Reddii

I have 2 bc's which we currently feed Eukanuba Performance. I'd like to try them on Royal Canin, but there seem to be so many varieties - some breed specific, but not for BC's. Any thoughts on which would be the most appropriate formula? They are 12 months and 17 months and are very active + involved in dog sport at appropriate levels for their ages. Thanks in advance.

It's almost 12 months since I was in a similar situation. Rex had been limping since he was 4 months old, despite constant rest. when he was finally diagnosed with OCD and we were told that it was one of the most severe cases the vet had seen and quoted about $3k for the op we had to think long and hard. The vets felt b/c of the severity of it it might have been due to an injury in the nest or genetic, not diet related. When it came down to it the vets couldn't guarantee us an outcome and even if the op was a success it would have meant a sedate life for a psycho border collie. (He had beahavioural issues too, but they were almost sorted by this time - hadn't bitten anyone though.) Sorry to say, but we decided to give the little man his wings at 7 months and I don't regret the decision for second. I know in my heart that 3 months in a crate, followed by another likely op in 12 months time and another 3 months in a crate would have been more than he could have tolerated. The likely $8k to $10k price tag with all the rehab wasn't even an issue, it came down to his potential quality of life. No, I would not spend the money on the dog OP mentioned.

I know I"m late, but I had to......This was her first day out at a demo, I'm so proud...... "Xena" Cheers.

Well, we pretty much have CK worked out. He has heaps of eye and at this stage unless the sheep are moving about feels he is doing a good job. Eric (trainer) can get him to work, but I'm having difficulty seeing the sheep and the dog all at once. I know this sounds nuts, but I can't work both just yet. He's urging me not to give up on the young man though, suggesting he has heaps of instinct for it, it's just that at this point in time he is making the decisions and I have to work on that. it should come good with time and a bit of experience for me and some more age for CK. While we are working on this I still have Xena, my little girl to have a heap of fun with. After 3 lessons and one clinic we have moved about 40 sheep out of their yard, across a small paddock and back!!! He reckons that CK has a much better feel for the stock and will be better than Xena in time, it's just going to take a bit of patience. Thanks all for your answers. Tony

Novice disclaimer... 3 times is not much, I would keep going but just be careful that he is not in a situation where the sheep are taking him on. I don't think a bit of a break does them any harm either. I called it quits with 2 dogs, neither had much instinct, one had little interest & the other was too hard on the sheep. I don't regret it & know it was the right thing to do, for the dogs & the sheep. Sounds like he has instinct but is a bit unsure & there's not enough going on to keep him stimulated. Training sheep can be very intimidating for young dogs, he sounds like he needs some wins. Is there anywhere you can take him where the sheep are not quite so used to dogs & where you can find some jobs for him to do? What size area is he in currently? He may free up a bit in a larger area? I always find my dogs do their best work when we have a job to do, even something as simple as moving sheep from a yard to a paddock & back again, mostly becasue it gives me soemthing to do (rather than standing in the middle looking like an idiot ) Thanks Vickie 1. Your 'novice disclaimer' has hit the nail on the head for both me and him! so I'm not panicking (how do you spell that?) just yet. 2. I think you are spot on with the 'bored' thing. I've been working really hard this week to work out what turns him on (as opposed to working him hard) and it is as simple as movement (given that squeaky toys aren't really the go in herding ). He's only in the small yard and the sheep just tend to follow the handler around - very well trained. In the larger yard where the sheep aren't quite so well trained and do move a bit I think he might be a bit more interested. When he 'stops' at present he will come right up to the sheep and to my very inexperienced eye is trying to get them to move, but isn't sure how to do it. He's got the hang of walking around the sheep, but is just bored. Sadly I'm a city boy and don't have anywhere other than Monday nights to go and practice with the dogs. Same with the agility basics we are working on. If I try and lure him around a stick or through 2 weavers or on to a contact plank then he's not interested, but if I'm really full on with his toy and heaps of movement he's really in to it. I think it might just be a case of the light bulb coming on and him realising hey, if I do this I'll have even more fun. We have a full day clinic on Saturday (betting CK will be crashed out by lunch time and little girl will still be sooking when I drag her away at 5pm or whenever it finishes). so I'll have a chat to Eric about getting him into a bigger area where the sheep are moving to see how he goes. He won't nip at the sheep so even if he gets a bit silly it shouldn't be a problem. After putting a lot of thought and a bit of work into it in the last couple of days I think the biggest challenge I've got with him is my expectation. My older dog (still only 16 months) is a complete high drive nut and the biggest challenge is slowing her down to think enough to get the job done. This works really well for me and my personality, but CK who needs revving up is a bit more of a challenge as I'm not that over the top. Will report back after the weekend. Cheers. Tony

