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ness

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Posts posted by ness

  1. You should still be able to search here I hope. I posted quite a lengthy post at some point regarding BCC. My now nearly 11 year old BC suffers from BCC and had her first episode about 14-16 months. There is a facebook group which has lots of people with dogs who are affected. I have to say I wouldn't wish it on anybody and so sorry if your dog does have it. My girl has quite a severe version of it and its basically been a constant stress for much of her life (unfortunate to say). Is your girl from a registered breeder? If so I would certainly be letting the breeder know as its unfortunately a condition which is starting to occur way to frequently in the breed. I am happy to try and answer any questions you might have.

  2. My friends have Aussies and I have BCs. Like anything there are individual differences in dogs in both breeds. I know as far as BCs are concerned there is a huge variation in energy level and temperament just as there are Aussies with huge variation in temperament. For instance one of my BCs would be considered super high drive but she is nervy around strangers and really doesn't cope with kids whereas my other girl is high drive (but with an off-switch) and has been bred to have a super stable temperament and is excellent with young children. I would think as far as coat goes they are pretty comparable. There are certainly lines of more moderate energy Aussies around but its definitely worth finding a breeder who knows there breeding lines and can properly assess what puppy might be most appropriate for your particular circumstance.

  3. My herding dog has been trained in herding using only positive reinforcement. We don't have stock access to practice consistently but she has managed a started title. Its mostly been about setting up what we are after and attaching a command when she is readily offering the behavior. There is absolutely no way I could use an external reinforcement - food or toy as she won't take either on stock. We use tugs, toys and food in other contexts so when we train agility and obedience but herding is purely access to stock and being allowed to work. It took a little longer to get a reliable stop and impulse control on her but with a bit of maturity it started to happen anyway. The key was setting her up for success and growing behaviors incrementally.

  4. Thistle - Jaime has been a god send for mine. Kenz is my orthopaedically challenged dog (bilateral luxating patellas/shoulder issues) who has been seen by multiple ortho specialists/neuro specialist/local vet chiros/vets/physios over the many years of her life. Dr Jaime has been the only one who has been able to put together a proper management strategy for her. We do use a local physio in between Jaime's trips if its necessary but they don't have the knowledge of some of the rehab exercises that Dr Jaime has gained while studying with the worlds best overseas.

    Jaime also put together a comprehensive exercise plan for my young performance dog which is not something any of the people we have locally have been able to give me.

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  5. We got a Border Collie as a "first" dog.  I knew absolutely nothing about dogs, wasn't that keen on dogs as mum was attacked as a toddler and I had always been petrified. She was my brothers but I took her training and ended up hooked in dog sports. If you would have said 16 years ago that I would have been a dog nut with 2 BCs of my own you would have had another thing coming. Some of the show line BCs are really super - quick to learn but also not that difficult for a first time dog owner. Slightly smaller then a collie to.

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