New Border Collie Puppy Help Me Please!!!!?

Question

I have just gotten a new 6 week old border collie and I have never had one before and several people have told me that they need lots of attention or else they can become destructive. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? Or possible any words of wisdom for me? Thanks

I have not actually gotten the puppy yet for all of you that are concerned I will not be getting HER until she is 8 weeks I just want to be ready!!!

Answer 1

Here's a joke that sums it up - how many border collies does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just 1 and then she'll rewire the rest of your house to bring it up to code - and if you're not careful, she'll rewire your neighbor's houses too.

That aside, you will love your border collie - they're great dogs.

BUT - they are also the smartest dogs. They have the measurable IQ of say an average 8-year old child - so that should give you an idea of their ability to reason.

That said, the first thing you need to do is enroll in a good series of obedience classes - from a very young puppy through Utility. Borders take to obedience training like ducks to water and often excel in competition. Obedience is a wonderful sport, by the way.

AND it's the basis for all the other activities - herding, agility, fly-ball, therapy, search/rescue etc. So I can't stress obedience enough.

Finally, borders need a job. Some kind of a job - or they get bored - and FIND themselves a job - often with disastrous results. They will "herd" cars - not safe. They will herd the neighborhood children into a corner and nip heels etc. to keep them where they want them - nipping is a nice way of saying BITING - which makes them nuisances.

SO, again obedience training is key here - a job. Some kind of job - and obedience is a job - is paramount.

But you will truly enjoy your border. I miss mine - I gave her to my father who is in ill health and quite elderly. She looks after him like a private duty nurse.

Answer 2

Barbara and Karen have given you some excellent advice. Having done obedience to Championship standard in the UK with two collies (one of which is at my feet just now!) I can only say that, once trained, these dogs are fantastic. Their loyalty is immense. But they need *lots* of training. My advice re: any breed is play-train, play-train and play-train some more....and then some more if it's a BC!! My way of training the pup is to buy a crate before the pup arrives. I put an old jumper on the day the pup is arriving, and put the jumper in the crate with the pup, so that the pup is sleeping with my smell. I usually sleep nearby, so that I can hear the pup wake up, and I let it out straight away. My command for cleaning itself is "Hurry"......but that's me. During the day, I feed a new pup four times a day, dropping to three feeds at four months, and two at six months. As soon as the pup has finished eating, I take it outside, and don't go back in until the pup has cleaned itself. Then I play-train, with treats and tuggies. I teach loads when they are young. The first thing is Come, along with some heel-work. Then Down, Walk Back, Find , etc., etc. You can teach just about anything if you have the time. Don't train for too long.......five minutes....maybe ten, depending on the dog, at first. As the pup gets older, it will be able to cope with more. You'll find that training the dog will tire it out much more than any exercise ever could. You can exercise a fit collie for hours, and it wants more a short time later! They were bred, after all, to work sheep all day long. I also socialise a lot, taking my pup to shopping centres to let people stroke it. I also sit beside traffic, to see if I have a strong-eyed dog or not, and decide what avenue I need to go down re: traffic. I have never had a problem with a dog rounding up *anything* when it shouldn't, because I have already taught an instant down. (This in invaluable for when the dog might display unwanted behaviour). If my pup starts to round up anything, I "down" it, go up and clip it on the lead, and reward for the down. Find yourself a good trainer or training club, who teach with positive methods. Please don't use check chains or anything similar. Simply because collies are compulsive/obsessive is no excuse for abusing them. Have fun training your pup!!!

Answer 3

That's true. Border Collies are energetic and intelligent dogs. Best advice is to remind yourself of the breed and be patient with your dog's needs. The earlier you can properly train on a leash, the better. A Collie just may be inclined to chase things that move due to their breed. It's best to keep them on a leash for their own safety. You don't want them going after moving vehicles. It doesn't mean your dog is stupid, it's simply their instinct to try and herd.

A Border Collie is a herding/working dog. They are great for ranch work, really. They can be well suited to an acreage where there's plenty of room to exercise and where their minds will be stimulated answering to nature's sounds and smells, barking at squirrels and birds, and oh, "who is that coming up the drive?" - gotta alert my owners cuz I've made that my job.

