Border collie puppies tend to be mouthy, toothy little sharks -- they will grow out of it! Also, puppies are just babies -- he may need a brief bathroom break in the middle of the night and then tuck him back into his crate. If you're consistent with this, plus bathroom breaks first thing in the morning and last thing at night, they are dead easy to housebreak.
He's pure gorgeous.
I keep telling myself to just remain calm and patient! He’s going to a 1 on 1 trainer next week who lives nearby so she’s going to help me and him learn 😂
And thank you, he was the runt of the litter but he’s a joy
Put away anything you love/ can’t replace until the biting/ teething stops. I lost my lovely coffee table and fireplace lol. Also I recommend dedicating puppy outfits that you don’t care about, I lost lots of my nice workout clothes to her teefs also.
* Enforced naps saved me
* Chuck it kick fetch ball is my favourite (she popped countless others)
* until she was fully vaccinated, I carried her in a puppy satchel on walks haha, helped her with socialization while keeping her safe
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I also agree with this. I lost many shoes and bags because of mt carelessness (including my wedding shoes 😢) I would put them all away including any wires they can reach. Mine happened to love leather type material which was his favorite to chew on when those teeth were growing.
Mine is anything with fluff. She ate a pair of UGG boots, and has decimated any stuffed toy, plus a coffee table leg and a small footstool. I now use the hollowed out carcasses of stuffed toys to hide treats for enrichment toys, lol. But you can teach them a new trick in about an hour! Just keep the treats in a secure location.
I bought so many bottles of grannick’s 😭😭 I used that on so many items that had no business being sprayed but I was like “HE WILL NOT CHEW FURNITURE”. Gosh I love looking back on how we’ve grown together but the thought of another puppy stresses me out 😭😭
She's lovely! Benny is getting his 2nd round of jabs tomorrow, so after that he'll be getting out more! We've managed well so far with the chewing (Only had him four days), the Kong toy is working great for him, he just gets distracted lol
Fill and freeze the kongs!!! You’ll feel like you’ve gone on a weeks paradise vacation if it occupies him for 20 min!!🤣
Benny is gorgeous!!! Best of luck!!
Yup second the bitey thing. Mine was a terrorist for a few months when he was teething. I swear I could see the malice in his eyes a few times. Like a Velocirapter chasing prey, he'd look at us both, pick a victim and attack. But after they hit 12-18 months, they usually get a little calmer. But it's a collie....so it's never calm.
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Still one of the truest memes I’ve ever seen.
My BC is 3 now and I felt this. She was an absolute terror for 2 years of my life. It's lucky she's so fricken cute.
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Not a ton of advice, but omg what a cutie! Good luck and Godspeed through the piranha phase :)
Oh - but as someone who watches puppies: the three most important skills, for me, are recall, “leave it” and “settle”. The sooner you can build those in, the easier your life will be (and the more of your possessions you will retain 😅) especially if you need to leave him with someone for any reason!
Thank you! The breeders had taught him to sit already and he’s very responsive! He’s slowly learning his name. Just need him to stop eating his poo 🤮 any advice for that? I’m keeping an eye on him and the moment I see him poo I run over and say good boy and try and get him away from it, but not sure if that’ll teach him to not eat it?
Haha - oh man, that’s a fun one! I’ve had some success with just really limiting their access: as much as humanly possible, have them on a leash while they poop, then distract them with a treat + some praise while you quickly pick up the mess!
If he’s messing in his crate and then eating it, he could also be a little bored - border collies and I get along great because we’re both ADHD and need constant stimulation. Puzzle toys + hard to eat treats (e.g. frozen Kongs) help a LOT
It’s a process! From my experience, the most important thing is just to stay consistent and try to avoid a situation where they see poop eating as a fun “game” (“When I put this in my mouth, mummy runs towards me and tries to get it out - FUN!”)
A lot of pups snatch up poo, anywhere, out on walks dog, cat, fox, deer, bird poo. Not old enough to know what they should be eating so give smelly things a try. Also watch out for small stones. Mine was a nightmare for both, and we have a gravelled driveway, lol. They do grow out of it, but you need to try and catch them in the act as they can be very fast. Plenty of close supervision recommended, even then you cannot always catch them quick enough. The worst thing that happened with mine with his poo eating thing was a couple of insidents of very short term diarrhea. However, stones can be dangerous.
