Meet Brody.

[Cryhavoc]

 

This is Brody, he adopted me at the end of July. The story I got was, he's was 7 months old and had never had a home before. He hadn't even learned sit and didn't know what a leash was. He came from a breeder in Northern Minnesota and went straight from there to a shelter. He later went to a shelter in the Minneapolis area and was put in foster care. The only things that he seemed to get from foster care were house training and the command "leave it". That's where we found each other.

 

I had lost my Golden Retriever of 12 years two years prior, to cancer. I had moved in with my "intimidated by all animals" sister. I had been talking to her about getting a new dog, maybe a new puppy. I'd been looking into BC's for several months and I was concerned about the amount of attention I could give a puppy with a full time job, as I had never had a BC before. I told her that she would have to help and would have to go with me to "Doggie Adoption Days" at Petco to prove she could even pet a dog. So we went and there was this little guy.

 

He can straight to me and even when he would say hello to another dog or a person, he would come right back. He would sit or lay down between my legs or jump up on the bench and lean into me. Every one there, including my sister decided he chose me. So I really didn't have a choice.

 

So far he's doing really well, everyone he meets thinks he very laid back and well behaved for his age and most of those don't know about the breed. His worst crime... he got his bone stuck between the bed and the wall, I had to buy new sheets. Needless to say, I'm very pleased. I'm pretty sure there's no world championships in Frisbee or flyball, but that's fine with me. It'd be nice the the light bulb goes off and he takes to some of that, but if he doesn't that's OK, I won't force him into it.

 

BTW, Cryhavoc was my Golden Retriever. I didn't want to go with Brody or Brody's dad for my name here, I thought it might be confusing.

[GentleLake]

Cool dog, and what a great story! So glad you found each other. The dogs who pick you are the best!

 

Don't give up on Frisbee or flyball just yet. I adopted Bodhi when he was about 2 years old. I don't have any idea what his early life was like. He was found as a stray, half starved. Like Brody he didn't know anything. He didn't know how to play with another dog; my older dog patiently taught him that. And he didn't know how to play with a human or toys, either.

 

After a while I'd pretty much given up on trying to teach him to fetch. I'd try every once in a while but he just didn't seem to know what to do with a ball. Then I got one of those Egg Babies toys and he loved the little stuffed squeaky eggs. So after I'd had him for 3 1/2 years, he finally learned to bring something back to me, and I was easily able to transfer it to a ball. And once he learned, he instantly turned into the stereotypical ball obsessed border collie! Discs were easy peasy after that.

 

So be patient. I'm sure you'll be able to teach him the wonders of fetching before too long.

[Cryhavoc]

I'm not giving up on anything yet. He may enjoy these sports and I hope he does. But he's a really laid back Border Collie. I'm trying to see if I can turn on the light bulb. A few nights ago I got him to retrieve twice, the third time he was distracted by a moth. He has the attention span of a gnat. He retrieved the ball twice again tonight. I thought that was a good time to praise him and reward him like he was the second coming and call it a night. I think he'll love these games, once he figures them out. I don't know how naturally retrieving comes to BC's, I had Golden's for 26 years. So we're both having learning experiences.

 

What I don't care about, is if he wins at these games. I want to teach him those games to see if he enjoys them. If he likes them, we'll keep doing them. If he doesn't, I'll look for other diversions. Yeah! I really do hope he gets into some of that stuff.

[Jescano]

And if he's only 8 months he's still got some developing to do, as I'm sure you already know repetitive chasing and jumping isn't great for developing joints :-)

 

You can blame his attention span on being a pup, but I think you did the right thing, stopping before he lost interest.

 

He's adorable, too. You're lucky he picked you

[Falon's Mom]

So glad to hear he picked you. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world to know your his choice. He is gorgeous by the way.

[alligande]

When we got our Brody at 3 1/2 he also had the attention of gnat... 2 throws of of a ball/frisbee and we became the retreivers! But unlike his previous humans we had mucher higher expectations and over a period of time not only did he always go and get his toy but he learned to hunt for it and not give up until it had been found. Basically no one had ever asked him to think, and by learning new tricks and commands he learned to focus and play with humans. At 8 months your Brody will has the potential to learn anything you want to teach him.