Some Collies are chewers. Always have an appropriate substitute on hand like a rawhide to give instead of a shoe. Encourage appropriate behavior. Redirect your pet when he/she starts to engage in boredom/destructive behavior. Supply loads of praise. Like kids, dogs are most secure when they know what to expect. Communicate with the dog and let it know what your plans are in the morning. The dog will start to identify what you mean when you say it.

Get advice from an obedience trainer. Combine regular play with familiar tricks like shaking paws, rolling over, etcetera. My dog is half border collie. He likes to catch tennis balls in the backyard but his favorite is leaping for a frisbee.

Answer 4

My daughter & I 'puppy-sat' for a friend's Border Collie and what a whirlwind - she chased the pigeons, ran laps around the yard, fetched anything and everything she could, zipped in for some petting and back around the yard. My friend took her to obedience training to get her to calm down (especially when on leash).

Your puppy will need lots of room to run and toys to chew and fetch.

Crate training will help you and your puppy.

Good luck & Enjoy!!

Answer 5

make sure u have a lot of toys. cuz otherwise those first few days will be hell. trust me i know from experience. also take her out to go potty every half hour. border collie's r intelligent so u might want to find something that will challenge her. like those treat balls that u put treats in and they have to figure out how to get the treat. those work too. just make sure u have a lot of toys. but also a puppy will sleep a lot so u might get a break there. just enjoy him. most of the time care comes natural to the owners. she will become part of the family in no time.

Answer 6

Having had a Border collie,I can tell you that you need to be 100% dedicated to your dog.
Under your watchful eye,let your new puppy explore his new surroundings.Try not to handle your puppy too much. Remember puppies need rest as well as play. Start out as you mean to go on. Training your pup begins from day one!! You must be firm and decisive with Borders!!Take your border collie to obedience training at a very early age. Because of their high level of intelligence, these dogs can get into a lot of trouble if they are bored and untrained.Train your border collie early to socialize with children, as it is a dominant breed and has a tendency to nip at heels. Also, teach children to stop running and to stand still if your border collie is chasing them. This will usually prevent the dog from trying to herd and nip at the child. Border collies need human stimulation,so you will need to interact with your dog.Exercise is an ABSOLUTE MUST!!! Twice a day.......30-45 minutes at a time,as they are highly energetic dogs
Border collies love to play fetch with a ball or a flying disc, and they will chase just about anything. Your dog MUST be trained properly! A backyard fence isn't enough to keep a border collie in. This breed can easily clear 6-foot fences, and if she can't clear the fence, she will try to dig under it. My dog did both of these!!!They can also open doors.Beware!
The border collie has been referred to as hyper at times, because it usually doesn't slow down inside the house or after it has exercised.Your dog will suddely take it in his/her head to have a mad few minutes,and run like mad,beware if there are younger children in the house!
Be alert when exercising your border collie in the heat. Because they usually don't slow down, they can exercise to the point of death. This holds true on cold days as well. Also be aware that collies can wear out the pads of their feet from too much running on asphalt.
Once trained you will be rewarded with a faithful,truly wonderful dog! My Border lived for till his 16th year. I wish you many happy years with yours!!! Good luck,hope it all goes well.

Answer 7

Border Collies are always vying for attention and they live to please their owner. Give him something constructive to do such as fetch, tug of war, or even an agility course to work both mind, stamina, and fun! Border Collies are extremely intelligent and will do anything all the way through. Also, they live off of praise so be sure to give him cuddle time whenever possible!

Answer 8

Hi We have a border collie and were going to get a girl and call her Tess. We ended up getting a boy and now have Floyd! Whatever name you choose, you will have hours of fun walking and playing with her!

Answer 9

they do need a lot of attention but also like their own time to their selves if they chew the house put them in a cage overnight and release them through the day but make sure you get a big cage but in the whole it should be ok but they are very playfull as i have 1 its 6 years old so i have an allocated 1 1/2 hours per day time in which play with it as they like a routine i hope i helped and good luck with your puppy

Answer 10

Sarah, you've got your work cut out for you. Border Collies are a very rewarding breed but are very, very needy. Be prepared to spend LOTS of time with your dog.

Find anything you want to know here:
http://www.bordercollie.org/core.html