flux

Hi there, This is Riley our Golden Retriever cross Border Collie pup - he is about 4.5 months and still looks like a teddy/lamb (as we call him as his ears are starting to look folded down the middle) - I'll give you a race to see who's coat grows in first? Lol, just thought the picture would help. P.S Both dogs had just come back from the beach, so niether looking particulalry well groomed.

just want to say - thoroughly enjoyed reading this

Best reply ever - "My 4yr old golden does this, drives me mad lol. She is just being a cow its a game to her i think." I think so too, sounds too much like a clever puppy getting a reaction. I would agree to trying to manage the situation to suit you by shutting the puppy out first - or even plan a fake phone call and ignore puppy through the whole thing a few times. (I could personally forsee this as being highly irritating for you though, maybe only attempt in small, manageble doses?) Brilliant puppy advice I once received was "Eye contact is encouragement." so bear that in mind when you "ignore" a puppy. Water bottle might work, but I have a certain puppy that would of thought being sprayed with water would be much more fun than being told to be quiet! But all pups are different

Dencorub for me and anti-chewing. I gave up on feeling mean when I came home to see the corner of my dresser destroyed and chew toys ignored!

For the record - the rest of my family doesn't like him. They don't like the use of prong collars, and they don't believe dogs always live in the moment. They own border collies and can't be convinced that they don't think more than just in the moment (I disagree). They also get frustrated (upon reading a book I loaned them) that he doesn't have "instructions" - just theories with no help on how to practically apply them to a dog (lol here I disagree too, but also think people shouldn't be attempting his methods at home - if they are keen, go see a local behavourist first! - so I don't encourage them).

I like him. Repeat of what a lot of others have said. He has brought a lot of positive attention to exercise and discipline. I don't really disagree with anything he does, but I do believe that is A LOT that only he or professional can do, (and definately not the half-ar*ed average joe) he seems to have the right attitude and self-discipline to pull it off correctly. I'm assuming one moment of "doubt" when dealing with some of his stronger cases would completely defeat the message given to the dog, let alone a bite.

Thanks! I will give her a call

Hi all, Long story very short. Can anyone recommend a good behaviourist or one on one trainer for Canberra? Thanks!

Aw shucks, thanks again guys

Just wanted to say good luck, very sad news, but keep your chin up.

Success! Thanks to a grooming grapevine and some very helpful people I managed to find someone who had two cancellations today! Whew! Ok, so after another evening, the OH managed to get most of her tangled back sorted out, so the groomer was very impressed (I think she believed she was going to meet the neglected dog from hell) and that was a relief to hear that things weren't THAT bad! Her rump was a real tatty mess, but the force dryer fixed that up for her with some extra grooming at the end. I am so grateful to you all and to the very helpful groomer who came past to see me. Such a relief. Poor Jazz didn't quite get what was going on at first, but surprisingly a few treats helped. At the end she started to protest verbally, but this was far from growling, more her loud tantrum at having been brushed and washed so much in the last 48 hours - poor pup! So with me cuddling her front end the groomer fixed up her back, while basically jazz sooked and over all was a really good experience for both dog and owner! So glad her rump in particular could be helped straight away. I'll attached some photos of her fur before and after. the after shot her skin is a bit pink, but this was the worst patch of bottom, and I think mostly caused by our previous tugging and de-tangling efforts. Thanks again everyone for your kind words and wisdom

No Good. I feel like too much of a novice. Can't seem to find any groomers open today but have left messages with a few for tomorrow. Went out a bought a new slick brush and a new greyhound (?) wide tooth comb + plus new shampoo and conditioner. We are not tempted to bathe her again, so we opted for the diluted conditioner in a spray bottle option and have been trying to tease out matts all afternoon. Needless to point out the dog and I are now slightly tired, with very little result and much fidgeting and protesting from jazz. She is now chomping on a dried roo tail as a reward for her patience, but I am really hoping I can get her to a groomers tomorrow, I don't think I'm doing a very good job. Thanks again for all the wise words, I'll keep updating.

Oh thanks so much again everyone! The penny that has dropped in my head is still ringing in my ears! Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou!! I'm going to go out and grab some utensils, new shampoo and conditioner. I'm slightly relieved that this is a relatively normal mistake, I was quite distressed that I had completely ruined her through utter ignorance. Thank goodness I posted on here. Thank you all so much again. We are off to a groomer today to chat, but I am determined to fix most of this myself and learn up!! I think I'm going to have to promise a few play dates with some doggy buddies for an entire week to make it up to Jazz. I am also going to look into that Dvd Natsu, thanks for your offer Will post more updates soon!