I'm working through a similar issue with limited success. I can put one dog on a stay and he will hold it until the other brings the ball back, then it is his turn, but I have to hold my bitch because she is just so focussed on the ball - no fun. I'd be interested if anyone has a solution as at present I have to play one on one or live with what you have described and keep pulling the game up. Sorry I've added nothing apart from empathy. Cheers. Tony

I was just browsing the black dog website (flyball harnesses) and came across some elasticised ankle straps they claim help dogs realise where their back end is, resulting in better stablity. This is something we are working on with my young man at present. Has anyone used these or similar and have any comments about heir effectiveness? Cheers. Tony

4 sessions of about 5 to 7 minutes to begin with, but back to 3 or 4 minutes by the last one - once he begins sniffing the ground I'll pull him up. Last night I was jumping around like an idiot and this did help to a degree - he's ultra keen to get in the yard and works really well for a couple of minutes, then seems to switch off. He is a lot better/keener when I can get the sheep to move, but they are so well trained that that is not easy! The other thing that I forgot to mention that might be affecting him is a lack of condition, although this doesn't seem like a lot of work. After 6 months of being allowed to do nothing but walk we've finally got the all clear for him to begin running around and working (play, not real working dog work) We've got a full day this Saturday so it will be interesting to see how he goes there. Eric who owns the sheep and trains us has suggested I keep going and will end up with a thinking dog who will have good feel for the sheep, but may not be a strong as some others. I thought I'd seek out some other opinions/experiences. Cheers. Tony

Hi there, I crate trained my girl when she was 9 months old and really it was just a matter of doing exactly what everyone says for younger dogs. As for the clingy thing, I have a similar problem with my two, only it's more about 'jealousy' than being clingy - if one thinks the other is having fun then all hell breaks loose. We are on the way to solving it by ignoring the noise (worse for us than for them) and praising big time when they quieten down. It is a slow process though. As for teaching them which one is which I just make sure they go in their own crate when I put them to bed. Occasionally if I'm too tired to bother fishing one of them out of the other's crate they'll swap, but it is only for one night then they swap back on their own - go figure. Initially I had them side by side so that just the 'bars' were between them and they could see each other. Now they are covered seperately with no problems. Just patience and consistency. Hope this helsp. Tony. ETA - once you've crate trained them you'll never look back, I was anti it until we started dog sport, now I can take them any where and leave them for a while knowing they are safe and can't get in to any trouble.

We've just started to get CK into herding and he's coming along OK, but is really soft and needs heaps of encouragement to stay one the job. (Week 1 I had to pry him out from under the gate because he was scared of the sheep and was trying to escape! ) Wondering if anyone can help with a couple of questions........ 1. How long do you think I should perservere with him before calling it quits and concentrating on agility and flyball - he's only just begun these in the last fortnight, but LOVES the training. We've only done 3 herding sessions, but he is still quite tentative, although last night was beginning to 'see' the sheep rather than just run blindly around/away from them. To qualify this - it is only 3 lessons, but I guess I'm comparing him to our psycho working lines bitch that has been a handful since the first 5 minutes and is already in the big yard working the sheep. 2. Do you have any ideas for getting a very laid back dog more excited about working? He is REALLY excited and wants to get into the yard, but once he's in there he quietens right down - still plenty of eye on the sheep, but unless there is a lot of movement he's not that interested and switches off. Perhaps it is a case of needing more stimulation and a more challenging job rather than being quite high in the mind and keeping himself excited? Thanks in advance. Tony

