TravelerBlue Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I've been looking for the right Border Collie pup for 8 months(!), and Monday I'm picking him up and bringing him home!!I looked through past threads and didn't see one like my question, so I thought it would be good to ask:"What tips and bits of general advice do you all have for the first few days and weeks with a new BC puppy?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxadee Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Congratulations on getting your new BC!! I hope you have a great relationship with him. What is his name? How old is your pup? I myself am getting an 8 week old BC Feb 6th. I'm really excited. Let me know what its like having him home with you and post pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraV Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Personally, I feel that having a routine is a great start to having a puppy and that starts with bed time, feeding, and potty training. They learn so quickly and this is their first step of pleasing you. Always reward when they do something you like. Carry treats with you at all times so when they do what you ask, you treat immediately. Waiting until you get to the treats in the kitchen or wherever may confuse them. Take control of behaviors you don't want. Letting them nibble you because you think it's cute is not ok. Stopping unwanted behaviors when they first occur is the best time to do it. Socialization is key. Find family or friends who have a dog friendly dog and bring them into your house, and you visit their house. It helps with territory issues and keep up with it. Enrolling in a puppy class is excelent as well. Training them when they are puppies is simple for the most part because their brains are sponges. And of course, enjoy having a puppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chene Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 -Don't let them out of the crate when they bark and whine, no matter how awful and loud it is. -Don't let them mouth you or bite you. If they're gentle you don't have to yelp or react necessarily, but don't just let them do it because it doesn't hurt. Give them something appropriate to chew on instead. -Do keep lots of kongs (stuff with peanut butter) and chew toys to help teach them to settle down. -Same idea: Don't teach them to constantly expect your attention. Ian Dunbar's "After You Get Your Puppy" has a great section on short term crate confinement for this purpose. -Do regulate when they drink and eat, so you better predict when they need to pee and poop (take them out shortly after eating or drinking and right after letting them out of the crate) This is also a great time to teach a bathroom command (choose a word and say it every time they go, then slightly before, then as soon as you get outside, until they understand that that word means "go to the bathroom"). -Don't assume the puppy will want lots of cuddles and hugs. Most puppies just want to be moving and if you try to restrain them they won't be too happy. -Do enjoy your puppy! They grow up far too fast. Good luck! After You Get Your Puppy (take the very specific "deadlines" with a grain of salt, but otherwise some great info in there): http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf Some other good reads: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bruno/puppyraising1.htm (there is one for every week until 1 year) http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/bringing-home-new-puppy http://www.petmd.com/dog/puppycenter/adoption/evr_dg_surviving_the_first_night_with_your_puppy http://www.fidosavvy.com/bringing-home-a-new-puppy.html Control Unleashed (puppy version) by Leslie McDevitt is also a great starting point for puppy training. You can get it online or sometimes at the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresaserrano Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I partially disagree with the quote below. Of course it's important to redirect and teach biting people is not ok, but rather than completely forbiding mouthiness I prefer to teach bite inibition so the dog grows up understanding just how much pressure he can aply on human skin before it becomes uncomfortable. Particularily when one has a very mouthy pup, as it becomes handy when he's all grown up. I say this based on my experience with Tess, so it's just one person-one dog experience, not a generalization. She's always used her mouth a lot, which is great as she's a born retriever and a big help around the house picking up and giving me everything I need her to. And this may be completely ilogical but I've always felt I should nurture the fact that she likes to use her mouth a lot because in a lot of ways that's a plus, so letting her mouth me in play, which she loves, is actually used as a reward since she completely understood the rules and amount of pressure she can use. I must say she doesn't mouth other people unless they specifically invite her to play that way. -Don't let them mouth you or bite you. If they're gentle you don't have to yelp or react necessarily, but don't just let them do it because it doesn't hurt. Give them something appropriate to chew on instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chene Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I think I just phrased it kind of poorly. While I'm not a personally fan of mouthing in play, I can totally understand where you're coming from. What I was more talking about is that I see people all the time with little puppies sitting there just chewing on their hand, and the person lets them because it's cute. It's great that they're being gentle, and the first step to bite inhibition is gentle mouthing, but it doesn't do to teach them that they can mouth everyone at any time. I'm not suggesting correcting them for it by any means, just redirecting when they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 My go to criterion for whether or not to allow a particular puppy behavior is, will this be OK with you when the dog's an adult? If it's not, then don't allow it in your puppy. There are lots of things that are cute in puppies that we don't want to have our adult dogs doing. It's much easier to teach them as puppies that certain behaviors aren't welcome than it is to break well established bad habits later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraV Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I agree with Gentlelake. If you wouldn't let your adult dog do it, don't let the puppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I'm really pretty okay with mouthing. Scooter is pretty mouthy right now, and we're comfortable with letting him mouth is gently. I prefer to teach a pup how to do something, rather than forbid it all together. I don't want to discourage use of the mouth, as many of the tricks I teach are mouth related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 FWIW, I wasn't referring to mouthing in particular when I said I believe that puppy behavior that wouldn't be acceptable in an adult dog should be discouraged when the dog's still a puppy. If mouthing in an adult dog is OK with you for whatever reason, then don't discourage it. But there are lots of "cute" puppy behaviors that aren't so cute when the dog grows up. Hanging off a person's pants leg is just one that immediately comes to mind. Or stealing food. Or jumping up in your face to greet you. Or . . . The point is simply that if you won't think it's so cute when a grown dog is doing it, don't let your puppy continue to do it. . . . whatever "it" happens to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelerBlue Posted January 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Thanks for the responses! As to the mouthing issue, I wasn't sure I agreed with the initial comments, so I appreciate the back and forth and further explanations from all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.