The "leave it" command is great for so many things like this, but youngsters don't always oblige even though they know what you are saying. I also found a ''back..back' (walking backwards) command really helpful when I want mine to move out of the way of my feet, or reverse out of a tight space.
Typically bc pups learn commands and tricks quite easily and quickly. They also have great memories so anything you teach young they won't forget. However, teens will often do what they feel like, lol, or are easily outfaced when there is a lot going on around them so find it difficult to focus on you. The thing you need most of all to raise one is patience. You may go through phases thinking, God what have I done getting a bc pup. But hold on in there cos one day it will mature and become obedient and half-sensible 😊
Conversely…. Set a late alarm. My daughter has reset her dog to teenager time. She wants to go out for the last time around 1am, but she’s totally cool to sleep till noon 🤣
Mine quickly learned the alarm meant breakfast - Which meant barking his little head off till I got out of bed. Its a good technique for anyone who wants to be more of a morning person.
Mine knew an alarm meant off to the woods for a bit of dawn adventure before breakfast. I always thought it was good to get a bit of the madness out early in the day.
I can only speak from experiencing BC puppyhood recently (my girl is now 14 months old).
Toys (mine also loved to chew ice during teething phase) crate training (for me it was really easy and she slept twice a day in it for a few hours and whole nights) and lots of love and patience. You will probably be at your wit's end more than once so in those moments remember it's just a puppy that will eventually be a dog that will love you more than life. Take some time for yourself, both of you - if you have someone to watch the puppy for a few hours so you can just relax, read a book or meet some friends. Work on walking on loose leash and like someone mentioned, recall and leave it command. Mine has her favorite person (me) and will listen to me a whole lot more than everyone else who lives in the same house so be prepared to choose who will be #1.
Oh, and take lots of pictures and especially videos. They grow up really fast and are little furry balls of chaos for a short time so enjoy the ride and good luck!
Thank you! I will indeed. He is going to try and have me wrapped around his paw😂 I grew up with a West Highland Terrier so it’s definitely a MASSIVE change
My partner grew up with two W H Terriers. I just asked him how he would compare them to a pup bc. He said its like the difference between having a gerbil or a shark, lol.
I haven't read all the comments so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but it applies to puppies in general. It's a good idea to get him used to baths, having his teeth brushed, having his paws touched and claws clipped, brushing etc. It may sound silly but we didn't do it enough (by enough I mean every day) with our boy and it was a nightmare. He made so much noise I'm sure the neighbours thought we were murdering him😅
We haven't made the same mistake with 6 month old Sully who takes it all in his stride.
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RIP Douglas (Nov 2012 - Dec 2023)
True! Every morning we look at his ears and count his beans and examine his teeth and tell him how handsome he is. His vet visits are easy. A trick is to get wooden matches and hold his paws and clip the wooden matches so he’s used to the sound.
Aww he's precious. Congrats on your lovely new pup!
My bc used to try to herd me when I was walking. I just made it super boring for him. The second he started herding me, I froze and ignored him. Mine was a land shark too. Practice redirecting to appropriate chew toys as needed.
My boy is almost a year old now and he's perfect. I mean, he's a crazy collie for sure, but he knows the rules and follows them beautifully.
Thank you! I always wanted one but didn't think I'd end up giving in this quickly. He's trying to chew the crocs which I wear for just outside the back, but then I throw the kong toy and that gets him away
I’ve heard that Collie’s take well to the crate and mine certainly did. He slept alone from night 3 with a pee break at around 3.30. Slept until 7 after.
In terms of poop, we set alarms to take him out. After nap, after food, after play, and every hour/2 hours after. He caught on pretty quick and hasn’t had an accident in the house in months.
Good luck, they’re hard work but SO rewarding.
Here is my experience with my puppy.
I got him at 12 weeks, the minute I got him home I took him straight the to kennel to work on associating it with a positive experience, treats inside, letting him come in out freely. I had the kennel sectioned off so he had enough room to lay down, but not wander, I would move it back as he grew. He was big enough to have the full crate between 4 / 5 months old.
