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collie23

collie23

Well-Known Member
Hi, I'm getting my first dog hopefully towards the end of this year, I've always wanted one and really can't wait!!!
I'm getting a Border Collie and been doing lots of research and found this site extremely helpful... whatever i type into google there's always someone thats already posted the exact question on this site and got sooo many useful answers. So thank you.

I love looking at all the amazing tricks that have been taught mostly preparing myself as I don't want my dog to get bored.. plus their soo cute!! and have already started making a list of ones I hope my dog learns.
I thought I'd join early as I'd really like any advice that anyone can give for the first time dog owners

looking forward to becoming well known member :)
x
 
sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome to the DTA!!!

It looks as if you are going to be an awesome dog owner!!! But wow, taking on a Border Collie as a first dog, it's a good thing you're doing a ton of research ahead of time! You are going to have sooooo much fun!

This site is awesome, and populated with positive trainers, so you really cant go wrong with advice from here :) Enjoy the forum, and we look forward to you getting your dog and posting pics!!!
 
collie23

collie23

Well-Known Member
Thank you :)

As i have at least 3 more months to prepare i'm sure i'll be ready. Already planning the puppy proofing and getting the rest of my family in check :) Plus with all the help i'm sure i'll get through here I shouldn't be able to go wrong.

Going to try to get a pic of the mum to be, as shes gorgeous.

Love your pic, thanks again
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
Welcome. Border Collies are wonderful dogs. It sounds like you've done all your research and are ready to welcome a new dog into your home. If you have any questions we are here to help you. I can't wait to see what dog you end up with. Good luck and please keep us posted.:D

I don't have anything against good breeders, but have you looked into adopting a Border Collie? I'm not sure about England, but in the US you can find purebreds in rescues.
 
collie23

collie23

Well-Known Member
I have thought about getting a rescue and am going to look in to this as well but i'm always concerned about what issues they come with, and honestly... I really want a puppy. Although I do hope to adopt rescue dogs in the future when i'm a bit more experienced.
 
Dogster

Dogster

Honored Member
WELCOME!!!! I also find this site very helpful. I really do LOVE this site.:love::D PLEASE stick around, so when you get your puppy, you can show him/her off to us!!!!:ROFLMAO: AND PICS!!!!:LOL:

Getting a dog from a breeder can sometimes be a hustle. There are puppies in shelters that need a home. Please don't completely throw out the idea to adopt. I too thought that a lot of shelter dogs have "problems", but they don't. A lot of them are sweet and happy dogs, just looking for their forever home. :) But I understand why you want to get your puppy from a breeder.;)
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
WELCOME!! congrats on the new puppy you plan to get! wow, i am way too lazy to raise a baby dog,:LOL: so hats off to you, i only bring home adult dogs now.
Adult dogs you can SEE who they are, hyper? bark a lot? hate other dogs? dislike strangers? etc etc, but puppies are a mystery. Puppies can grow up to be UNlike their parents...mmHmm.

and if if if an adult dog is not already potty trained, it only takes days to teach them,:D vs. months and months for baby dogs.:cry:
Adult dogs are way past the 24/7 chewing, whining all night, toe-nipping, "can't be home alone long", ruin-your-carpet, cell-phone eating stage, too. which doesn't fit into every lifestyle.
but i do admire those energetic ppl willing to take on a baby dog!!

but, best of luck on the new dog and do continue to research border collies, for a first time dog owner, you are taking on a challenging breed.
this breed will not be happy to watch tv with you for the bulk of his day.
this breed is not likely to "happy" if he is home alone for 40 hours a week while everyone is at work or school, -----------especially for first two years of his life, he won't be too happy to be home alone with nothing to do..

this breed WILL eat your sofa if he gets bored enough. Some dogs can tolerate boredom more gracefully than a border collie can, this breed is NOT known for being tolerant of boredom---this breed can go "nuts" if they get bored.

this breed DOES need daily exercise, both for his legs, and for his mind, this breed does need stuff to do, most every single day, so it's great you are here to learn how to train dogs!!
WELCOME!!!
BEST OF LUCK!!!
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"as I'd really like any advice that anyone can give for the first time dog owners"//

this is so so smart of you to learn ahead of time!!!
Wish everyone did that!! Your puppy or dog will have an advantage, that you studied up ahead of time, so good on you!!
Probably you already know this, but, never ever hit a dog, ever, yelling at dogs is useless waste of breath, and yanking their leashes teaches a dog absolutely nothing, either.

Dogs notice, remember and repeat behaviors they get REWARDED for, but scolding dogs does not teach the dog what you DO want the dog to do instead. Of course, with baby dogs, their att'n span is much shorter, and teaching baby dogs stuff can take longer, so you will have to be even more patient with baby dogs.
Even adult dogs take a while to solidly "learn" and "know" what you do want them to do.


