JulesP

I did one border that was so matted I couldn't start clipping with the clippers - I had to cut a path first with the scissors. :rolleyes: He was a lovely dog to handle so no excuse for not brushing him.

My dog didn't like the clicker noise...for all of 2 seconds. Ok it was a couple of minutes and then he realised that the noise meant a treat.

Did you condition the dog to the clicker? As in click, treat, click, treat, click, treat and continue until the dog is looking for the treat? Have a look and see if you can make the clicker quieter, mine adjusts. if it doesn't you could probably muffle it in a sock or something until the dog realises it means a good thing. But you do need to teach the dog it is a good thing first.

All my borders have been like that. Very laid back. They will go all day and beyond if asked to but they wait for stuff to happen. Brock is only 2 so he will go off and have zoomies but most of the time if I look outside this is what I see: Does Toby have a nice shiny coat? Is he happy to go for a run/walk etc? Waggy tail when you get home? It might be good to take him to the vet for a check up as you have only just got him. Food, they have all been different. Moss wasn't a major guts, Fern is in the middle and Brock is a piggy. Moss in particular didn't like people flapping around him at meal times and would stop eating. So check that you aren't being a new parent and fussing him too much! I find they don't need big meals for their size too. What are you feeding and how much?

Is the bird chasing actually a problem?? Brock's fav hobby is currently 'herding' planes. I think he is 'herding' clouds as well! Gives him something to do and keeps him fit!

Try not using the conditioners. Conditioners, especially protein ones, can stuff a coat up. The aloveen shampoo is very rich as it is. Make sure you get all the shampoo out as well.

We don't start agility at my club until the dogs are 18 months old. I know some places do it earlier but I was happy to wait until then. I would be very worried about my dog throwing himself off the boardwalk and landing on his back. He is going to hurt himself.

Have fun at training!

Congratulations everyone! :( I'm gunna have a little brag too because I was very proud of my boy yesterday. We did a agility demo at the Lilydale show and Brock was very well behaved. He was especially good with all the kids that wanted to hug him. Important with all the anti-dog stuff that gets put in the media I think.

Innova is stocked by Pets paradise. They also sell it in their discount shops, umm Pets Direct I think it is called. Good food but lots of people don't use it because of where it is sold. I use Eagle Pack Holistic or Pro Plan Sensitive. Would try nutro but like to buy at shops and none near sell it.

lol Brock does not like the weavers! Don't know why. He is actually dropping whilst going through them which is what he does when he is upset. He is sooo un-border collie-like sometimes! I love watching the dogs that zip through.

One of the worst jobs I ever had to do! Shudder. No amount of money would have made me do another one.

That is great Macey! You might want to update your thread on general so people know he is back safe. We all tend to fret when a doggie is missing! Every double coated breed that I clipped when grooming did grow a yucky coat back. If the border had an incorrect coat without much undercoat then it may grow back ok. I am going to clip my old girl this year as her coat has gone disgusting. Feels really wooly and yuck. She is already complaining about the heat.

Macey did you get Toby back? Where was he?

A bit further away but Croydon pre-puppy is running in January. They are only having a couple weeks break.

Fingers crossed for the weather this year!

That was a good article. Thanks Wylie!

Thanks Tony. I nearly didn't buy my border bitch because she was the most outgoing pup! She had the nicest markings but I had also been told to go for a middle pup. She was a brilliant obedience dog though! My old male border picked me! And Brock was picked for me by the breeder.

Two dogs are the way to go

How does one go about testing a puppy (6 weeks) for drive?? I am not usually that scientific in my puppy selection!

I like the Cool Treats from 4Legs. They are a bit hard to get though. I think anything that the dog doesn't get all the time usually works well.

Yeah! Go Oscar and Dogdude! Great result for all your hard work. Congrats bridgie_cat, title! woo hoo

Did the trainer really tell you off or just give an opinion on your gear? If you came to me and said that you wanted to compete in obedience then I would suggest different gear too. If you rocked up in the martingale collar at 16 weeks I would be telling you to take it off as puppies are trained in a flat collar at my club. If the issue is that the dog is moving out of his sits/drops then I think you need to work on focus. By the time any piece of gear comes into play I think it is too late in that situation.

I alternate the Eagle Pack (holistic one) with Proplan Sensitive, I think the dogs actually do better on the Proplan. I've got 'pet mince' from the butchers before, it was just the left over bits so no preservatives in that. You could also use stuff like eggs, sardines, yogurt to put over the dry food.

I only use human grade meat for the dogs. I'm a bit suss on the Ecopet mince, it must have preservatives in it as it has a really long use by date. My border eats the Eagle Pack so quickly he chokes on it! Have you tried soaking it in water? I would probably be seeing if they eat one of the other premium foods.