Have to brag about Xena at agility last week. We did a sequence of six pieces of equipment , complete with 2 big turns and once the idiot handler got his shoulders in the right place (me!) she did the whole lot without batting an eye lid! ALSO - she managed all 12 weave poles for the first time! She just LOVES to work and is having a ball as soon as she sees the floodlight on at the field she goes nuts. CK is also going really well and learned to walk along a ladder on the ground (in between the treads) on command and is just about 'there' with his contact plank work! Love my two puppies, I can't wait to begin competing in all these sports with them!

That was absolutely AWESOME. I think she needs to spend more time doing her homework though! Was great to just watch and learn.

Both my guys go to a chiro/holistic/accupuncturist vet every two months for a check up. Sometimes there is nothing wrong, other times he's put things back on one, but has been treating the other as he recovers from a broken elbow. He is great - funny though, I still won't go and see a chiro myself.

Hi, I really feel for you with this one. I'm six months down the track with a BC pup who only cracked his elbow when about 4 weeks older than your girl. We've done lots of training (roll over, hand targetting 'still type stuff' for want of a better description and walking (once he was allowed out again) and had to keep him mentally active. The biggest thing I've found is that he missed out on a lot of socialisation so if you can get your pup out and carry her around then get her to lie down and watch the world go by that would be a great thing. I'm not sure how practical this is, but my time over I'd give it a go. WRT the kongs - the two important things IMO are to keep them rotated so she does not get bored and to make sure that you factor them into her diet so he doesn't put on too much weight. Best of luck, I hope it all goes well - we've had a long road to recovery, but it seems that he's all fine coming off the end of a cartrophen course of injections. cheers Tony Edited to change sex of your pup Sorry.

I agree with most of the others. After a particularly bad night at agility where I'd copped a bit of a bagging from one of the instructors (wrongly as it turned out) I came away feeling disillusioned and really ready to look for somewhere else to train. I still don't necessarily see eye to eye with this trainer, but they do have a lot to offer if you look at how they work with their dogs and wade through all the rubbish, then take the positive out of what they have to say. I've found the same at obedience from time to time, but in that case it is more because I've said I want to trial.

Hey SIL, I haven't used on in the 'wild', but CK, my 10 month BC with a massive coat loves his at hydrotherapy. Without it he can only swim about 3 or 4 laps and then he begins to sink! Now when we get there he barks at me to put his lifejacket on. With it he can and does swim for the full 1/2 hour non stop. I'm going to get one so he can wear it at the beach and chase our other dog for the ball! (the one at hydrotherapy is just a loaner) Cheers. Tony

OH doesn't work on Thursday or Friday so the doggies get a walk before I get home. This means that I can take CK out for a walk instead of his training (have a bit more time on my hands). We went out alone for the first time in a while last night - he is the perfect little man! Still was a little nervous at the normal 'hot spots', but all in all about 80% better than normal. Then this morning we took him out with Xena and he had improved again, seems that he was much more relaxed because of last night (my interpretation any way). Hopefully it continues to improve!

Hi there, Thanks Patch, I'm going to begin taking CK out on his own in place of a training session each a couple of times each week and see how that goes. Unfortunately time just doesn't permit me to walk them on their own without compromising the amount of exercise they are getting. WRT knowing the people - no we don't but there is no way they cannot know the dog is barking. it barks at everything that moves morning and night and don't ever correct it or try to distract it so that it stops. On a positive note the strategy seems to be working as he has improved considerably over the last 3 days with the 'look at me' thing. The next step to move away from treating is that I've taught him 'take' and now just have to teach 'carry' so that he has another thing to focus on. It's good to know I'm not alone in this sort of thing. Cheers. Tony