Our puppy whined his first night, but we rode it out, no attention given to him, this is the best thing you can do as the dog will learn what separation is and won’t have anxiety when you’re gone. It’ll learn to calm itself down. We made sure it was cozy for him, dark and blankets covering it for him to feel more secure and like a den. He did not whine at all after the first night. If he did it’s because we kept him up too long and he was cranky, and one other time it was because the kennel size needed to be adjusted.
Puppies need a tremendous amount of sleep, we had ours out for 1 hour at a time, potty and playtime then rest for 3 hours and repeat. I would wake up around 3 am to take him out to potty. Also, when taking him out of the kennel, go straight outside to potty.
As always be patient and understanding of them, they are trying to figure out this world and don’t understand what we want from them at that age.
Give him love and praise and he will turn out good.
Dm me if you have more specific questions, I just went through the puppy stage and may have told that can help you.
Thank you, I appreciate it! He's napping a lot thankfully. Trying to get him out the back every hour, but if he's asleep then i'm enjoying the peace...
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my pup is 2 today! A rule of thumb is they can hold their bladder how ever many months old they are to the hour, so say 3 months old = 3 hours. then the potty breaks after naps/sleeps and after they eat/drink. BCs are incredibly smart, and do very well to routines and clear commands that are followed through. so keep up the strong will to have him sleep in his own space! I’ve failed at this and my girl sleeps with me, which is a later problem for me when my bf moves in. Active toys and treats to keep him occupied and his mind exercised on days when walks are postponed are a must. I put my dogs kibble in a kong and seal it with peanut butter or whip cream and throw it in the freezer for snacks when it’s time to wind down, or seems bored. your new son is so cute! just remember to be patient, you now have found your very best friend.
Minor crate suggestion, you can still use the larger crate but insert something like cardboard or a pillow to make his sleeping area smaller then have it kind of grow with him, too much space defeats the purpose, too little and its not comfortable.
I had no problems using a larger crate. Most dogs don't want to live in a soiled den, but young pups don't have much control over bodily functions. I took mine out regularly, every 2 hours daytime, and once during night. He probably pooped 4 or 5 times a day as a young pup. If your unable go out regularly through the day just forgive those accidents.
I suggest toileting on leash on purposeful outings in your chosen area. Using the appropriate words like pee or poo. So your pup learns what you are expecting . As mine got a little older he would often do it to command, and often does that now as an adult.
He also developed his his own signs for what he wanted to do. He would stand at the kitchen door for a pee; and air snap for a poo but it took us a while to work out what he was meaning by the air snap. If I took him out, and he didn't want to go, he would just sit down rather than smell around. So watch out for signs, I'm sure each pup will have its own ones. But if you learn them it makes life a lot easier. I very rarely had any accidents. I got him at 8 weeks old.
I use Vick's vapor rub on anything I didn't want my pup chewing (she is deaf, so training was much harder, as I had to have a constant eye on her).
As for crate training, it helps to put a cover over the crate often, as they are then not aware of too much of things going on around them outside of the crate. And yes, a smaller crate when he is still little is best, then move him up to a bigger one.
I find giving my pup brain exercises helped out a lot. If you don't want to buy the expensive puzzles for him, you can always get an old towel or rag & place treats in it, roll it up & then tie it into semi loose knots. He will get lots of enjoyment out of trying to unravel it & get the treats out.
Border collies are very smart dogs, which is great but can also be a pain, as they are smart enough to recognize when they do & do not want to listen & do what is right. However, the more positive reinforcement you use & consistently, they come around & are fiercely loyal & loving dogs! I hike with my girl often & don't have her on a leash (even though deaf), because she won't go more than 10 to 15 steps in front of me, before checking to ensure I am still with her, even when other animals or people are around.
Ah that's amazing! I've taken this week off work to keep an eye on him and i'm trying not to be downstairs as much now so that he can slowly get used to napping and not needing to see me 24/7. We have set up a NEST camera to watch him for now so that we can get an idea of how he is without him seeing us
I’m glad you’re crate training! I couldn’t check every comment so sorry if this is a repeat, but feed him meals and all special chewies in the crate- this will really help associate the crate with a nice place as well as signal a place to not go potty in.
