Mick, my border collie

[Denny Mc]

I am in the process of adopting Mick a one year old border collie. We have had him for one week now on a fostering basis, to see if we want to keep him or not. He is working out just fine and already knows many things of which I am proud of.

He is house broken and spends time with us inside. I have been taking him out to a big play yard which the city has, and he loves running and fetching for me. We had company this weekend and he was so obnoxious, jumping on them and being way too active. Needless to say I didn't have time to spend with him to really release his energy outside. We also have a decent back yard for him to run and play, so that is not a problem, he just got too wild and eager.

 

Any trick to just calm him down on the weekends?

 

Thanks for any input

[Beth G]

All I can say is give him a little extra excercise. Not just physical but also mental.

These guys love that.

 

Then he will nap when you are busy or have company. That's how I try and time it.

 

Because they are Borders and are not happy if they don't get their daily run- or two. And trust me they will let you know if you skimp on their excerise.

 

As long as they get enough, they are content to nap for several hours and leave you in peace- until it is time for their next excercise session that is...lol.

 

Good luck!

[kajarrel]

Exercise is one part of the answer. In addition, Mick will need to be trained to lie quietly, to not jump on people, etc. Until he is trained, he should be contained (i.e., crated, put in another room, etc.) to prevent him from behaving in ways that are not acceptable. Each time you allow him to, for example, jump or act wild, you inadvertantly reinforce the undesired behaviors. It's going to take some time/effort on your part, but this is not something that is unchangeable . . .

 

Kim

[sea4th]

I agree with Kim. That and to keep in mind that a big yard alone isn't necessarily the answer. You are the key to providing the exercise. And teaching him to become a well behaved dog is your responsibility. They don't teach themselves. For the times they are being obnoxious or just need to be kept out of the way, a crate is invaluable.

 

Good Luck with him and welcome to the world of border collies.

[urge to herd]

Kim and Vicki are right on. Training some good habits into him will help fulfill the mental exercise that he needs. He will not get enough mental/physical challenges in a yard by himself.

 

If he's not crate trained, you can get started on that now. If you don't want to do a crate, then you can teach him to wait quietly in a room by himself with the door closed. You start by leaving him in there with the door open while you step out very briefly. Gradually increase the time, then add in the closed door. Do this over a period of days, not all at once. Make sure there's a comfy place for him to rest, and perhaps a chewy or stuffed kong. Start today, and add people coming over as he gets more settled into that routine.

 

As far as jumping on people, if you don't want him to do that, then you need to train him to an alternative, a 'settle' command, or 'go to your mat' type of thing. If he's a social guy like my Buzz, you'll want to make sure your visitors don't give him any attention at all until he's doing what you want him to. This may take a bit of work on your part, as many people will say, "Oh, that's ok, I like dogs, I don't mind." Be firm with the visitors as well. Attention from visitors and new people is such a great thing for Buzz that I can use it as a reward when I train.

 

If you're letting him jump up on you, then stop that immediately. It's confusing to him right now that he can jump on you and not on others. Later on, if you like, you can teach him a 'come up and visit' cue.

 

Basic obedience training and classes will really, really help. I know it seems like a lot, but all this can be accomplished in 2-3 minute segments, 3-4 times a day.

 

Good luck, thanks for taking him in, and let us know how you do.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[Beth G]

I'm sorry I should have been clearer on when I said mental excercises. I meant training and also learning some tricks. Sorry.

[Denny Mc]

I sure do appreciate everyone's replies. To let you all know, I have only had him for 8 days now, so between he and I, we both have much time and training to do. I know this weekend I let him down, but I feel I made up for it tonight. I am online and Mick is lying at my feet. We did have some exercize this evening.

 

I know keeping him a crate was mentioned and for now, the rescue group loaned us one, but I never liked keeping him in a crate. It did work. but tonight we just bought a high baby gate and now he can have the whole kitchen to roam, if not we can close the kitchen off and he has the whole house to run. He gets so excited when I come home, and if he thinks I am leaving, he wants to go also. I usually let him go with me unless I am going to be in a store for a while, but just a short trip to a convenience store, I take him with me. We take walks around the neighborhood. I hope I didn't give the wrong impression of Mick, he is a sweet baby. just needs some settling down, and I hope to gain some experience from all of you.

I wanted to thank you for your comments, and I hope to be a regular poster here. I am trapperj52 on yahoo messenger, if I am online feel free to pop in.

 

Denny Mc

[Betsy]

Just so you know, many dogs actually like their crates. Us humans tend to think of a crate as a "cage" or "jail", but that's now how a dog views a crate. To them it is a den, a bed, someplace to go to to feel safe, protected, their own personal space.

 

My 4 year old BC was in his crate for the first 2 years of his life (okay, only when we weren't home). Now, it is available to him and he seeks it out when we are having a thunderstorm. It's his space and where he prefers to be.

 

It also came in quite handy when he had to be on restricted activity prior to his OCD surgery, and then -no- activity for the recovery period. If he had not been used to his crate, that time wold have been complete H-E-double-hockey-sticks.

 

If you do decide to go a crate route, everyone here can offer plenty of advice on how to make your BC love it.

[Kitch]

A crate trained dog is a happy dog, IMO. Dublin can usually be found sleeping in his crate (with the door open) most days when I am out. My father (who lets the dog(s) out at noon) says Dublin is always sleeping in there when he arrives. Dublin prefers to eat in his crate as well.

 

Another benefit to crate training is that your dog can be boarded with less stress on them if you have to travel, as most places crate dogs.

 

Yet another benefit is having the dog travel easier with you. I have a soft nylon crate that I take with me to trials, camping or even friends houses if I am going to be staying a while. It allows you the freedom to enjoy yourself (at a trial, say) knowing your dog is in a safe place and allows the dog to come with you to more places. And having a place to relax and "chill out" after/during the excitement of a trial is a good thing.

 

Just my .02 cents.

[Denny Mc]

To Betsy and Kitch,

I never really thought of crates that way. I guess same as me, I like my bedroom, haha to escape. Unlike Mick, I don't prefer the cool kitchen floor in place of a bed. Like I was saying, our new gate we got him gives him the run of the kitchen at night and the crate is in the kitchen as well. The adoptees are going to take the crate back, I must add it is a little too small for him to be really comfortable. That is why we chose to give him a larger space, such as the kitchen. Lol, I think he prefers the back seat of my truck. We usually take a ride everyday. You should see me fighting to just get out the door for work every morning. He thinks we are going again.

I sure have enjoyed being here, I hope I am not boring ya'll, I love to hear your comments. So let me ask a question? How do I teach him not to bite at my feet or hands, he's nipping a lot?

Where does he want to herd me to?

[nancy in AZ]

Denny, he is still in a new situation and hardly had time to settle into a routine, so it's likely he may need a little time yet to feel confident in his new home. One thing I've found that really has helped calm my dog is to withdraw attention unless he is calm. I try not to make it a big deal when I come home. I don't speak to him or even acknowledge his presence until he's calm and acting polite. When they are excited any attention(even negative attention,like scolding) can reinforce or increase their excitement.