 

Ps he is very cute

[rufftie]

woot woot woot! great looking dog. I like a lotta white and love a split face! have a great life together. let the dog settle in for 3 mons and see what dog you have then. I believe in the law of 3's. a newly adopted dog changes at 3 days, 3 weeks and 3 mons. may very well turn out to be a great sport dog.

[G. Festerling]

Such a cool story. Cool dog and i think you two will have tons of great times and experiences!

[gcv-border]

Beautiful dog. Congratulations on your new pal - and thank you for rescuing a shelter dog.

 

What people have already said - teach him to think, he will 'turn on' to something, he may still be feeling you and his new environment out so you may still see some changes in the future, etc. Whatever happens, it sounds like he is already a gem.

 

Jovi

[GentleLake]

But he's a really laid back Border Collie.

 

LOL So's Bodhi . . . until he sees a ball now!

 

You've only had him a short while, and he's young. You'll see new aspects of his personality emerging as he continues to settle in, mature and as he has a chance to leave his lack of experience behind. Even though Bodhi was ~2 y.o. when I adopted him, he went through very typical puppy stages of development as he learned to be a dog. With that came an increased capacity to learn new things.

 

 

He retrieved the ball twice again tonight. I thought that was a good time to praise him and reward him like he was the second coming and call it a night.

 

Absolutely the right approach! He's going to have it down in no time. And you may wonder, like I sometimes do, why you ever wanted him to retrieve in the first place! Don't forget to teach him to have an off switch at the same time. I tell Bo when it's the "last one" to let him know that the game's almost over. When he brings that last ball back, I tell him "game's over" and he knows we're done . . . even though he'll still prance around hoping he can talk me into some more.

 

Sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun with Brody.

[SS Cressa]

WOW He is Handsome!

[juliepoudrier]

Gorgeous pup. I'm glad you found each other. You will have a long time to learn about play with him, and he will probably come around to playing eventually. Congrats on adding him to your household.

 

J.

[Shetlander]

Congrats on being adopted by such a gorgeous and wonderful dog! Have lots of fun getting to know your new pal and watching his personality unfold as he becomes settled and confident.

 

My first rule of dog training/play is to always leave them wanting more, to end the game before they are bored or getting tired, so good call on quitting after a couple retrieves.

[Gideon's girl]

Gorgeous pup. You'll see a lot of changes in him as he gets used to you and his new situation and good food. Who knows, he may perk up quite a bit. Have fun with him and thanks for adopting.

[Cryhavoc]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome.

 

Jescano, Yes I know about his development. Those retrieves were 15' to 20' and only a couple of times a night. He's so attached to me, I had to do something to get him to realize that he was on a 50' leash and he could leave my side. He has begun to figure it out. I put it on him tonight and he ran around a little bit, for about a minute. Then came over and laid down next to my feet. He did start to figure it out tonight and ventured off on his own multiple times.

 

The other news is, I think the light bulb may have begun to go off. We did our two short retrieves and I let him play with the ball. He brought it over and nosed it over to me, twice. Yes, I had to throw it and he retrieved it. I'm not sure how I'll keep him happy, without over working him until he's ready. I think I'm gonna need a whole lotta distractions.

[Cryhavoc]

And you may wonder, like I sometimes do, why you ever wanted him to retrieve in the first place!

I had two Golden Retrievers over the course of 26 years, Yeah, I get it

[Shetlander]

We did our two short retrieves and I let him play with the ball. He brought it over and nosed it over to me, twice. Yes, I had to throw it and he retrieved it. I'm not sure how I'll keep him happy, without over working him until he's ready. I think I'm gonna need a whole lotta distractions.

 

Well, you want to make sure he doesn't overheat (some dogs will run themselves into heat stroke during warmer weather) and as a puppy, you don't want him to run more than he is willing. It is a fine line, but with Quinn, as he got into fetch, we played short games which often consisted of several or many throws. They weren't real long throws but I played with him for as long as he was enthusiastic and if he wasn't slowing down or looking like he needed a break. I still aimed to stop when he wanted more which was easy, because he quickly came to almost always want more. One thing I did was if I offered him a small, low value treat and he took it, I knew he was not as into the game and knew we could stop. But that was Quinn who loves food but prefers play. You'll figure it out and have lots of fun along the way.

[GentleLake]

I had two Golden Retrievers over the course of 26 years, Yeah, I get it

 

LOL Goldens? You ain't seen nuthin' yet when it comes to ball obsessed. Border Collies can put a whole new spin -- and intensity -- on it!