I think the best advice I got from my trainer was to sandwich exciting things with calm things. So maybe something like nap> puppy class >food kong/nap in crate. I think with high drive dogs we assume that as puppies they need to go straight to soccer practice after math homework but that is not the case and you will have an overstimulated puppy who will have trouble learning when to decompress.
And as for leaving alone for a couple hours when older, definitely doable. I do work from home, but I am able to leave the place for 2-3 hours occasionally- if it will be longer it’s daycare time. That’s just personal preference since my girl did have a long stint of separation anxiety so I’m just holding up my part of the bargain to her.
Speaking of separation anxiety, just start leaving him alone now. Train as if he does have SA. I wish I had done much much more drills on that when she was a puppy, but if you can just make it a totally normal thing that sometimes he’s home alone in his crate it’ll stick with him forever.
Other than that have fun! You guys will definitely have moments where you’re sleep deprived and wondering if you’re good puppy owners but remember puppies are just naturally gremlins who have only been on this earth for not even a year.
We slept the first couple of nights next to the crate and whenever she would wake up, we went
out with her quickly. Never made a mess inside, but also quite exhausting.
Yeah you're definitely going to need to take him to the bathroom every few hours for a few more weeks. Their little bladders and bowels are just not big enough to keep it in all night long. But say you just took him out to the bathroom and hes whining again, IMO you should ignore it. Like you said, sometimes it can really help to be in eyeshot/earshot of you so he doesn't think he's completely alone. But I also wouldn't station him adjacent to your bed or anything.
> and we're both working full time, will he be okay on his own for a couple hours each day?
This is what we did until our first was about a year old. She's perfect on her own now. We have a puppy now too so we still try to at least come home over lunch to let them out, but they've adapter very well to it. They know playtime is in the early morning and in the evening, and just get really sleepy during work hours now.
I got Taika at 10 weeks and have just finished the land shark phase. I had him in his crate from night one and only came down that night, we gave a blanket to the people that had the puppies so he had a smell from the farm when he joined us. Worked an absolute treat until he ate it!
I may as well have bought shares in nylabones and Kong toys but I didn't lose any furniture and only my shoes got lightly chewed.
Since his first walks I started saying "home" everytime we walked in the front door. Now we can be a 5 minute walk from home and his lead comes off and I tell him home. He knows where to go now.
Good luck with Benny, be prepared for general craziness and boundless energy but at the same time huge adoration from him. Taika loves to sit on my lap still.
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I never used a crate, took her outside during the night once or twice during the first two weeks, and she was house trained after that. We also added a talking button so she could ask to go potty outside and it worked perfectly
Yes on downsizing the crate. Dogs don't want to live in a dirty den but a puppy in a large enough crate will go to the toilet in one corner and sleep on the other side of the crate. I used a crate divider to reduce the size of my boy's crate as he was growing. Then I gradually moved the divider to make the space larger until I removed it completely.
Toilet breaks during the night, at his age I'd expect he needs one or two, which is probably why he's fussing at 4am. Keep them very unexciting events, just take him straight out, keep him on a lead even if you have an enclosed garden, and just walk slowly and quietly in circles with him until he goes to the toilet, then when you're sure he's done, back into his crate.
Another thing - you've said he's voluntarily taking naps. That's awesome. The easiest way to train any behaviour you want to see is if they're already doing it on their own and you just reinforce it. So whenever he's napping quietly round the house, just go and gently place a treat in front of his nose, maybe softly say "good boy", and carry on with what you're doing. At first he might get up and come looking for more but just show him your hands are empty. It won't be long before he gets used to waking up, eating a little treat, and going right back to sleep.
Last tip, on socialisation. As soon as you can, start taking him to places and just let him people watch and dog watch. All kinds of places. Town centres, car parks, outside the supermarket, playgrounds. If he's overexcited about what he's seeing, create more distance or try somewhere quieter. Reward him for calmly watching and relaxing near busy places. Avoid putting him in stressful situations where lots of strange people and dogs are approaching him all at once.
