Border Collie help/advice (vet, breeder, train, teeth)

[Constitutionalist]

I have a 17 week old blue Merle border collie and I'm trying my best to exercise her out every day but right now she is going through her terrible twos I guess I can't leave her unattended for two minutes in my house. Every day she tares something up weather it be a couch or a lamp cord or candles on my fireplace mantel ect. I want to know if this is a terrible two phase or is this the new normal?

Before you criticize me when I got my bc I thought I knew how it would be because I have a sheltie but I admit now I had no clue it was going to be this bad, and I do try to play with her all the time when I'm off of work and try giving her interesting stuff to do

[ReturningWest]

You need to find some BC trainers and also talk with your breeder too. BC's need a JOB even from puppyhood. These dogs need major mental stimulation along with lots of exercise. They are considered the smartest dog breed and are also bred to go all day long. If you are working you will need to find a very good dog walker who understands the needs of this dog breed, you need to go to training classes. I don't know what you were expecting and I'm surprised a reputable breeder would sell you a dog without a serious interview about your knowledge and what you planned for you dog. BC's are started on herding as puppies. Also, BC's can develop unwanted behaviors throughout their lives if not mentally and physically stimulated enough.

If you find you've bit off more than what you expected, contact either the breeder or a BC rescue group sooner rather than later to re-home. The longer you wait the worse it can get for the dog. Some of the most experienced and best trainers I know won't take on BC's as they are just way too much to deal with unless they are on a working farm. My Vet has one and his dog lives on a working farm and is worked everyday all day. These dogs are not good house pets. In my rural area we have a lot of sheep and cattle so I've been exposed to a lot of BC's and ACD's, I love watching them work, but I'd never want one for myself, also none of those dogs are "inside" pets. They are kept in barns with indoor outdoor kennels when not working.

[JrzDefector]

Food puzzles. Bully sticks. Sturdy chewable toys. Feed her via a food puzzle - as in put the kibble in the puzzle. With my Catahoula, I would wet the kibble down, mash it up, stuff it in a kong and seal it with peanut butter. Then I'd freeze it. Took him FOREVER to get through it and frustrated him completely. It was hysterical.

We're talking about a 17-week-old pup here though. 1) It should be crated when you're not give it your full attention. 2) You have some decisions to make - do you want a serious lifestyle change? This dog isn't going to get easier from 17 weeks - not unless you're going to have it in activities and do some serious training.

Look, it's not true that ALL border collies are high-drive lunatics. My 14-year-old girl comes from AKC lines and has never been an overly active dog. There is actually a wide range of personality types within the breed, though the hard-core herding types deplore this. If you are seriously rethinking this dog, you should return her to the breeder (so she can be re-homed quickly) and consider an older BC with a fully formed personality or a pup from mellower lines (as my dog sports friends put it, "dogs with an off switch"). Really, a sheltie is no comparison to a border collie in terms of personality, btw. I've had both, and even my mellowest border collies were nowhere near as easy to manage as my sheltie.

[k9coach]

Puppy proof your house and/or create a safe zone for times when you can not provide supervision. If she doesn't have access to forbidden items, she simply will not chew them, and if she doesn't chew them, she isn't forming the HABIT of chewing up your stuff. Of course provide her with a variety of appropriate chew items - rotate them to keep them interesting. Definitely look into all of the food dispensing toys and puzzles. Your dog needs to be kept busy.

Are you home most of the time but this destructive chewing is occurring when you take a break from interacting with the dog? Or is the chewing taking place when you leave the house? Keep in mind there is no reason a young pup needs to have the run of the house while owners are away. Until she can be trusted, it really isn't safe to leave her unattended with access to the whole house. And yet, restricting her to a confined space for long hours without sufficient stimulation is also unacceptable. This is where you have to be honest in assessing whether you can provide a proper home for this dog.

Regardless of breed, plenty of pups go through horrendous teething phases as their puppy teeth are replaced by adult teeth. At 17 weeks, your dog is certainly in that phase. Here is a very general guide about how to get through it:

The goal is to get through the puppy chewing phase with as much of your home and stuff intact as possible! Casualties are somewhat inevitable, but follow the guide below to give your carpets, furniture, used tissues, and dirty socks their best chance of survival…

1) Puppy Proof to the best of your ability. If inappropriate items are never accessible, then they will never be chewed and destroyed. And if Puppy never gets ahold of them, she’s never forming the HABIT of chewing inappropriate items!

2) Supervision! The ONLY time you can address the act of inappropriate chewing is if you catch her IN THE ACT. Simply interrupt the chewing in a disapproving but casual way, then replace the inappropriate item with an acceptable one. If pup is caught chewing a stationary item (like a heavy piece of furniture, or carpet that can’t be ‘taken away’) – consider removing the pup from the area and then redirecting to an appropriate chew item. Another option is to spray Bitter Apple on the spot where pup was chewing then redirect to a more productive activity.

3) Confinement or baby gates can be very useful during times when owners are unable to provide direct supervision. There is no reason a young pup needs to have the run of the house before she’s trustworthy!

4) Bitter Apple or other chewing deterrent sprays can be helpful in stopping carpet and furniture chewing. If your pup happens to fall into the 5% of dogs that don’t mind the taste of Bitter Apple, you will have to block access to tempting items until pup can be either trusted or supervised.

5) Provide plenty of acceptable chew items. Provide a variety of textures and ROTATE which items are left out for pup to keep them interesting.

6) Lots of exercise. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. Drain pup’s energy so she’ll be napping instead of chewing up the house!

7) Puppy chewing is completely NORMAL, so simply do what you can to prevent it and look forward to pup maturing out of this phase. If chewing persists past the puppy stage and seems to occur most frequently when your dog is left home alone, separation anxiety could be the cause.

My last thought for you is make sure you are challenging her mentally as well as physically when you exercise her. Have some rules and structure to your play. For example, when playing fetch or frisbee, the dog must return to you, give you the ball / frisbee, and then must sit in order to earn another throw. Similar rules apply when you play tug or use a flirt pole. (Let me know if you want a more detailed explanation). Pick out some tricks to train each day: kikopup - YouTube

Imagine if she had something like this contraption to keep her busy:


Jerry needs no help playing with his ball. - YouTube

[Katie1]

Shes still a puppy has nothing to do with Breed! When YOU cant watch her Crate her! When she out of her crate Tie her to You! And Puppy Proof Everything! Inside & out!