop so they can encourage one or the other as needed.

 

J.

[Sue R]

Dogs can be pretty particular about where they are comfy doing their business, and a lot of dogs I've known prefer long grass for doing the big stuff. It's not odd at all.

 

High speed running is over-rated. Walks and jogs are best (and healthiest) for building muscle and fitness, with some sprinting and aerobic exercise as part of the exercise routine. Do you ride a bike? How about some bike work with her, making sure to not overdo it. Pavement is rough on joints compared to dirt and grass.

 

As for the ball, it may take her a while to turn on to toys like balls if they are new to her. Let her settle in first and don't throw (pun intended) too much at her at first. Give her some time, let her develop interest in the ball by you showing interest in the ball, and you might find she learns to enjoy fetching as a form of exercise that is more aerobic than walks and jogs, and is a good supplement to the easier exercise.

 

I walk my dogs twice a day, trying for a total of an hour a day, off leash (we are rural) so they set their own pace - they walk, they trot, they run, they play. And I try to do a bit of ball play once or twice a day so they have the chance to speed it up, get aerobic, and have some fun. What I do notice is that their muscle condition and fitness is much better with a combination of both these activities than it ever was with just the ball play that I relied on in the past.

 

Best wishes!

 

PS - And Julie and I were typing at the same time. And, yes, my dogs have a "go potty" command which comes in handy.