I have a border collie/ausie, what can I when I'm at school for her not to be bored in the backyard?

Question

She is 2 yrs old

Answer 1

I use to have a dog that was similar to yours. When him with me to a school playground along with a bunch of kids that I was babysitting, I saw that he went after one particular "toy" at the playground. I don't know what it was called, but it was a pole sticking out of the ground with a rope on top of it, and a basketball on the end of the rope. My dog Elvis would jump and hit the ball and chase it as it spun around the pole. It kept him busy as I was watching the children play.
I think that if you have a tree in your yard, you should tie a rope with a basket, or soccer ball tied on the end of it, and put it as low as your dog can jump and reach it with her mouth. She'll most likely be like Elvis and chase the ball as it swings back and forth, and jump and bite it when it stops, then it will go back and forth again.
If you hide snacks in your yard, you'll end up with a lot of holes in your lawn, so I think that it would be better just to do the tied up rope and ball game for your dog to a tree or pole in your yard. :)

Answer 2

It all depenmds on age.

If a Puppy~ Shouldn't be in backyard probably (Unless yard is securely shut).

Normal Age~ Put toys, her food, and something that maybe moves.

Old~ Probably won't do anything. Just leave some toys and food.


But no matter what. You're dog will always prefer YOU from the toys. Remember that. Sometimes they'll have to be bored.

Answer 3

border collies are used to running top speed around and around paddocks that are 1/2 mile by 1/2 mile, moving herds from one paddock to another. You dog needs to run. Also, your dog needs to be able to come in (dog door or dog house only until you get home?). Get up early and walk him. Or, if you are on a bike, make sure you have trained him to stay in case he is on the wrong side of a street and a car is coming. Training him to stay (you may have to invent a new command like stop if you didn't do stay well) means that if you say it, your dog knows that you mean it to the point where you will firmly and lovingly make him comply every single time. If your dog doesn't obey before thinking twice, it may end up under a car. If you use a bicycle, make sure you let the dog stop to sniff/check his messages, and leave some too! Get other pets that don't mind being herded. Bring your dog to a dog run with owners who control their dogs so he can run with others. Teach him to fetch so you can tire him out with a tennis ball.
If you can't give your dog enough running to get him relaxed all day, don't blame your dog for chewing up the house or yard. Next time you want to leave a dog for long periods of time, get a labrador retreiver or other "mat" dog - a dog that has a slow enough metabolism to just hang out laying on a mat until you get home
Goodluck

Answer 4

Border collies and Aussies are NOT dogs to be left alone. They need constant companionship, whether it's a person or a herd of sheep. If you can, at least get her another dog to play with. If you can't find anyone (or anything) to keep her company all day, you might consider finding another owner for her. I'm serious. I would never own a herd dog myself because I wouldn't be able to keep up with their emotional needs.

Answer 5

Border Collies are very intelligent and needs lots of stimulation. Also no dog should be left alone all day as thay are packing animals and need company.
I too have a border collie and when I worked all day I paid another lady with a dog of her own to come round and take him out for walks and she would groom him and take him back to her house. Her dog and Max became best chums and they went for runs along the canal and through the woods together. When I went on holiday Max stayed with this family at their house and was like their second dog.
I know he had a good life while he was still young and now I am home with him.

Answer 6

Get her a Kong. It is a hard rubber toy, shaped sort of like a snowman. They are hollow with a very small opening at the top and a larger opening at the bottom. When I'm going to be gone for a few hours, I stuff my dog's Kong with peanut butter a couple of dog biscuits. It takes him awhile to get all the goodies out of the inside of it and keeps him totally occupied. During the summer, I freeze yogurt and dog treats in his Kongs!

Answer 7

Walk her for as long as you possibly can before you leave. If possible, leave a radio playing low, close to her dog house. Make sure there is always plenty of clean water of course. Have plenty of toys, see if you can have a neighbor stop by and check on her/play for a few minutes.

Best of all, get her a companion! Even a small breed dog, no matter, so long as she is not alone! Being alone can be torturous to some dogs, creating a lot of anxiety that comes out in ways that are not pleasant to humans! I highly suggest getting a companion for her.

Answer 8

Here is a simple answer to your dilemma, doggy entertainment on a stick.

This is so simple it sounds to good to be true but it works, I have used this for my rottie for years. I hang a rope from a branch of a tree and another from our patio overhang; put a large knot in the rope well within reach of puppy bite and he or she will play for hours trying to pull the rope down. Oh be shur to tie it to something that can take the abuse of your pup pulling on it.

I have had two female and one male rottie that this has worked with over the years, I discovered it purely by accident when I saw a toy that was a pull with a rope attached and a ball at the end. That one did not last half a day but my pup loved it so I came up with the solution on the cheep.

It is also hilarious to watch, hours of amusement.

Answer 9

First, the mini-lecture: be sure that the gate and fence are secure so she can't escape. Make sure she has access to plenty of fresh water and food as well as shelter. If the weather is cold, put an electric heating pad into her kennel.

Okay, now, some ideas. If you can afford it, hire someone to come by to take her for a walk in the middle of the day. They'll check on her, make sure she's okay, and she'll get to have some contact. It's also interesting for her to get to walk around.

Toys and playmates are also good ideas. You could import some rabbits or moles into your yard, but then you might not be able to get rid of them.

Answer 10

For goodness sake, do not leave ANY dog alone in a back yard with noting to do for hours on end.

In some areas you are required to provide a basic shelter from wind\rain\snow\cold or heat with a reliable sources of drinkable water - or you can be charged with animal neglect.

Toys like the buster cube and Kong's are great tools - but a dog-sitter they do not make!

A working dog likes nothing more than a JOB. If you do not help them by providing one....they are generally creative enough to come up with one on their own....and you may not like or appreciate it!

Examples might include: sculpting the door into the house, creative landscaping (think lunar landscape) and a worst case scenario - aggression.

If you cannot afford a dog-sitter or doggy day care, maybe you can "dog-pool" with a friend or neighbor. I mean - you might be able to share time with one or two other dog-people who are occasionally short on time to care for their dogs too.

Keeps everyones dog socialized, makes a nice social network for the human part of the family too!