Exercise?

[CurlyQ]

[EDIT: This schedule is directed towards a mature border collie, even though I will be bringing home a puppy. I assure you I won't put my growing bc's joints through this kind of stress at such a young age.]

 

I'm really looking forward to joining the border collie community (you may have noticed I'm new around here)! I'll be getting a bc in a week or two, and of all the things I'm worried about, exercise is number one. I'm still in school (fall-winter-spring), and I'm really worried that what I think is enough won't be enough. I'm not worried about my summer schedule, since I'll be devoting most of my time to my dog. I love hanging outside, jogging, fetch, frisbee, etc. It's been a while since I've had a dog that required that much exercise (2 years now) so I've been spending the last pre-puppy time I've got left getting back into shape! When people comment on my weight loss, I just tell them my secret is my border collie. I'm going to give you my normal school-day schedule (and how I planned it around my bc). Please tell me if you guys think I need to add more of something. I'd even be willing to drop an after-school activity, if it comes to it.

 

5:30 am: Wake up, get into sport clothes, take dog for jog and/or play frisbee.

6:15 am: Feed dog before hopping into shower/getting ready for school.

6:45 am: Take dog for a quick walk/potty. Hang out in the yard before school.

[approx.] 7:30 am: Head to school.

~

(Dog will be left at home for this period of time. After we've completed potty training [hopefully by the end of summer] she won't be made to stay in the crate when no one is home. We have a yorkie, so the dog won't be completely alone. Also, my mom only works Sun/Mon/Tues, so she'll be there to keep her company/let her out the rest of the school week. My mom's boyfriend works a weird schedule, so when he's working nights he'll be there too.)

~

4:00 pm: Return from school. On days when my mom doesn't work (she's half-time) we agreed that she'll bring the dog along to pick us up. It's a long drive, so any time counts. Sometimes we stop at the dog park before heading home, depending on the day.

4:45 pm: This is usually the absolute latest time I'll be finished with homework. Very rarely does it take longer than this, since I finish it either in the car or at school. I'd also be willing to multi-task and play fetch while doing homework, if I'm feeling guilty. I hear bcs are excellent at making people feel guilty.

4:45 - 6:00 pm: Nice long walk and some frisbee.

[approx.] 6:00/7:00 pm: Dinner for people and dogs.

7:00 - 9:00 pm: Since around this time it'll be dark, I figure I'll devote it to training and grooming. Maybe a little bit of relaxing hang-out time.

9:00: Get ready for bed. Take dog out to potty one last time. I'm ashamed to say it, but it usually takes me a good 45 minutes to get ready for bed. If I have time left over I'll probably dedicate it to relaxation/grooming time.

10:00: Lights out! This is the latest I can really stay up without being exhausted all day.

 

I do sports after school, which is why I stay until four. Sometimes I have a game, and we get home around five on game days. If my dog can't attend the game, believe me when I say I'll have someone taking her out for a bit for fresh air and potty. Also, I have a lesson once a week for an hour, but I figure I'll easily be able to work around this.

 

Weekends will pretty much revolve around my dog unless I have an event like a concert to attend, but this is very rare. I plan to use weekends for a lot of obedience practice. Exercise will still be a big thing, though. I'm human, and I like lazy Saturdays (aka not changing out of my PJs). I figure on Saturdays we'll play frisbee in the back yard and work on a lot of obedience. Sundays I'll distribute physical and mental exercises more evenly. Quite often we go down to the beach/creek over the weekends, so weekends will be VERY dog-oriented.

 

I need someone's honest opinion: does this sound like enough? I'm very paranoid about my poor dog not getting the exercise it needs. If worse comes to worse, I'll drop a sport for it. I can opt out if I choose something else to do. If you guys think this isn't enough time, I'll opt out for agility. If they allow people to opt out for horse riding, they will most certainly allow me to opt out for agility! In fact, I might even do it on my own, since I only do fitness during the winter.

[juliepoudrier]

FWIW, while your dog is a puppy, it won't need a ton of exercise (and, really, not as an adult either, unless you've created--raised it to be--the sort of dog that needs a ton of exercise). In fact, too much exercise, especially human-directed, high-impact activity (like jogging or playing fetch) can be deterimental to a pup's health because it can cause joint damage (damage to growth plates) that will come back to haunt you sooner or later .

 

Puppies should have plenty of unstructured play time (that is, play time in which they are directing their own play, not repeatedly chasing after something and certainly not jumping up for frisbees or balls). If you watch puppies interacting with one another, they have shorter bursts of activity like running interspersed with wrestling, chewing, and so on--nothing like a sustained jog or chasing after a ball or frisbee. You can tire your puppy out with some play and plenty of training. Mental exercise will where a pup out much more quickly than physical exercise. Puppies, like babies, also need plenty of sleep time.

 

So your schedule should be fine, provided you spend plenty of your free time with your pup, teach it things (tricks, manners, etc.), and keep a consistent routine that will allow it to learn housebreaking, that down time is good and acceptable, and that it doesn't need to go, go, GO all the time.