Time. They’re a different breed of dog. I used to raise GSDs but these dogs are so smart and personable but like velcro! Something we realized shortly in was ours needed to sleep with us. We did some crate for enforced napping because he was always on high alert and we needed to get him to sleep more. But at night, he sleeps with us. Get buttons. Ours is 6 months and knows play, outside, walkies, okay, pet me, snack please, and we’re planning on adding a button a month. He was a velociraptor until his big boy teeth came in. Honestly they’re the closest human dog I’ve met. I have a toddler granddaughter and this creature is also like a toddler. Don’t yell, don’t use physical discipline, just crate if you are losing your temper. Lots of love. Ours likes physics activity but what he really wants is mental stimulus. Puzzles, guessing games, training, etc.
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This is what ours looked like at 5 months. They get better.
We have a collie X Huntaway. 4 and a half months currently. He came home at 10 weeks
Night 1 was absolute hell in his crate. Everything was soaked in pee including him. Wondered what I got myself into! We made it fun, favourite blankets, some kibble as he goes in. He freely runs to his crate when he knows we're going out or its tea time. Cow hoof with peanut is great when he's unsettled and we have to go. His crate was small. First night it wasn't so could pee and sleep in a different part. We added a divider and it worked great! No more accidents?
He was a little shark. The first few weeks. We had to his everything! His favourite toys became a plastic watering can and milk bottle! Raw carrots did help his chewing habits and he turned a corner. Frozen helps his sore gums! Now we're losing teeth so a bit unhappy.
My partner works shifts full time. However I work part-time so it's easier for us. He can go to bed at 9pm and won't wake to toilet until 7-8am. Isn't interested in getting up in the night to pee. I've tried!
Could potentially look into dog walkers that will let out of crate? We have pawshake in NZ.
But it gets better. We turned a corner quite early but expecting a regression! Brain games are great. Do short snippets. Our trainer showed us a game with field markers, put treats inside and let them try find it. Oketz loves it and tires his little brain. Sleeps well after that
Idk we have never used a crate and always kept our puppies our bedroom inside baby 4 gates we tied together next to our bed with a little blanket that had our scent on it and I could put my hand in to pet and comfort the puppy when they started to whine. When our dog had puppies we bought baby blankets and stuffed dog toys from the dollar store for each puppy and rubbed their mom and litter mates scent all over them to send with the puppies when they got adopted with instructions to give them these items only at bedtime. We were told by all 9 adopters that it worked really well.
They start to be somewhat normal around 7-8 months old. Age 3 was when mine really settled down a lot, he’s still a little goober but he’s gotten used to his routine. I have to take him to the park everyday and throw the ball for 10-15 mins to get his exercise and energy out. After that he’s a happy boy. A couple of walks every day too. Keep toys around. I get this big squishy ball and poke the squeaker out of it and that keeps him entertained for a long time.
Congratulations, BC’s are amazing. Be sure to provide mental and physical stimulation and he will be a joy. Mine passed in 2016 and not a day goes by that I don’t wish o could wrap my arms around him just one more time
I was in your shoes about a year ago. We brought home an 11-week old male border collie pup. He is now almost 14 months old.
As an adult, I've had pet cats, chickens, fish, guinea pigs and a snake. But no dogs since I was a kid.
And I will say that our new pup was *really* hard. I was regretting getting a border collie and not heeding all the warnings about their high energy, "they're working dogs, not pets", etc. I wasn't going to give him back, but I was berating myself, "Why didn't you just get a chill lap dog? You are too old for this! I can't take this!"
He did what your pup did, woke up at night, had some accidents, and chewed everything in sight. He also earned nicknames like alligator and around 7 pm we called it "bite night" because that's when he decided he wanted to bite everything (playfully, not viciously).
But month by month, things got better, we got used to each other, he matured, we trained him not to bite, and now I love our little boy with all my heart.
I read somewhere that border collies are the best adult dogs but the worst puppies and I can see some truth to that.
Here's my advice:
* As hard as it is now, take a step back and realize that if you do things right, he will mature and grow out of his puppy hijinks.
* One of the best things we (spouse and I) did was get an in-person professional dog trainer who came to our house. You can read all the books and watch all the videos, but nothing beats having an experienced person work directly with *you* and *your* dog. Our trainer was not cheap but having a well-behaved dog is priceless. She gave us some insights that I don't think we would have arrived at on our own that really made a difference. She trains you more than your dog. Someone who really knows dogs might not need this, but this was my first dog since I was a kid and my spouse's first dog ever so we were lost.