I'm just about off to bed - but I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone!! I was going to book her in for a clip first thing tomorrow!! Thank you so much, her matting is not bad at all. I've seen worst muddy dreadlocks on the side of a lower ear of a border collie before! I'm going to try some tips and see how I go, Jazz and I owe you all a really big thank you - will def post updates and will arrange a meeting with a local groomer for a chat! :p

V. Cute!

Hi all, I own a year old rough collie and thought I was doing well until last night. I have been brushing her about once to twice a week, and have been trying to educate myself on the best methods, having only been around Border Collies (whom didn't have thick fur) I was amased to learn you could brush a dog against the lay of the coat! Last night our wonderful Jazz stank of chicken poop and who-knows-what so we thought we would give her a bath. We have done this many times before, as we have been trying to get her used to it as a puppy, having been warned about the amount of grooming they require. I considered brushing her before the bath but thought that the water, rub down, shampoo and dry would actually get out a lot of dead fur, so I didn't. Bath went well (a continual learning experience for all involved) and pup dried well - until I noticed that almost every inch of her REALLY underfur (I think I have counted 4 types of fur on her thus far) seemed very thick. I felt around and was shocked to find this close underfur was in fact matted. I sat her down with a fresh bone and gently tried to tease out some of the matts with i think, a pin brush. Normally I groom her with (sorry for lack of lingo) a square looking brush full of fine and bent metal bristles, this drags out her underfur, and use the pin brush to go a once over once I'm done. This teasing process wasn't effective, as I spent the best part of an hour trying to tease out a patch on her rump about the size of hand with no success. Jazz was good natured about it but it clearly wasn't comfortable for her, so I didn't continue. I tried to ascertain what has happened as we had done nothing different bathing wise. I thought it looked like there was dead fur clinging to "good" fur, as if the dead fur was just too plentiful to have been washed out and got caught half way - perhaps the rubbing from drying tangled it. I've called one groomer a friend recommended, but who is not open on a Monday, and I'm going to take poor jazz straight to her asap. I have assumed that up until now I have been ignorant about just how much grooming fluffy breeds need. I think because winter is ending and she is all grown up with a full coat, I just completely have underestimated the coat and the shedding - still at the same time I care a lot about her and have been brushing her at least once a week since her coat bloomed on her. I would love to know what has happened here, tips for grooming and advice on grooming. I think I must really have the wrong end of the stick on HOW to groom her correctly. It is so awful to feel under her fur and feel all these tangles, and I'm sure it's really unpleasant for her :laugh: I am now assuming the groomer will clip her and am a bit worried about jazz being too cold? Is it too early to clip at this time of year? I am in Canberra. Also, can anyone recommend a great groomer in Canberra? Thanks heaps everyone for the advice.

We left Jazz alone in our kitchen + laundry area, with a puppy fence (inherited from a friend thank goodness, I hear they are $$$?) sectioning off the kitchen walkway from the rest of the house. We denco-rubbed the parts of the kitchen leg she tends to enjoy chewing on, lifted up the bin and gave her plenty of excuses not to chew the furniture - breakfast in a cube and/or big bone and we tried to walk her before we left for walk so she would be more sleep inclined during the day. Just in case that 2c might help you out. Good luck with it!

Just want to say that this is a fasinating and a real eye-opening thread. Thank you for posting it, and thanks for all the opinions. I think I am understanding now why Jazz is super (perhaps too super) friendly around other dogs and goes deaf at the same time :D

Perfectly normal... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1WqYNjujCo ... or maybe not-so-"normal" but every puppy seems to do it :D Just thought I'd point out Jazz often did this is more hyper moments, as well as preparing to sleep. As you can see from the footage, she wasn't so tired!

We put up some low hanging old towels and put some denco rub on the lowest parts (within puppy reach) and also some tobasco sauce. We were careful though not to use too much and hurt the puppie's nose or tongue while we were not around, but one playful bite of this (and no reaction from us) and the game stopped all on it's own. Good luck :D

"Ill the claim that gorgeous pit bull he has love.gif I fall in love every time! " - "Daddy" the orangey coloured pitbull died I think about a month ago He has "junior" a blue and white pitbull now instead.

I am proud of my puppy who managed to leave the two men "embracing the morning sun" alone on her morning walk - AND she dropped the piece of dead Galah when I asked her too. She informed me that the man demolishing the house two doors down was actually suspicious with all his noises, and suggested we go check him out. We did this (by lifting her up so she could see over the fence) but upon discovering he actually drove a large yellow excavator which was in face EATING the house two doors down, she informed me that we should just keep a wary eye out. I am proud of her for letting me know cats are in fact walking about with invisible coats on (only she can spot them) and finally I am proud that "wait" no actually means "sit still till I call you", not "wait till my back is turned then wiggle forward and sit still quickly as I turn around".

No problem, I'm not a dog trainer or behavourist or anything though whereas some people on here might be! I was just speaking from experience, and yeah I totally had that feeling of "Is it a bad thing to imagine popping her tiny head off her shoulders?" But yeah sit it out, and always keep working on it. Lol when I actually read your post I thought "Oh yeah Jazz did that, I had totally forgotten how annoying and frustrating that was until we learnt how to handle her!" Now I'm much more focused on getting her to ignore other off lead dogs / cats / kids on bikes while she walks - yet another thing I'll have to put heaps of consistent effort in as we learn together! It is lovely though when both human and pup "get it" and your excitement and praise is so genuine and you really do beam with pride! Then they steal your sock...

