ancira Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I have a 5 month BC and she is driving me nuts. We take her out running daily for about an hour, 45 min running and 15 min. walking. She gets about a 30 min training session daily (and she's pretty fast).Yet she destroys my window screens, takes down clothes form the clothesline and eats them, loves the broom and mop, eats the furniture, eats my socks and shoes, bites my toes, destroys my plants, trees, etc., goes to the bathroom everywhere (fortunately almost always outside, yet not in the places i want to). We both work, so she spends a good deal of time alone, yet its almost never in that time that she does this stuff, its usually at night, she sleeps outside since she wont lets us sleep cause shes running around the room barking at cars that pass outside our bedroom window, bites the sheets, barks at the fan, etc. When I catch her in the act y yell No!, but that doesn't seem to cut it, I need someone to tell me how to positively encourage her no to do these things. Also I've wanted to take her to obedience class, will obedience classes help her in showing her that we dissaprove of her doing all this stuff. Im sorry if it went too long, but Im really having a lot of trouble, and its becoming really frustrating, but I dont want to have to take her to a shelter (or give him away since I live in Mexico, and trust me, you dont want your dog ending up in shelter down here). Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oreo's mom Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Don't give up!! You have come to the right place for advice. For a start, you might go to the "search" section of this board for suggestions. I just typed in "crate at night" and about 50 threads popped up. You will find lots of good ideas about training, dealing with a bored & active dog, crating, etc. Also, at 5 months she is still such a puppy, so check out those threads, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I agree with the crate suggestion. It sure did the trick with Fergie. I'd be carefull about so much actual running with such a young dog. Walks, yes. But I'd hold off on the running and then start with about 15 minutes of a trek as a run, the rest as a walk. It's like with kids. We sure let my 2-year-old granddaughter out of the stroller at The Race for the Cure when she asked. But we let her trot a bit and walk a lot. (She was a paid, registered racer, so we couldn't object when she said, "Elena have tag. Elena run too!") But I would never had asked her to run the whole way. If we let her develop at her pace, and without causing structural harm, she'll be way ahead of us when she's about 8. Remember that a border collie wants to work and wants to please. So it will run even if it hurts. It's up to us to know the limits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I second using a crate! Also, you might search the internet for agility obstacles and how to build your own. Your pup is still too young for jumps, but weave poles, contact obstacles, and the tunnel would be a lot of fun, and you could have her trained for agility in no time, it sounds like. For the jumps, you could just leave the poles on the ground for her to run or step over. You might also try breaking up her exercise. If you only currently take her out for an hour a day and do a 30 minute block of training per day, you might try doing 3-4 walks a day and training after or before each one. Also, she is old enough to learn fetch! (: Fetch is the world's best game for a crazy Border Collie! The dog does all the running and the human just gets to stand there! Hee hee. Also, a while back on the general discussion board here there was a great thread on teaching tricks and there were so many listed there, I bet you could teach her a bunch of things. When she's wearing you out, just put her through a routine of what she's learned and that will get her focused on you instead of on the ceiling fan, cars going by, etc. Allie & Tess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancira Posted July 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I'ven tried teaching my dog to fetch, and I throw the ball and she'll run like hell following the ball as it bounces around the house, the only problem is that she rarely brings it back, whats worse, she always manages to get it under the sofa, so she'll start scratching at the sofa, she'll then start to bark at it until we get it out for her. I made the first mistake when i got out for her the first couple of times and i've tried ignoring her to see if she'll stop barking, or i'll tell her no, repeatedly but she wont stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Do you have any of those soft squeaky toys that don't bounce anywhere? They're just like stuffed animals or something, mostly, with a squeaker inside. I taught Tess to fetch with those. I had the same problem. She would not bring it back!! Made me nuts. She'd run off, grab it, and then run away! The little stinker. Anyway, I got two of the same toy, and since they were brand new, she was very entranced with them. So I would throw one, and then once she had it in her mouth, I would RUN AWAY. I would run and hide somewhere, and usually (not always, and certainly not at first!) she would bring the toy with her, forgetting she had it in her mouth (or just unwilling to give it up). Then I would show her the second toy, identical to the first, and she would drop the first one and start begging for the one I had. I would throw that one, and then run away again. Now she is a fetching machine! (: You might try this with old socks or something, tied in a knot. Something that won't bounce! I had the worst trouble with bouncing things in the house. I played mostly in the hallway, and I was forever retrieving things from under the bathtub. I hit my head more times than I care to say. Here is the link to the thread with the tricks--you might try some of these, as they will wear out her brain as well as her body! In case the link does not work and you do a search instead, it is the thread called "Dog Tricks" and it was started on May 20 by Kiwi Steve. http://bordercollie.heatherweb.com/cgi-bin...t=005794#000000 Allie & Tess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 You could also put something to block the part under the sofa. I did that in my