Alouk

He he! She gets two walks a day (morning and evening) and when I am at work we play/train after her walk and after our tea then she is off to bed by 8 as she gets over tired and bitey! I think I have mucked up her routine a bit by being on holidays and home with her! She is funny when she gets tired, she gets crazier! Rather than lazier! That is when she is off to her crate for a sleep. In the time between writing my post and your replies (thank you!!) I remembered advice to tether her inside sometimes so I have and now she is having a quiet play at my feet! I will also use her crate as suggested! Thanks a lot! :D

Hi Everyone! I'd love some advice please:) I have a 14wk old border collie named Stella, she is lovely. She spends the days outside when I am at work and is inside in the evenings. I'm on holidays now so we have more days at home together (not just Sat and Sun), and I am finding that when she is inside with me and I am getting on with life she just can't settle down, she plays constantly (she doesn't need me to interact all the time) but she begins to get destructive after a while and starts to demand my attention and bites/jumps on couch etc! (I don't give it to her, I divert her I think) I am just wondering how to settle her down inside and to understand that she can just lie down and chill out, like she does when she is outside (I've spied on her!). She sleeps in a crate during the night, but won't choose to go off for a snooze in it unless I put her there during the day. If I put her outside during the day she will go in her kennel for a snooze. (But the weather is awful here today and I wanted her to be able to chill in here with me!!!!) Thanks a lot! Alouk.

A thank you from me too! Great ideas, I worry about bought treats and all the extras they have in them (salt etc)... so thanks a lot!!

When I did the thumb under her tongue trick to my BC, she loved it and thought my thumb was a toy too! So beware I do a low growl and hold the top of her muzzle, with a bit of pressure directed to her canines, whenever she mouths me and she seems to be getting it. One day the growl was enough...then she seemed to forget about it!!

Such cute puppies! I am pondering vet run puppy classes...what do people think? I have the option of a vet puppy class or going to the Southern Obedience Training Club, a community group (which is a lot cheaper as it is all volunteer run!!!). Excited for everyone and their lovely pups...German Shepherd Pups are coming in a close second to BC's for me!!

This is Stella the border collie! We picked her up on Monday, so far she is a dream come true! Her teeth are sharp though!

This is sounding better and better- glad I asked the question! Do yours sleep inside? Thanks for your help! Yep they sure do, I only dish out a certain amount of tough love, they are the light of my life after all. Its only when I'm at work they would be restricted to outside, the rest of the time they are wherever I am. Bronte sleeps on my bed and Ren in his crate next to my bed. He's still too little to get on my bed, so I don't want to put him up there with him jumping down by himself, its a high bed. Ren started using the dog door at 10 weeks to go to the toilet and has been fully toilet trained since about 14 weeks. Well he hasn't had an accident since 10 weeks, but like I said before, I like to confirm the training with an extra 4-5 weeks. He joined Bronte in having access to the house and back yard when I'm at work when he was about 16 weeks. I use a puppy gate to keep them down the living end of the house and they have free run of this until I come home, then I open the puppy gate and they can meander where they like, although tend to stick close to me anyway. Great! I don't want her outside all the time- I love her cuddles and I didn't get her to keep her outside- I got her for company, love and friendship! A dog door sounds good, but I am renting my house and think that, while the owner is amazing letting me have Stella, I might be pushing it getting a dog door put in! I keep her restricted in the house at the moment and will give her wider range as she learns what is what! Thanks a lot- the kennel is on its way! I think you're right, you're on a winner with that landlord, you don't want to push it. If you have a sliding door however, one other thing you consider when she's old enough, is one of those insert doors with a dog door in it. They can be a bit pricey, but something to think about if you eventually want her to have more house access. I'm planning one for my new house. http://www.patiolink.com.au/?gclid=CLG7xr3...CFcSBpAodOlDRow They are awesome! Great idea, makes a lot of sense!

This is sounding better and better- glad I asked the question! Do yours sleep inside? Thanks for your help! Yep they sure do, I only dish out a certain amount of tough love, they are the light of my life after all. Its only when I'm at work they would be restricted to outside, the rest of the time they are wherever I am. Bronte sleeps on my bed and Ren in his crate next to my bed. He's still too little to get on my bed, so I don't want to put him up there with him jumping down by himself, its a high bed. Ren started using the dog door at 10 weeks to go to the toilet and has been fully toilet trained since about 14 weeks. Well he hasn't had an accident since 10 weeks, but like I said before, I like to confirm the training with an extra 4-5 weeks. He joined Bronte in having access to the house and back yard when I'm at work when he was about 16 weeks. I use a puppy gate to keep them down the living end of the house and they have free run of this until I come home, then I open the puppy gate and they can meander where they like, although tend to stick close to me anyway. Great! I don't want her outside all the time- I love her cuddles and I didn't get her to keep her outside- I got her for company, love and friendship! A dog door sounds good, but I am renting my house and think that, while the owner is amazing letting me have Stella, I might be pushing it getting a dog door put in! I keep her restricted in the house at the moment and will give her wider range as she learns what is what! Thanks a lot- the kennel is on its way!

How adaptable! Thanks!

This is sounding better and better- glad I asked the question! Do yours sleep inside? Thanks for your help!

Well, what a question-weather in Tas?!! As always in Tassie the weather is unpredictable! Walk around the block and it will change! People were ocean swimming here today! I will be getting a nice warm kennel (didn't think I would need it for a while!). The breeder she came from happened to have two litters at once, so had 15 puppies- she kept them outside as she couldn't toilet them all! So Stella is used to it outside (but she would also be used to her Mum and littermates). I am really starting to think it is the go...she is a pretty tough chick! (the devil has come out in her today- biting like mad! oh, so much to teach...so different to the 8yr olds I teach for a living!)

Thank you Stonecutter! Did you teach her to go on the paper? Or did it just happen/ was it 'natural' for her? (Sounds like a silly question but...) Cheers!

Hi everyone- I'm a first timer here, in the forums and in doggy ownership! I brought home my border collie pup Stella three days ago, she is a delight and she has not made a toileting mistake yet- woo hoo!! She always tells me when she needs to go and does it pronto, she only goes on grass and she is becoming more responsive to my command 'busy busy' too... I am worried though, I head back to work after my Easter break on Monday. I planned to have her in 'her' area of the house (our kitchen!), when I am at work and my mum will come in at lunch times to see her. BUT...I think that to do this I would have to teach her to use an inside toilet of newspaper- will I just undo all the good work her breeder did? Or should I make an area outside for her for when I am gone (which I was going to do when she was a bit bigger)? I thought 8 weeks would be too young to be outside for the day- what are your thoughts? Thank you!

First time post-er and new puppy awaiter! One week to go! Our Border Collie is arriving on Monday! I've been patiently waiting for 18 years- finally she is coming- her name is Stella :p