My two cents! I have a rough collie (not nearly as intense as a border, or kelpie) and helped to raise my parents border collie when they had to leave unexpectedly for two weeks. Both pups did exactly what you are describing. Jazz the rough collie was persistant, Fleur the border was just a little <insert loving yet derogatory term here>!! With Fleur, who decided when we ignored her she would just bite us harder, we did all these: "1. We yelp 'ouch' or yip/help in a high pitched voice 2. We try saying: "no" in a firm voice 3. We try ignoring him (not easy when he's biting, growling and hanging onto our leg) 4. We stomp our foot on the ground 5. We hold his muzzle 6. We try leaving the room and 'shunning him' - again, not an easy task when you have a growling puppy dog dangling from your jeans tongue.gif" With Fleur: we notched up the intensity by about 100%. We ended up acting like fools, because when fleur even remotely looked "cheeky" and started to round us up - we would turn and face each other in the garden, showing her only our backs - we got bitten like this a few times (it got worse before it got better, and puppy biting so nothing too serious here) before she just completely gave up. Prior to this moment, we had taught her bite inhibition through yelping very easily and well - so this herding to me was deliberate "oooh I love this game of make the humans exasperated while I dash about all hyper" and through experience yelping only seemed to make her more crazy in her already heightened state - so we gave her nothing. We acted like, her acting as manic herder was the most boring, unimpressive thing there was for her to do and in return we acted very boring and did not react to anything she threw at us. after showing her our back we would slowley make out way, heads down back into the house without her, obviously with each onslaught stopping again. Took us a good week, but cracked her completely - after that we could then work on constructive play and appraisal for not being a manic herder. And obviously as soon as she looked like she had got the message, we praised her very happily but calmly, and always instantly played with her (as best we could without encouraging more hyperness, then we would have to start over again and enforce what we meant). With Jazz: Jazz was really persistant, and loved hanging onto jeans. We went through your list several times over, and were pretty fed up with her. She seemed to work very differently to Fleur and didn't mind if we ignored her - she just wanted to tear our jeans like a tug toy, so I think she was delighted we held still for her!! (for the record both dogs had plenty of toys, chewy toys and training [not necessarily puppy school but simple things we could teach] going on at this time too) Persistence and continuity paid off with Jazz. We picked one method, which turned out to be ignoring first - then if that failed (see tug toy remark above) we would drop what we were doing and head inside pretty much straight away, kind of with a weird John Cleese walk of holding our legs up high, so she couldn't really grab them and we weren't kicking her either. This took ages!!! Probably weeks, VERY VERY frustrating, and perhaps we never taught her a thing, she might of just grown out of the phase, but it worked. Soon leg tackling became a bit of a chore for her and wasn't as fun as fetch or sitting for treats etc. even remembering now, she would still try "tackling" on even as she got older, after this period, it was a sure sign of a cheeky mood and we just stopped. Now at 11 months she simply doesn't do it, cheeky moods get expressed by stealing socks etc lol. I think with Jazz, we just had to wait her out, be patient and show her we were more persistent with being boring around leg tackles, than she was at trying to make them fun. We had to get all friends visiting on board too, I can remember one friend didn't really get dogs and thought she was funny crash tackling the backs of her legs !!! That is actually possibly why it took us so long, because this one friend put all our hard work back to square one. So there you go, my two cents - perseverance and commitment! Lots of whinging to humans that will listen and good cups of tea, but to the pup a solid wall of determination that will match theirs! Good luck P.S - I could never get holding the muzzle to work - Fleur took it as a personal challenge to be more manic as soon as you let her go, and Jazz just looked confused lol.

Our dog used to pinch things "for fun" - never actually chewing them, we just used to find them in odd places. We stopped it by not buying into the dog. She used to take thongs and shoes specifically, and we used to (upon seeing them in garden) Ohh and arrgghh about it (but not having caught her in the act we didn't scold her), and I swear this was the kick she was waiting for. So I mourned my shoes and thongs, and next time I saw they had been pinched, I didn't make any kind of deal out of it. I left them in the garden (walked past them deliberately) and got interested in one of her toys she had forgotten about. When she was asleep or otherwise occupied I would calmly retrieve my shoes and put them right back in the same spot. She pinched them again a few more times, but still got no reaction out of us, so she quickly just stopped doing it. It became the most un-inspiring, boring game. Now if she pinches something she'll do it right in front of us in a "cute" way (this unfortunately makes us laugh each time, hence why she has learnt to still pinch things) to get the attention, more than likely when we are watching a film engrossed in front of the TV. And final tip from me, Before the above plan was properly implemented... We made the mistake, of when seeing her with something quite valuable - leaping up instantly and asking her to drop it, with an edge of frantic-ness to our voices. this of course gave her all the power in the world and she of course would never drop these items or would in fact dash away and be very cheeky about it. So we fixed this by always using the same tone, whether she had pinched a wallet, or just a dirty sock - and even if she ever pinched something like a hose-pipe end (i.e not really harmful, she can have it - but she shouldn't of helped herself), we would ask her to drop it and take it away form her, but then give it back as a kind of reward for obeying us. So she knew if she gave it to us, sometimes she might even get it back and not just swapped for a toy. I still think though that the first bit I wrote was the most effective for us. Good luck!