charliemagnan Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Good morning all! I could use some advice. I adopted a three month old unaltered male border collie/border collie mix from the local animal shelter this past weekend (11/2/13). I've previously owned a border collie mix with no herding instinct and LOVED the dog; but, this one (at least in appearance) appears to be closer to a pure BC that my previous dog and I'm concerned about providing the needed physical and intellectual stimulation he needs. Is there a test I can give him that can help determine his needs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 IMHO, at this age, you should just be concerned about bonding with him and teaching him to trust you, in addition to all the skills he needs to be a good, well-mannered dog - sit, stay, down, loose-leash walking, recall (VERY important), socialization to other dogs, people, locations, and the list goes on. By 'needs', I am assuming you would like to know if he would like to herd sheep. In my book, that is not a 'need' (even for BCs) IF they are kept mentally and physically challenged. Many BCs are very happy with lots of agility, trick training, rally, obedience, etc. They want to partner with you. Having said that, I have read here (on these forums) that a pup may be tested on sheep around 6-7 months under the guidance of a knowledgeable trainer. Some people may start some occasional training at that point (depending on the pup), whereas others will wait until the dog is closer to a year old. It all depends on the personality and drive of the pup, and the circumstances of the owner. Please take a few (many? ) hours to read pasts posts - many of which will help answer many of your questions. Good Luck! And feel free to post photos, we all love to see new pups! Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 First, congrats to your new addition! Second, I totally agree with Jovi on the bonding time being the most important! Bonding takes place so many different ways. Living with you will make him familiar to you and the other way around. It gives great opportunities to set boundries and lots of chances to throw in some nice training like focus. Sit for a piece of food (treat) etc. In my humble opinion, training is the absolute top way to bond. Positive, fun and interesting training. Be that retrieving games, activities that are build ups for agility etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliemagnan Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Jovi & G, Thank you very much for your comments! I'm glad to hear that I'm on the right track. I've been giving him a lot of love and attention and he's eating it up. In the 6 days since I adopted him he's done very well assimilating into the household. He's no longer intimidated by my other dog and they now play great together. He's also made fabulous strides in leash and potty training. I've even started training him to "sit" and "come". We visited the vet today and he's healthy and seems to be happy. Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camden's Mom Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Congrats!! Also *ahem* pictures, please!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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