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About to get a new puppy


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I have always been against our family getting a dog due to the huge responsibility of caring, training, exercising and loving etc etc. Don't get me wrong, the idea of gaining another family member is very desirable. Our "kids" are now aged 18 - 22 and won't be flying the nest for quite some time. They have been nagging to get a furry friend for some time and are obviously now capable of caring for said furry canine. Now, I have as an adult never owned a dog. We are about to welcome a seven week old pure bread Border Collie to the family. All help and advice appreciated to help "as yet unnamed/untamed" terror become a loving, obedient member of our family.

Yours in trepidation

Graeme :)

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No trepidation needed Graham - Prince - in the photo  - was the third of his name and breed we owned over the years  - and he left us aged 16-10 years ago -

and is still missed greatly - and we never replaced him - because of our age and he might get left alone

 

You haven't said - male or female - and if male I suggest mating him once and then give him the knife - because they do get angry 

from time to time until done. If its female then let her have pups by another BC - and make a few quid:)

IMGP0105.JPG

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Meet Douglas (Bader) and Flynn (Errol).  Give them love, time and exercise (lots for a Boarder Collie), keep their brains active, give them rules, give them cuddles.   Give them a commitment for their life.  
 

They will show unquestionable loyalty and love.   Who doesn’t want someone always pleased to see you (even when Flynn literally gets under my feet and trips me up). 
 

Friends of ours (both doctors) were talking over getting a dog too - they were talking to the medical research that shows a furry friend lowers stress and adds to family mental health. 
 

Good luck and enjoy.  

5C3B6A9D-CCCC-47DC-817F-620BA188F1CF.jpeg

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12 hours ago, boetie said:

And don't forget any advice for me. Will post a pic of puppy once it's home :)

 

Hello,
the good advice is in Greame's post above.

 

Here is some more, for you to consider, if you wish.
(You did ask, I am not a fan of unsolicited advice)


If you watch any dog behaviour programs, you will see that in virtually all cases, the problem is not the dog, but the owner(s).
The solution is therefore almost always to correct the owner's behaviour, which the dog then reads, understands and reacts to.

The key is to remember that the animal is not a human being and never will be, so it does not react in the same way.


Any dog must also be "socialised", so that when you meet other dogs, or other people, it knows how to behave.
Almost as important, is to train the dog to come back when called, in the world of dogs, that is called "recall".
A Collie is a very intelligent working dog and if not allowed enough exercise and is not given enough tasks,

it may well start to destroy your home when it gets bored.
One way to avoid this is to give the dog its own toys and train it that to play with them is good and to play with yours, that is

everything else that you don't want to be chewed to bits, is not good.
Because they are so bright, they will soon learn.

 

Teaching should be done by rewarding the required behaviour and never by scolding the unwanted behaviour.
For example, if your dog is barking at something and you want it to stop, the last thing that you should do is to shout

at it to shut up.
A human might do as they were asked, but to a dog, you are just joining in with the barking.

 

If you set your stall out in the right way from the outset, you will have a wonderful companion that will give you endless unconditional love

and will never cause you the grief that so many unprepared dog owners seem to suffer.
The dog, because it is happy, entertained and not stressed, will also have a much better life.
It is very much up to you though.

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1 minute ago, Nick Cooper said:

 

Hello,
the good advice is in Greame's post above.

 

Here is some more, for you to consider, if you wish.


If you watch any dog behaviour programs, you will see that in virtually all cases, the problem is not the dog, but the owner(s).
The solution is therefore almost always to correct the owner's behaviour, which the dog then reads, understands and reacts to.

The key is to remember that the animal is not a human being and never will be, so it does not react in the same way.


Any dog must also be "socialised", so that when you meet other dogs, or other people, it knows how to behave.
A Collie is a very intelligent working dog and if not allowed enough exercise and is not given enough tasks,

it may well start to destroy your home when it gets bored.
One way to avoid this is to give the dog its own toys and train it that to play with them is good and to play with yours, that is

everything else that you don't want to be chewed to bits, is not good.
Because they are so bright, they will soon learn.

 

Teaching should be done by rewarding the required behaviour and never by scolding the bad behaviour.
For example, if your dog is barking at something and you want it to stop, the last thing that you should do is to shout

at it to shut up.
A human might do as they were asked, but to a dog, you are just joining in with the barking.

Thank you Nick. I once owned a hamster but the ownership attributes don't seem to transfer :)I will print your advice and ensure the household take note. This is exactly what I'm after. My wife and I have a beach walk before and after work so it looks like we'll have company. Your Labs? look beautiful!

Thanks mate.

Cheers Graeme:)

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I am of course not an authority at all, just a dog owner.
Over here, we have a TV bloke who is very good, if you can see UK You Tubes, there are some excerpts here
dogs behaving very badly - YouTube

If you prefer books, he has this one:

All Dogs Great and Small: What I’ve learned training dogs: Amazon.co.uk: Hall, Graeme: 9781529107449: Books

 

( I am just an admirer of his common sense approach, I'm not promoting his work. I am sure that every country has someone like him)

 

There is good advice all over the place, I am sure over there too, but here is some sound English advice:

Dog & Puppy Training - How To Train Your Dog | Dogs Trust

They even have a section devoted to puppies:

Looking after your puppy | Dogs Trust

 

 

 

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On 1/25/2023 at 2:25 AM, Rodger Pettichord said:

Only problem is that a border collie is likely to be smarter than you :D.

 

Oh yeah, definitely. We had one years ago, unfortunately lost her to a snake. :(

 

Don 

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Here he is - still unamed. Collecting him Saturday.

 

hhdx1fx.jpg

 

Busy securing the back yard fence and going through $$$ equipping ourselves for our new addition. Wish me luck!

 

Cheers

Graeme :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The boy has a name. Zimbee (Harks back to his grandfather's heritage, me, grew up in Zimbabwe). Had him home for only 5hrs and already peeing and pooping in the right spot! This little fella is a smart cookie!

:)

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