Leela and PJ

Loved it! Bc always manage to put a smile on my face

Lol thanks.

PJ my male BC (entire) has developed a new bad habit. He is now 10 months old and has decided to start marking my female BC food bowl. He does this after she has finished her dinner. Does anyone have any idea why he has started marking her food bowl and how should I address this issue. Cheers Mel

Thank you. We have been lucky. I really feel for those who have lost their homes. I can actually see the burnt houses on the other side of the valley, it's heartbreaking.

Winmalee

I do not know why that did not quote properly?

Ok thanks guys. I feel his weight is borderline I think I need to cut back on his food. He was on a combo of raw and kibble but I have been lazy and feeding all kibble. So I'll pop him back on kibble morning and VAN night time feed.

I am very confused as to what age I should be switching my puppy to adult food. My 6-7 month old male border collie is currently on holistic select large breed dog kibble. The reason he is on the large breed puppy kibble is because I was told there is no difference between large breed kibble and the normal breed puppy kibble nutrition wise. Well surprise surprise there is a difference in protein and calcium levels. PJ seems a little 'stocky' at the moment and I'm unsure if this has something to do with the puppy kibble or are male border collies stocker than females? Should I be switching to an adult kibble. Hope I'm making sense I have been awake since 2am and can't sleep and my head is in scrambles.

I give mine drontal my dog is 20kg so I give 2x10kg drontal. When she was heavier I gave her enough to cover a 25kg dog so 2 1/2 10kg drontal chews/tablet.

Perfectly normal male BC behaviour. The males desexed or not are very much velcro dogs and much more affectionate than girls as a general rule. They want to be wherever you are, as close to you as possible and preferably on your lap so just allow as much of that contact as you want. It is part of their will to please trait and makes them so easy to train. The squeezing between you and the bitch is normal jealousy for both sexes. So long as he does not get nasty about it just let him know he has to share you. All my Borders of both sexes have been jealous like that and so long as they know you are in charge and will dictate the rules they are fine and it never progresses beyond pushing. I also have the same thing happening with my JS and BC at the moment. Both entire males that get on well but as soon as you pay attention to one the other will push their way in to be included. I don't mind them jumping on my lap and now I get two at a time and we share a cuddle. The JS always tries to push his way into the best spot but I just move him to one side so they get half of me each. They will get down as soon as told and will stay down if I tell them not to jump up so I have no problem with them doing it at times. Yes that sounds exactly like Pj as soon as he is in the house he sticks to me lol. I do love the cuddles but he does leave me alone when I tell him to. And if it gets too much I put him outside. And no he does not get nasty when he tries to get between me and leela I do push him away but he is like a magnet and comes back for more. I took him to the shops today and he was very well behaved he sat when I told him to and likes pats from approaching people.

Thanks Persephone that's exactly what I'm afraid of. Pj becoming too pushy as he gets older and also claiming me as his. I'll have a read of the article it's exactly the info I'm after.

My male BC is just about to hit the six month mark. I have never owned a male dog before so I don't know what to expect in terms of hormones and behaviour. I need to know what's normal and acceptable behaviour and what is not acceptable and what I should be putting a stop to. What I am experiencing with PJ at the moment I am unsure if its hormonal related or just his personality. At the moment PJ needs to be near me, on me or in contact with me and can get quite sooky at times especially when he wants pats and cuddles. His behaviour is only like this in the house. When he is outside he is happy to play fetch and explore. Is this pay attention to me hug me pat me male hormonal behaviour? Another issue I have noticed is that when I try to pat my female border collie he runs over and squeezes his way between me and her and needs to be the centre of attention. Does this sound like normal male puppy behaviour? Is this something I need to be correcting?

Amazing photos!

I made the mistake of spending more for a chocolate BC $1200 which I regret paying. However he is beautiful and love him to bits.

Thanks guys. It's nice to know I have people to discuss this with. I want to make the right decision for PJ. At this stage I'm leaning towards not having him desexed. I would like to see how I go with training him. My plan is to take him to obedience training once the weather warms up. They run classes just up the road from me which is quite handy :)

Would like to know everyone's opinion on the age they desex their dogs. My 4 year old BC Leela was desexed after her first heat cycle. The reasoning behind that (her breeder informed me) that desexing after her first heat cycle meant that she was able to develop better in regards to hormones and bone growth. PJ's breeder had told me the same thing and also gave me an article on the issue of desexing age and the effects it has on the dogs growth. I'm trying to decide what the best option is for desexing PJ. If I should desex at 6 months or let him fully develop then have him desexed. My biggest concern is that if I desex at a later age that I may have issues with him following his male urges. PJ is my first male dog so I'm not sure what to expect if I do not desex him straight away. Opinions/experiences with this please.

I used to give them to my dogs. They don't do anything. Raw meaty bones much healthier and prevent calculus build up on the teeth.

Lol it is finally dark so I put the dogs outside to test their colour. PJ are green and Leela was hard to tell it didn't really have a colour it was more white than anything :)

I can't remember the name of the medication Leela was on. I do remember it was in liquid form and quite expensive. It doesn't bother me that she has accidents at night in the house I just clean it up and wash her bed. I do feel Leela gets upset about it. she knows she has done naughties in the house and when she has she tends to wake me up to let her outside. I have just bought her a new bed which has a plastic type cover so I can just hose it down. I'm glad Leela is not the only young dog out there with incontinence. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

My poor Leela has Hormone incontinence which started shortly after desexing her. She is now 4 years old. She requires hormone medication to control the problem. However I have chosen not to give her the medication due to long term side effects. Now it's getting cold at night I bring her inside to sleep and she does have accidents in the house. Has anyone had this issue with their dogs if so how have you felt with it? Are their any natural remedies to treat hormone incontinence?

I thought exactly the same thing about the noise the tags make. I can hear exactly where they are in the house and if they are sneaking into the bedroom.

Love that website koalathebear. The collars are perfect for the beach!

Ok I have sorted the issue out and it's not the vets fault it my husbands bad interpretation skills! The vet has recommended inceptor for heartworm treatment I have just managed to get this info out of my husband now. So cranky. The vet told him that she can order it in or we can purchase it from petbarn. She had also given instruction to give PJ drontal wormer now and then start on inceptor. OMG never sending my husband to the vet on his own ever again! Thank you everyone for listening and talking this through with me. You have all been a huge help and support. :)

Thank you that just reminded me I have an info booklet for PJ. He was on milbemax puppy. So if I put him on milbemax and frontline plus (we live in a tick prone area) I should be set?