Thanks. I walked past with the two dogs and no OH this morning. Made sure Xena and I were in between CK and the little monster and while he was still stressed he was a LOT better. Normally he is closer than Xena because of how we tend to walk. I think I might try walking him up and down the street a few times on his own as well. Cheers. Tony

Hi All, This is a bit of a strange one, not a major one, but something I'd like to knock on the head. We are working hard with CK to get him to become a little less reactive to other dogs - he's not aggressive, but is either overly friendly or is fearful and needs to keep an eye one them and reacts when rushed from behind a fence while out on a walk. (I know, I don't like being rushed, but our other dog is concerned until I tell her it's OK and she takes my word for it so we are trying to get CK to that point as well.) We are working with the distraction method for the most part - look, reward etc and it is working slowly. The problem is with one particular dog where it is getting worse. It is a little dog that is high above (about 4m) the road on a deck, but barks it's head off at anything canine it can see while ever it can see it. CK totally freaks and tries to run at a million miles an hour - not good on lead. This provokes Xena to tell him to stop it as she will just ignore anything other than a direct attack most times and can't understand why he needs to behave this way. (Quite cute to watch if it wasn't so frustrating.) This situation is the one time CK refuses treats and will not listen at all. There is not an easy way to avoid this house on any of our walks as it is only a few houses up and we walk in a loop, to do otherwise adds about 15 mins to the our walks unless we go out and back - BORING where we live. I'd rather work with CK to overcome his issue than give in on this one as I think it will become part of a bigger problem if we can't work it out. Any thoughts or should I just perservere as I have with other fearful behaviours? This one seems to be going the other way to what I expected. Cheers. Tony ETA - CK is a 10 month desexed BC boy with a beautiful temperament. I think some of his problems stem from a 1 month period when he was about 4 months old when we had to keep him confined and he didn't see any other dogs except Xena (15 month BC) and didn't get outside his enclosure except for some gentle training on our deck. AND.......he comes to obedience once a week and is going quite well, loves the other dogs and is not that reactive (guess he feels safe in the environment). He will mostly hold his stays in class and mostly is coming back to me when he breaks, but will occasionally cross to meet the dog next to him. He also comes to flyball once a week (only to watch and have a wander around before and after at this stage) where we have not problems with other dogs.

Not sure what it is, but my 10month undesexed BC had what sounds like something similar. Took him to the vet and had him desexed (planned, not an accident) and it has stopped. I figured the vet would have told me if it were something to worry about. Cheers. Tony

3 training (agility, flyball and obedience), plus frisbee.

Xena won't be a problem, except when she 'escapes' occasionally at agility she ignores all other dogs except for CK and only then pays him attention when he is with me and she thinks she is missing out. The other week I had her in a dog park on a sunday night (what was I thinking??) and she was so intent on her ball that she didn't even notice the poodle licking her face - seriously! Even when CK is mounting her she doesn't pay him any attention! ;) see you there.

Thanks - you coming tonight? Mr CK is going to be a handful - couldn't get there last week because I was in Sydney and the week before was raining........I'm going to bring the little girl out for a wander in class two as well so OH doesn't have her at home for a while. She's way too good for class 2, but I haven't had her at a fun night so class 2 it is.......at least it's a bit more socialisation. Cheers. T

Hi all, I have 2 BC's I want to get into herding with. The older one (bitch - 15 months) does agility and flyball and is pretty well trained in obedience, just hates it so I don't perservere too often. The other one (dog - 10 months) is going well in obedience, but is also recovering from a cracked elbow so hasn't done anything too strenuous. He loves obedience and is learning a few basic agility manouvers as his condition allows - shadow handling etc. Pending a positive check up for him in a couple of weeks time I'm keen to get them both (if not, just her ) into herding. I know Mt Gravatt Showgrounds is available on a Monday night, but we train at Southside and I can't be in two places at once and I want to get CK titled so we need to keep on with it. If worst comes to worst we'll look at changing obedience clubs, but I was wondering if anyone can suggest other times/places to get involved? Thanks in advance. Tony