 

What I'm saying is that NO puppy needs tons of exercise. They need interaction with you, training, play, quiet/relaxation time. Don't fall for the myth that border collies are unbearable without tons of exercise. It's just not true.

 

J.

[d112358]

How old is the dog you're bringing home? This sounds reasonable for a dog over about 18 months, but not at all suitable for a puppy.

[CurlyQ]

Thank you for the responses. I am bringing home a puppy around the age of 9 or 10 weeks. I understand that puppies that young do not need a ton of exercise, and it can even be dangerous. I was thinking as my dog matured more this is the schedule I am going to have to adapt. Trust me when I say the younger months will be directed more towards socializing, training, and smaller games. I wasn't planning on even attempting frisbee until my dog is around a year old. Games involving running will be on a softer surface, to aid correct joint development. I'm sorry, I should've stated this in my original post.

 

For an adult border collie though, this will be alright?

 

Also, juliepoudrier, thank you for reassuring me that bcs aren't go-go-go. I've heard all my life that border collies are incredibly active never-stop-moving dogs. You can see I was trying to shove as much exercise as I could into my schedule to help tame the hyperactivity. I mainly wanted a border collie for obedience, with exercise as a plus. I was just worried about my capability of handling the personality. But if what I have planned is sufficient for most days of the week, then you just calmed my nerves about 87%.

[juliepoudrier]

I have seven of them. One is a year old; the rest range in age from 7 to 15.5. When I am at work, they pretty much sleep all day, even the youngster. When I am home and freelancing they will sleep or hang out in the yard. There is some play among themselves, but not a lot. When I want to get up and do stuff with them, they are more than ready to do so. I try to keep them active so that they are fit enough to work when we need to work, but from puppyhood theylearn to settle (training) and so none of them are hyperactive never-stop-moving dogs. And mine are certainly not the exception. Most folks here would agree that they are pretty much the norm.

 

ETA: One caveat: all but one of my dogs are well-bred working dogs. The one dog who had obsessive-compulsive issues was a backyard bred rescue. So the blanket statement that border collies aren't all go-go-go isn't entirely correct. Well-bred, well-raised border collies can and should be a delight to live with. Poorly bred (including dogs deliberately bred to be over-the-top active) and/or poorly raised dogs will be a reflection of their breeding and raising.

 

J.

[CurlyQ]

Ah, well then. I guess I'll just have to see how my rescue turns out. Her foster parents say she's well mannered and sweet, but they always highlight the good qualities. In the past, I've had a dog that was so over the top we couldn't cope with her. She never ever stopped moving. We had to give her back, we couldn't take it. Now that I'm older and will be taking almost full responsibility for the dog, that's one of my worst fears. The foster parents assured me she was even-tempered, so I've got my fingers crossed.

[juliepoudrier]

There's no reason for the foster parents to be untruthful. I assume this is through a rescue? A good rescue wants a successful adoption more than anything. Misrepresenting a dog is counterproductive to successful adoptions. I just lost a rescue dog (my first purebred border collie and first trial partner) at almost 17 years old, and she was also easy to live with once we got her past her initial shyness.

 

The rescue mentioned in my previous post was extremely inbred and poorly raised (an older couple who had no clue and left him to his own devices out in the yard, where he proceeded to develop obsessive compulsive behaviors, namely running in circles). Chances are had a savvy dog owner raised him, he wouldn't have had the issues he has, or at least not to the degree he has them. But he's the 15.5 year old, so even his problems aren't the sort to have made me give up on him.

 

Anyway, it's my opinion that a reputable rescue/foster won't misrepresent a dog just to get it placed in a home and I'm sorry you had a bad previous experience. I hope your new pup is wonderful.

 

J.

[GentleLake]

I think your planned schedule is more than adequate, but I also think you're over thinking it.

 

My dogs (2.5, ~9 and ~ 16.5 y.o.) don't get nearly that much exercise on a daily basis. As Julie says, for the majority of border collies, mental stimulation is even more important than physical exercise.

 

If you your pup is a mix it may not need even as much exercise as the average border collie. If it was from a sports breeding or even the odd well bred working breeding, it's possible it may need more, but If handled properly from the start, I think that's the exception rather than the rule.

 

But remember that border collie exercise-aholics are probably more often made than born, meaning that if you create an environment in which the dog is always on the go-go-go, the it will expect to always be on the go-go-go and may well have trouble settling down.

 

More than a young, active, dog centered person like yourself worrying about whether your dog will get enough exercise, I'd advise you to start early teaching the dog to have an off switch. Praise quietly and calmly when the puppy is quiet, even if she's collapsed as puppies do after play. They need to learn that calm, quiet behavior is a good thing, which many people overlook, giving attention for only active behaviors. If you search the archives here, you'll find more references to teaching an off switch.

 

If the foster parents are telling you she's even tempered, she probably is. Good rescues and good foster homes will tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly about the dog(s) in their care so they know whether you're a good fit for the dog, and so that they can make the best match for the dog so that it won't come bouncing back because it was placed in a home that can't handle it.

