BC Crazy

I found sent work really helped my BC male become more confident. I just started my own way by breaking up a very small stick into tiny pieces & scattering them around our backyard while he was put in a sit/stay & then I told him to find them all. It takes him a while but he finds everyone of them,picks them up & puts them in a pile & when he is done he is very chuffed with himself. We play this often & he just thrives on it. Tail is in a happy swishing state the whole time, mind engaged. Pretty simple but it work's for us.

Thats handy with 80 acres to play with. How frustrating for you.

Totally understand where your stress level would be ATM as mine were right over the edge when Stella was at her worst. Actually think I was making her worse cause I was sooo upset about it. I just tried to be calm (very hard I know) I am fortunate to be a stay at home mum LOL so I got a handle on this barking thing pretty quickly. When Raz starts to bark it would be winding up Willow thats why she is whining in her crate. Dam teenagers Sonny taught Stella to chase the birds but he has never been a barker. Peter Perfect. As soon as he gets excited though Stella is like "unreal whats going down, lets party" !! Bark, Bark. There has been huge improvement & I am hoping she is going to grow out of this annoying habit. Do you think someone will throw something in your yard That is very scary. I know your 2 get heaps of exercise/interaction with you so this behaviour isn't caused from being bored I wouldn't think. Willow is very smart dandybrush, while mums away :p

I am just not a big fan of leaving furry kids inside during the day. Much healthier for them outside in the fresh air, weather permitting of course.But that is just me. Ditto dandybrush, Stella is our Miss Distructo. Whatever she can get her little teeth into. She is also very reactive to everything, birds & lawnmowers are the fav's ATM. Barks her pretty little head off or should I say used to. The thing with her is she would be barking & I would go out to her & she would stop, go back inside for a second, barking again. So that is where the collar worked for us as it was a spontaneous correction. We have Colourbond fences so our kids can't see our neighbours, you might have to put some sort of barrier up, tarp so they can't see. I have our side gate locked at all times too just in case anyone gets any ideas about letting them out. Our neighbours aren't dog lovers. Good luck. :D

Hi Dandybrush, been having similar issues with Stella barking during the as my 2 are outside during the day. Stella was barking at the birds in the tree in our backyard lots. She only got worse the more I roused on her verbally, so i borrowed a citronella collar & it has done the trick. From the first time I put it on her she only barked once, it sprayed she doesn't bark again. That was about 2 weeks ago, I don't have to put it on her everyday now & when I do I don't have to turn it on cause she stops barking as soon as I put it on her LOL. Stella hates it & I felt mean but I didn't want complaints as our neighbours aren't very friendly. The collar was brought of EBay for $60.

Very cute !!! Makes me want another puppy now

SammieS, I was thinking of getting that Control Unleashed book/DVD. I need to really learn more about reactivity & how to manage it better. How old is Asti? my Stella is 11 months old & is improving. She is a very alert girl & I certainly don't want to turn her into a 'robot' so to speak but I would like her to be able to relax & really enjoy her surrounding. I walk her with my 3 year male who is pretty confident & she walks right beside him happily.This has really helped her. It is really when things rush up at us. She doesn't react nearly as much if they are approaching us but when they are coming up behind is where we come undone. Stella is pretty good when other dogs pass on lead, I usually make them both sit & wait till they walk by without an incident, then give release word & walk on. Off lead is a different thing. She wants to run up & see everyone & "talks' her head off but she has really good recall & comes straight back to me very quickly, which is great. I want to teach her to walk with me off lead that is my next thing. I don't need her to heel formally just to stay close when I need her to. My boy has never wandered more than a few feet from me off lead. We are going to try the shops & people watch. Good idea. :D

My girl is very reactive to lots of different things so I will be keeping a keen eye on all replies Pretty Miss Emma. This morning for example out walking my 2 & they are sitting at the curb waiting to cross the road beautifully. Next thing 2 people on push bikes come rushing up behind us. Stella completely flipped out, spun around barking & growling I just stood there till she calmed down then crossed the road. She will react to bikes or skateboards especially when they approaching us from behind. I have tried to distract her but it is like she goes into emotional shut down.

I buy my roo mince from the meat department at our local Woolies supermarket for my 2 fur kids. Human grade. $8 a kilo but at least I know it is roo meat of high quality.

My rescue boy I had for 14.5 years was terrified of lots of things but thunderstorms were the worst. My poor heartdog would go into emotional overload 3 hours before the storm hit. A drooling, shivering mess. He always ran into the garage & thats where he stayed. I tried all sorts of things to comfort him. He wasn't an inside dog, just not comfortable indoors but when a storm was looming the garage was the place to be. So I made a very comfy bed in there & he would lie there , I'd cover him over & lights out. I found the more fuss I made the worse his nervous state would become. I just went to bed & cried sometimes cause I felt so bad for him. He was an extremely abused soul but sooo very brave. He improved with lots of his behaviour / fears but just not storms, loud noises or men apart from OH.

