Just want some advice

[dodgers_momma]

ok, if you want dodgers background you can look at my second post and it should tell you all you need to know. but i will say this, he is three months old and VERY lazy. i was always told that border collies have a lot of energy but he doesnt. i want him to herd and do agility but he is very lazy and seems scared of cows/horses. can someone tell me if its a good idea to try to work him anyways? there are people who live in front of my 3 acres and they have 2 cows (1 bull 1 Heifer) and i didnt know if it was a good or bad idea to start working him with them. i am getting sheep and chickens and i was told he would be good at working with them but i dont want to get them and then him be scared of them. can someone help me out?

[MollyATL]

Hello, Dodgers_Momma!

Welcome to the world of border collies It sounds like you are trying your best with an unfamiliar breed. You might not find the level of support here on these forums that you need as a newbie. This board is focused very heavily on border collie rescue - getting at-risk dogs outta shelters and dangerous situations. I've noticed very limited activity in recent times on the other forums offered here.

I think you might get a lot of help out of this site:EDIT/omit. They have a board there as well, that tends to have more activity in the training and behavior sections, and has a lot of information on workings dogs, as that is their primary focus. I hope you find some great information there!

[Seelie Fey]

Sorry, just saw this.

I would definitely not recommend going to the BC boards right now. Every time I check in there, several of the members who consider themselves owners of "real" border collies are trolling the Agility/flyball/dog sport forum and mocking any discussions, or putting out "bait" questions and jumping on anyone who responds. Not a healthy culture right now. They may be civil if you are talking about stockwork. Or not.

This is probably OBE by now, but don't try to force your puppy if he is lazy. You will kill what enthusiasm he has. Presuming he is checked out by a vet and is healthy, and on decent food, play with him and promote interactive games with a whole lot of positive consequences. Try shaping games. Oftentimes, lazy dogs are dogs that lack self confidence, or don't see the benefit for interacting, or whose training has been too controlled. A puppy may not "turn on" to stock that young. Play very frequent, short games, and end on the puppy wanting more. Also, sensitive dogs pick up on frustration and shut down, even if you are trying to hide it.

Please don't put the puppy on cattle or even sheep that are not "dog broke" They can intimidate your puppy and ruin it for stock.

Because border collies tend to pattern so quickly, it's best if the first introductions to stock are very controlled by someone who is an expert at it. They need to get in the right zone from the outset. Don't take the puppy out and try it on your own. You can often go to a place that teaches herding and have them try your puppy on stock. You don't need to get a certificate or anything like that, just let them work with the puppy a bit and see if the puppy is ready to roll yet, or needs to cook more.

Just my thoughts.

[joe]

Sorry, just saw this.

I would definitely not recommend going to the BC boards right now. Every time I check in there, several of the members who consider themselves owners of "real" border collies are trolling the Agility/flyball/dog sport forum and mocking any discussions, or putting out "bait" questions and jumping on anyone who responds. Not a healthy culture right now. They may be civil if you are talking about stockwork. Or not.

I have only ventured on there a few times and it always came off this way to me.

[MollyATL]

I would definitely not recommend going to the BC boards right now. Every time I check in there, several of the members who consider themselves owners of "real" border collies are trolling the Agility/flyball/dog sport forum and mocking any discussions, or putting out "bait" questions and jumping on anyone who responds. Not a healthy culture right now. They may be civil if you are talking about stockwork. Or not.

Thanks for that update. What an unfortunate thing ~ will make sure not to refer there. Hope the OP still managed to get some helpful info to help with the pup.

[PSmitty]

There can be some ugly, heated stuff on the BC Boards (and I know, because I'm one of the "sport" people), but there is still useful information to be found. It's a shame that it has gotten as Seelie Fey mentioned, but if you can wade through that... *shrugs*

Anyway, hopefully not too late to chime in here to the OP. Your pup is way, WAY too young to worry about any stock training right now!! I can't stress that enough. He is not mature physically, and more importantly, mentally, to handle any kind of training involving stock. He's a baby. Right now work on basic puppy manners and fun stuff. Let him be a puppy, build a relationship with him. Once he's a few months older, you could let him in with some dog-broke stock, and see how he does. But even then, it should just be a quick look-see and keep everything very positive, you don't want a bad experience to ruin working for him. Most people might start training a pup around 9-12 months, with whatever they think the dog is ready for at that time. Some dogs take even longer. My biggest piece of advice is to find someone experienced in stock training and take your pup to him/her. This isn't something a novice should do alone, IMO.

I do worry a bit that a 3 month old BC is "lazy". I might have a vet check-up if I were you. If he's fine, I would just do as I mentioned above.

[Morragan]

Hmnn ...since dodgers_momma's pup was 3 months old back in Mar 2011 bet he's old enough now unless of course he's the Border Collie equivalent of Peter Pan or Oskar Matzerath ( from the Tin Drum)

[PSmitty]

Bwahaha! I'm an idiot. Oopsie.

(this is what I get for surfing around while I was supposed to working...posting to a year old thread. *sigh*)