[GentleLake]

Well, you want to make sure he doesn't overheat (some dogs will run themselves into heat stroke during warmer weather) and as a puppy, you don't want him to run more than he is willing.

 

For my dog who overheats easily (I think he may have mild Border Collie Collapse disorder), we head to the pond in the summer with a ball launcher (I throw like a girl) and he can retrieve in the water for as long as I care to throw for him (which is never as long as he wants to play!). It's a great variation on the game that allows for lots of low impact, worry free exercise.

[Shetlander]

For my dog who overheats easily (I think he may have mild Border Collie Collapse disorder), we head to the pond in the summer with a ball launcher (I throw like a girl) and he can retrieve in the water for as long as I care to throw for him (which is never as long as he wants to play!). It's a great variation on the game that allows for lots of low impact, worry free exercise.

 

Excellent point! Quinn loves retrieving in water best of all, which is fortunate because he is also very prone to over heating. Having a wading pool to send the dog to for cooling off is also helpful.

[highway61]

Is it natural for Collies to take to the water? Maybe he's just too young but my 5 month is all turf and no surf. I recently brought him (leashed) to the water's edge on a pretty hot day where my other dog was happily trouncing in. And when I pulled him there he splayed his front paws good and wide while pushing backwards. It was all I needed to see and backed off. I'll just have to wait and see if/when he at least gets his feet wet on his own.

 

Oh, and Brody is a looker! That's the kind of dog that catches my eyes and I do a double take out of reaction. Great story, doncha just love it when a plan comes together!

[PSmitty]

For my dog who overheats easily (I think he may have mild Border Collie Collapse disorder), we head to the pond in the summer with a ball launcher (I throw like a girl) and he can retrieve in the water for as long as I care to throw for him (which is never as long as he wants to play!). It's a great variation on the game that allows for lots of low impact, worry free exercise.

 

I'm sure you're aware, but for the newbies or anyone else lurking, be careful of water intoxication with a situation like that. Dogs can take in a lot of water retrieving balls while swimming. I've recently heard some sad stories of dogs getting sick and even dying. So just be sure to pace the dog and educate yourself on the signs of water intoxication and how to treat it.

[GentleLake]

I'm sure you're aware, but for the newbies or anyone else lurking, be careful of water intoxication with a situation like that. Dogs can take in a lot of water retrieving balls while swimming. I've recently heard some sad stories of dogs getting sick and even dying. So just be sure to pace the dog and educate yourself on the signs of water intoxication and how to treat it.

 

Good point. But I'm always tired of throwing the ball for him before there's any real danger of that.

 

But it's certainly something for people to keep in mind.

[GentleLake]

Is it natural for Collies to take to the water?

 

I think some do and others don't so much. My experience over the years is that many are interested in playing around in water but have to be coaxed into actually learning to swim. . . . and then they seem to love it. Others balk, though, and never want to have much to do with water, though I think most at least enjoy splashing about in shallow water.

 

I've seen an entire litter of BC pups who loved water, were totally fearless and would even dunk their heads into the kiddy pool for toys at 5-6 weeks old. Too cute.

 

Others love playing in the water from a hose.

 

About a month after I adopted Bodhi I went camping at a large privately owned (i.e. non-commercial) campground where I was able to have the dogs off leash. The first afternoon I couldn't find him nearby and walked around looking for him. He was in the pond just swimming in big circles, enjoying himself immensely. He still does that, just swims for the sheer pleasure of it. Interestingly, my lurcher (I think a BC mix) had to be taught to swim, but as soon as she learned she started doing the same thing.

 

One of the easiest ways I've enticed dogs to swim-- at least the avid fetchers -- is to toss a ball or stick into the water. Just at the edge at very first, then incrementally farther until they're swimming for it. Be prepared to have to wade out and bring a few balls back, though, until they've developed the confidence to go for it themselves.

[Shetlander]

Loving water seems pretty common in the Border Collies I know but not universal. Quinn enjoyed a wading pool from a pup but didn't see a big body of water until he was 5 and I learned and a dog friendly beach on Lake Michigan. He went almost as nuts at the sight of the Lake as he did when he first saw sheep. And when I threw a toy into the water, he jumped in and swam out to retrieve it like he had been doing so all his life. He swallowed water more in those early days than he does now that he is a seasoned pro.