K9 Magic online is where I buy mine. Excellent service too.

Poor girl Terrible to see an unwell pooch. Sorry. Hope she improves. Heart breaking as it is.

What a beautiful Rotty R.I.P. & run free boy, so sad. Bloody cancer is such an retched thing.

Oh Benshiva, I have just read this post & am ever so sorry for you & the loss of your stunning heart dog 'Webster'. I often go onto your website & drool over him & all your other magnificent Border's. Your obvious dedication to this awesome breed is inspiring. My thought's are with you at this most difficult time & I know time doesn't heal the hurt in our hearts but it just lets us remember all the precious times that we shared with our beloved heart dogs. R.I.P. Webster. Run free boy

I have a 90cm crate for my girl as she too is on the small side but I have a 107cm crate for Sonny as he is a big lad,top end of breed standard apparently. very long in body & he loves to sleep fully stretched out. Spoilt boy :D

Another plastic milk bottle fan here. Both mine just love them. The more beaten up they are the better.

Sonny has always been a TV watcher. He loves all the animal ad's / shows, horse races, footy,tennis, anything that is moving really. It's so funny He races up to the tele barking ( too bad if we just happened to be trying to watch something ). He used to go around the back of the TV & even go outside looking for the action when he was younger,now he just returns to his beanbag LOL. What really is quite weird though is if I am watching the CI channel or the news comes on & there is a "baddy" he goes off his head, growling, barking & his hackles up with his face about 2 inches off the screen. Soon as an ad comes on he returns to his beanbag again & continues watching. Our lounge room is a very funny place to be

After losing my beautiful red & white boy after 14 & 1/2 years I waited about 3 months before getting Sonny & I didn't want a red fellow cause I thought it would remind me tooo much of "Redman" every time I looked at my new pup & I was still very raw emotionally as you are so I opted for traditional, black & white for both of mine. Couldn't see myself with any other breed. Just a thought if you were getting a puppy maybe a change of colour, fresh start Worked for me.I too am an over thinker though

Just wonderful to hear Jake is doing sooo well & he even has a new little friend. You are doing such a great job. Thanks for keeping us posted on little Jakes progress.

Sonny was 2 & a half when I got Stella at 12 weeks & the age gap couldn't of worked out better for us as they get along famously well together. Sonny is a very quiet natured boy which is great for Stella as she is quite an edgy girl. He has taught her well. Having never owned 2 dogs at once I am amazed how much Sonny has taught her & how much they communicate. I was advised by several breeders not to get 2 of the same sex which at first really threw me as I had my heart set on another boy. I would never have jeopardised Sonny's welfare or the wonderful relationship we have so after a very long wait for the 'right' little girl Stella has been with us for 8 months now & she is awesome. Owning 2 furry kids isn't easy though. Very time consuming but in saying that I don't know what I would do without my little girl now & Sonny was so sad the few times Stella has been away from us i.e.Vets e.t.c. He loves her to bits. From memory I think your Kenzie is a toy sucker like my girl, soooo cute. In the end it is a decision only you can make pretty miss emma. I went with my heart, did my homework, brought from a very reputable breeder & got a puppy with very similar blood lines to Sonny. Good luck with whatever you choose to do & hope I have been of some help to you. :D

I often wondered if there was a solution to this problem. It has happened a few times to us, walking along my 2 both leashed & along comes a stray no owner in sight. Very annoying & I am fearful if the loose dog looks aggressive. My boy is a bit defensive of me when he is on lead & my girl is reactive to just about everything. I just try & change my direction & hope not to be followed. I had never thought of throwing treats, interesting thread. I will give it a try. Couldn't carry a whip or anything like that around here. Probably get locked up

I think you would receive some sort of notification to say they had been taken Yes I was thinking the same.

Beautiful Pic's Newfsie & great utube clip Corvus. What clever kids we have Sonny has always been a very good climber & Stella is following in his foot steps which is great. We do a bit of rock climbing down at the beach. Sonny climbs a ladder with ease to get into the back of the land cruiser. He is too heavy for me to lift since he is no longer a pup. LOL He weighs half what I weigh, at 23 kg, he's a big, beautiful boy.

I was hoping to receive my DAP collars for this w.end as we are going on a long car trip & Stella gets anxious when traveling. The 2 I ordered 3 weeks ago haven't arrived yet Read in another post here that they sometimes get stopped by authorities maybe that has happened with mine. Back to the Rescue Remmedy by the looks.

The Cool champion ones stay cool for quite a while. I also have had some 'strange' looks from people, like "why have you got that coat on your dog in 40 degree weather" !! ;) And yes I keep checking under coat to make sure it hasn't dried out especially in mid summer. Put it in a sink of water for 15 mins, then pop it back on. They don't drip much either.