Most everyone here is for "positive only" clicker training, as a way to train dogs. Here is a lil thread on that, with embedded links IN REPLY #4 <-----for more reading for you:
http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/getting-started-with-a-clicker-for-newbies.5023/


You will want to learn about properly socializing your dog so that the DOG is enjoying it. Not *all* socialization is well done, it's about making sure the DOG is comfortable, and actually enjoying it and having positive experiences and developing good behaviors and social skills.
I DON'T HAVE A GOOD LINK OR BOOK TO RECOMMEND, but maybe someone else knows of link or book? about how to properly socialize a puppy ?

Others may disagree, but, many experts caution about allowing puppies under age 18 mos old, (some say 24 mos old) to jump high,
nor run very far/walk too too far, or other repetitive joint-motions done in excess,
nor stand on only two legs much (like handstands or walking on hind legs),.
These limits are to protect the still-hardening joints in a young dog's skeleton, to reduce the chance your dog will have old age joint problems.
this is something to consider, as you raise a baby dog, that their skeletons do have limits for first 18 to 24 months old.

For potty training, being home alone, puppy nipping, leave it, crate training, loose-leash walking, etc, you can google "kikopup potty training" or "kikopup home alone" or "kikopup puppy nipping" etc, to help make up your mind on which way you may want to teach your dog how to pee outside, stop biting you, be happy in his crate, etc. Kikopup is a positive only trainer who makes short tutorials which are FREE on youtube. OR OF COURSE, POST A THREAD HERE ON DTA!!:D about whatever you are working on!


hope anything there helps you! feel free to post ANY question at all that you have!!
 
collie23

collie23

Well-Known Member
Thank you Tigerlily I do find that useful and you've opened up my first question.
How are you supposed to socialize puppies? I've read different opinions on whether puppies should go out before they are vacinated (obviously not walking for themselves) some seem to think you shouldn't take them out at all. Some seem to think its okay as long as its to places that have no dogs or dogs that have been vaccinated and are well known to you. and i've even read a couple that says its a load of nonsense and most dogs are fine without vaccinations.

So if your supposed to vaccinate between 8 and 14 weeks (plus leaving a week to make sure the vaccination kicks in) and the key time for socializing is up to 16 weeks, if your late on the vaccinations that doesn't leave a whole lot of time to get them used to so many situations. Especially when the different situations aren't neccessarily available.
I know my breeder doesn't vaccinate (at all) and puppies go to their new homes during the 10th week so does that leave enough time?

Plus, Where would you suggest socializing your dog? I live in between the town centre and a forest so shes going to need to be used to a variety of different things... horses, crowds etc. Is it safe enough to take them to these places during the first few weeks?


I will also say that I wasn't going to bother with clicker training until i found this site! and now I can't wait to start using one!!!
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"How are you supposed to socialize puppies?"//


i bow out here, -------------like i said, i have no great link nor a great book to link you to,:oops:
but i know others here DO know some books or links to send you to,
and sooner or later, they will spot this thread and come by to help you.

dawg, i can NOT turn off the bold typing, rofl. sorry bout that.:ROFLMAO:

and there are others here, who know of some similar threads, about discussions about having puppy outdoors, vs. having puppy vaccinated.

lol, i feel bad, i encourage you to ask questions, but, then, offer you no help, BUT, someone else WILL be by to help you!!
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"I live in between the town centre and a forest so shes going to need to be used to a variety of different things"//

now this topic, i'll let others discuss the safety of vaccinated pups vs. need to get pups socialized,
but one thing,
one thing i do want to tell you, is,
since you will be living by a forest, (so do i)
you will have bunnies going by your home, as well as other wildlife.



thing is, there is a window in a puppies mind, where one has much better luck, getting a puppy to be calm and accept other lifeforms,:) like cats, hamsters, squirrels, horses, etc
than it is to get an adult dog to be calm and accept other lifeforms.:sneaky:

put more simply,
it's wayyyy easier to teach a baby dog "you see a bunny, no big deal, be calm, do not chase it"
than it is to teach most adult dogs that same thing.:(

Not everyone raising puppies teaches their puppy this skill, "ignore prey", but, imo, it's something important to focus on if you do bring home a baby dog. (or any dog that you bring home, cuz my adult rescue did NOT chase prey when i first got him,:D he followed my every rule, til i messed up and allowed him to chase prey...one time.) I just did NOT know any better at the time.

It's a HUGE HUGE PLUS, :D if you can teach your puppy to be calm/non-reactive to bunnies, etc,
so later in life----------your dog will be way more trustable offleash, and won't run off after bunnies, cuz he grew up around bunnies and was properly desensitized to seeing bunnies during his formative times. (provided, of course, you have taught recall, etc, and taught dog to stay within so many feet or yards of yourself on walks)

I have a dog i can NOT call off chasing bunnies:cry: ....this is a big handicap, as most of the time, i can not walk him offleash, :cry:
for fear of him taking off after a bunny. My dog's "recall" (comes when i call him) IS razor sharp and 99% flawless, it is NOT i haven't trained him to come when called....it's a "bunny thing" see?