 

Best wishes for you and your new pup. How exciting to be anticipating her arrival! I hope the two of you w ill have many happy years together.

 

ETA: There's a similar thread active right now that you may also want to take a look at: http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=36731&hl=

[Gideon's girl]

I think it would help the OP if we gave her an idea at what age our BCs were ready to stay out of the crate unsupervised. Gideon was fine at about 18 months, but Micah wasn't ready until after 2 years. A friend of mine has a BC that is 7 years old and still can't settle in the house alone, so still has to be crated.

[GentleLake]

I think it would help the OP if we gave her an idea at what age our BCs were ready to stay out of the crate unsupervised. Gideon was fine at about 18 months, but Micah wasn't ready until after 2 years. A friend of mine has a BC that is 7 years old and still can't settle in the house alone, so still has to be crated.

 

I'm not at all sure what this has to do with the question of exercise . . .

 

But, addressing your topic, there is no magic age you can say a pup is ready to be left out of the crate unsupervised. By your own examples you prove that. ;O)

 

It depends on the individual puppy, it's temperament and its training.

[rushdoggie]

The advise given is good. I have a friend who has turned her 2 year old Aussie into a monster of needing stuff to be busy to live with him by trying to "tire him out." What she ended up with is a very fit doe who didn't know how to settle. She gaped when she found out my then 3 year old Border Collie was only 3 because he was so calm and well behaved. I tried to explain that she needed to teach her dog to chill but he still gets 3 mile hikes, and tracking and frisbee etc and doesn't settle down ever.

[Gideon's girl]

I'm not at all sure what this has to do with the question of exercise . . .

 

But, addressing your topic, there is no magic age you can say a pup is ready to be left out of the crate unsupervised. By your own examples you prove that. ;O)

 

It depends on the individual puppy, it's temperament and its training.

She specifically mentioned leaving the puppy loose after it is potty trained, hopefully by the end of summer. My exact point was that she can not know when the dog will be the right age to leave it loose in the house. You are right, it doesn't have anything to do with exercise, but it does have to do with the schedule. Sorry, I thought my point was obvious, I guess not.

[CurlyQ]

Thanks for all the supportive advice, guys. I realize now that normally the go-go-go personality trait is mostly taught, although it can be bred in in certain cases. I do want my dog to be rather active, since once she matures I want a jogging/frisbee partner. As I said earlier, my main reason for wanting a border was intelligence. I want a dog who will make me think. I've got a list of over 100 tricks I plan on teaching her at one point, and I hope know she has the capacity to learn all of them. So along with moderate/high physical exercise, mental stimulation will probably be my main priority.

 

On the subject of crates, I think I will probably have to ease my dog into her unsupervised freedom. I think I'll start on the weekends, leaving her alone for just an hour or two before moving up to an entire school day.

 

GentleLake, you mentioned the pup maybe not being a full border collie? To be honest, I think she is 95% bc, if not completely. Something about her head shape seems a little un border collieish, and if I had to guess I'd say she has the tiniest hint of some sort of hound mixed in, but I'm not sure. You'd have to decide for yourself. Sorry for the iffy photo quality, they were taken by her foster mom.

 

 

 

I just wanted to thank every body for the advice, info, and encouragement. I feel a lot calmer now than I did earlier, and handling my puppy's energy seems like less of a daunting task then before. I'm ready for this responsibility, and I hope my confidence rubs off on my pup. Ha, here's to (hopefully) at least 14 years of nonjudgemental companionship coming up ahead!

[juliepoudrier]

It's hard to tell with puppies, but she certainly could be purebred. After all, they come in all shapes and sizes (including head shapes and sizes-- )!

 

J.

[GentleLake]

She looks very border collie to me, too, but it's so hard to tell for sure at this age -- and even for several more months -- unless the parentage is known.

 

The only reason I mention the possibility that she's a mix is that sometimes the parentage of puppies coming into rescue or born into rescue isn't a completely known quantity.

 

But you should have a pretty good idea in about 8 months to a year. Up to 6 months old for sure, even some mixes can look very border collie. (Ask me how I know. )

[Maralynn]

A word of advice re: puppies - they can go crazy when tired. So when your pup gets crazy, don't start worrying that you're not doing enough. Instead just put her in a crate with a chew or something to settle her down so she can nap

[RemsMom]

I can't give you any input on exercise since I have only had my BC a few weeks. But I wanted to tell you that your puppy is adorable.

A word of advice re: puppies - they can go crazy when tired. So when your pup gets crazy, don't start worrying that you're not doing enough. Instead just put her in a crate with a chew or something to settle her down so she can nap

This is exactly what happened this morning. I thought I would play with the puppy a bit before my shower and she was a little land shark, trying to bite me and chew on my bathrobe (we have been working with her to not bite and she is doing really well). I put her in her crate and she fell asleep almost before I could get the door closed!