office. Now I am no longer retrieving Tess's toys from under there. Allie & Tess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancira Posted July 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Thank you very much for your help guys, I was/am getting really frustrated, I'll look into all the things you said, definitely the crating and the fetch, and if i remember (i have very very very short term memory) i'll post back results as soon as there are any. Thank you Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanna in OR Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Ball under the sofa causes barking--you got it for her--she hit the jackpot. Now her behavior is conditioned to repeat in hopes that the desired result will happen again. Think how humans will continue to pump quarters into a slot machine for hours, when they only get a few back every 15 minutes or so. It will take a lot of repetitions of this behavior (with no response on your part) for her to learn that her barking will not get the original result. But if you only did it once or twice, it won't take as long as if you had done it a lot. It will also help if you can play with her with the ball so that it doesn't go under the sofa. Can you put something under it (cardboard boxes, for example) that will keep the ball from rolling under there? How are you using her training time (you said 30 min./day)? You could use some of this time focus on using it to teach her bring the ball back to you (in return for getting another ball thrown or a treat). It's "this is how we play, or we don't play at all". A 5-month old puppy of any breed will likely get into "trouble" if they are left unsupervised for many hours at a time (overnight). Please don't take this as a criticism, but consider--would you leave a 3 year old human toddler running all over the house unsupervised for 8 hours? You need to restrain her--a crate in your room would be best. There is a HUGE amount of information on dealing with a young border collie on this site. I hope you can take the time to read through because you will find the answers to many of your questions. Good luck with your pup! Deanna in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancira Posted July 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 How about the chewing clothes, how do i get her to stop taking the clothes of the line and destroying it. She seems to like my girlfriends underwear....but she'll go for anything she can reach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 If she is in a crate, she can't steal underwear. (: If she is outside and the clothes are on a line, you might consider giving her other things to do outside, or else not putting the clothes where she can reach them (block off that part of the yard? Raise the clothesline higher?). Allie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelli1 Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 A crate is in order. I had a rough time with my first BC puppy. She never ripped anything up though because she had probably 50 dog toys to play with. She did spend the night in her crate. Fortunately someone was home with her during the day. Running is not enough for a BC. BC's need to be mentally stimulated, otherwise they get in trouble, they need to work, to have a job. This is where herding comes in. Do you live somewhere where you have access to a herding trainer? That would be the solution to all your problems, believe me, it changed my dog. She was very disobedient, wouldn't come when called, etc. She is now competing in herding events and doing very well, plus she is like the perfect dog now. Even if you don't want to compete in herding, I recommend this for BC's. It changes their whole attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelli1 Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 An addition to my last post. Your dog is a puppy, do not leave clothes hanging on the line unattended, or leave anything else within reach of your pup, that's just asking for it. Puppies can't help what they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanna in OR Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 The first thing that I learned in puppy classes is that there is training behavior and then there is management. Until and if you can train the pup to do or not do things as you want, you need to MANAGE his environment--in other words, don't leave the pup unsupervised around the clothesline or else put the clothesline out of his reach. For example--My Collie likes to dig in my dirty-clothes basket (which is in the closet on the floor) and chew the most disgusting items. So I keep the closet closed. Or if she goes in there when I am in and starts nosing around, I tell her "leave it" and she has LEARNED this command over time and will stop. But if I turn my back or walk away if the closet is open, she's back in there. So I just MANAGE it by keeping the closet door closed. I am currently raising my 6th and 7th dogs from puppies. Every time before these 2, I just figured there would be massive destruction for a year or 2--that this is part of raising puppies. I expected this because I didn't know any better, about crate training or managing where and when they are allowed unsupervised. This time, with two puppies within 4 months, but using crates and lots of attention and training and management, I have virtually NO destruction of the house or yard, certainly nothing permanent or expensive. And one of them is a Border Collie! Training takes time and commitment. In the meantime, you need to manage the pup's environment to minimize damage. The effort will pay off in the end. Deanna in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 One more thing... at 5 months, your puppy is probably teething! And her mouth hurts, so she is desperate to chew anything and everything to help get the old teeth out and the new ones in. Providing her with her own chew toys will probably really make her happy. (: Allie & Tess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 >Also, you might search the internet for agility >obstacles and how to build your own. Your pup is >still too young for jumps, but weave poles, too young for weave poles, too; the repetitive weaving is bad for the spine. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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