You have a chance to raise up a dog who will NOT be like mine, and will not chase bunnies. In my mind, that is The One big plus (and the only plus, imo)
to raising a puppy. ;) is to get the puppy to NOT chase or react to cats, geese, bunnies, squirrels, deer, skunks,:cry: etc etc.................. Can be done MUCH easier with a BABY dog, than it is to attempt with an adult dog.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
anyway, sooner or later, someone who knows about puppy vaccines,
vs.
puppy socialization,
will spot this thread,
and
someone who knows of a good book or link about how to PROPERLY socialize puppies to other dogs, humans, cats, etc, will be by to tell you of it.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
also,
others here may disagree,
but one remark,
which i wish someone had told me,
(but i found out too late)
is
"One (1) chase after prey---one chase----can create a prey-chasing maniac."

so do prevent all chases, use ALL exposure to prey as chances to desensitize your pup to that sight/reward him being calm or ignoring the prey,
cuz it only takes one (1) chase after prey, (geese, bunnies,squirrels, etc)
and after that,
when your dog is off-leash (which is SUCH a joy)
your dog can take off after any prey he sees, and you can NOT call him back at that moment.


Nothing you can offer the dog matches the endorphins and thrill of the chase...so you do NOT want the dog to ever experience that rush, cuz the dog could be a different dog after chasing prey even one (1) time. (unless you are actually training him to chase prey on your cue only, like a hunting dog is trained, which is whole different gig.)

this probably varies from one dog to another, but, with MY dog, one stupid moment on my part, and BAM!!! I NOW have a dog i can NOT walk off leash very often....:cry:
 
jackienmutts

jackienmutts

Honored Member
I'm a little late to the party here, but hi and welcome - and how exciting, the thought of welcoming a puppy into your family!! I've adopted both adults and puppies - both are wonderful. I'm with others - don't exclude the idea of adopting even a young adult dog - most dogs land in shelters cuz they're not what they're owners expected (they chew, they nip (puppies nip hands, toes, anything their mouths can reach and it doesn't matter if skin is attached), they pee indoors (if one doesn't spend tiime housetraining), they dig, they bark - they basically come with "dog rules" - not human rules:ROFLMAO: and people get frustrated quickly, the cuteness and novelty wear off, and they give up. I've adopted several adult dogs and they've all been wonderful. I have a 7 yr old that I adopted at 18 mos laying next to me on the couch right now - she came to me with not one ounce of training, and was/is like a sponge - she loves to learn and can't wait to see that clicker come out. My boy is 6, he's laying at my feet - I adopted him at 10 mos - he also had not one ounce of training, and is the biggest love one could want. You can also find puppies in shelters and rescue orgs - I know at least here in the US, there are pure bred puppies of any breed available with rescue orgs. Just an option to consider.

It's so very important to socialize puppies at a young age - do you have any training facilities near you with puppy classes? If so, look into them. They will run them differently than their regular dog classes. For instance - at our facility, we have "puppy pre-school", and "puppy kindergarten" - these are for very young puppies, they are carried in from the parking lot, they do lots of socialization with other puppies who haven't completed vaccinations, there is a seperate puppy potty yard where no adult dogs are ever allowed, so training (all positive reinforcement/clicker) is begun, plus lots of playtime with other puppies, in addition to all the people in the room, and the experience of all the other 'stuff' in the training room -- loads of metal chairs, crates, tables, desk, smells, etc. The floor is cleaned before the puppies enter so they don't pick up things from other dogs prior, and if they're in both classes, this can take them thru a few months. If you can find someplace with puppy classes my bet is they will be run similarly and you can get good socialization in that way. Let that pup experience as much as it can, but only as quickly as it can (meaning, if it needs to approach things slowly, that's ok). Puppies also go thru fear periods - what may have been fabulous yesterday may be terrifying today and for the next week (including known people and dogs, poles, chairs ... all kinds of stuff) and then be fine again next week - ahh, the life of a puppy. :confused::love: Ya gotta love 'em - they keep life fun. Sophia Yin has a book - I believe it's either available online or as an ebook, I haven't looked in a while - I've heard fabulous things about it - and Sophia Yin is incredible. She's an amazing puppy resource, you may want to look that up. She also may have some youtube videos, not sure.

You're certainly going about this correctly, kudos to you. There are loads of people on this forum to guide you any time, you've picked a great place. And one word of advice -- when you get your dog (whatever age you decide on), go get several clickers and stash them all over your house along with some treats. They're going to be your best friend! Using only positive reinforcement and training with a clicker will be the best decision you could ever make (after deciding upon which dog to share your life with) and it will be the best thing you can do for your dog. Once you get started, you'll understand. And he or she will thank you for it.
 
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