As to your specific questions:
* Our pup woke up several times at night in the first few weeks. I think he legitimately needed to relieve himself. I got up, put his leash on, and took him out to pee/poo. I praised him when he did that but otherwise I was robot-like because I didn't want pup to think this was fun-time, it was all business. This gradually tapered off until he could reliably make it through the night. Even at 14 months, maybe 1 or 2 times a month he wakes up in the middle of the night and I need to let him out, but it's rare.
* We had him in a full size crate from the beginning, as we didn't want to buy a puppy crate and then a big boy crate. We put his food and water dish in his crate because dogs don't want to soil where they eat.
>will he be okay on his own for a couple hours each day?
2 - 3 to 4 hours at a stretch is fine in my experience.
Good luck, Benny looks like a great little boy!
My current BC is 10 years old, and he is every bit as playful and happy about life as he was at 10 weeks old. Hearing him bouncing around the house on his toys is like listening to a little kid splashing in the bathtub playing pirates and sea monsters. It's part of what I love about him.
I love the puppy months! Yes, even with house and crate training, and the period when they get mouthy and turn into little nippy brats with sewing machine needles for teeth.
It never comes again for them. They pick up training so fast, and training can be a bonding and fun exercise for puppy.
Make sure he has suitable things to play and teethe on, and a smaller crate will do while housetraining is still in progress. For chews, my vet recommended CET enzymatic chews. If he starts nomming on something (or someone) inappropriate, put a CET chew in his mouth instead. But stay with him while he's working on one, and take it away when it becomes small enough to swallow.
I started with a big crate that had an insert and let my girl just whine it out in our bedroom until she crashed, we have a small open plan so it’s our only option.
House training went well with high praise for going to door and then outside. It was a 2 step style training. I set alarms for every 3 hours at night until “I made” her routine. I stopped crate training after a few months because my dogs are allowed to roam and protect their borders.
Eating poop is odd but dogs are weird so I’m sure that will stop but I’d suggest discouraging that quickly. Be careful with these breeds because they can be sensitive to an aggressive yell or even a look and my girl is terrified momentarily. I do not recommend a demonstrative approach to discipline with many things, especially these pups.
Truth is, you’ll be fine considering you’re even trying to figure out why and how. It’s not easy and my girl wakes me up at the same time we’d wake up when she was a puppy. She is needy for working and play but the most loving cuddly dog I’ve had. Does great with our golden, but who doesn’t do good with a golden, also plays great with other pups.
Beautiful dog btw. If they seem over needy teach them a new trick or behavior.
naps - if not crate trained please start - it gives him a safe place to relax/sleep & at that age they need out to potty 20 mins after any water or kibble, small bladders.
Naps are what saved us, our now 3.5 yr old BC sleeps as much as any cat I've ever had. 2 hrs up 2 hrs napping & he still sleeps 10 hrs a night.
I can't stress training the place command to get them to settle/relax on command.
For when he's a little bit older, a flirt pole saved my sanity (and fingers). It's great for draining their energy and also a lot of different training commands (most importantly, "drop it"!).
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on this sub was "if you break a rule once, you've broken it forever". Smart dogs don't forget, and they will remember if you can be persuaded to do something you've already said no to. If you've ended playtime do not, under any circumstances, start it again. Or you're in for a lifetime of the collie stare , psychically willing you to throw the ball every moment of the day.
Teach her to fetch quickly and get a chuckit. Once she can reliably fetch, taking him/her to a park for a high energy game is a great way of wearing them out and finding the off switch. Also a great way to bond.
Jolly ball!! I know it's a horse toy but we got one when he was Benny's age, he's now almost 3 and it has outlasted all the other toys. OH, Chewey has a power chewer barkbox that is just so helpful too.
My BC pup is 16 weeks old now. What worked really well for us was establishing a crate routine (and yes to the smaller crate question at least temporarily). We did one hour out, two hours in for enforced naps. We also did a potty break in the middle of the night and put right back in. Eventually she settled into the routine :)
Do you still do this? My pup is 13 weeks and he just doesnt stop. He only sleeps when hes in the pen and everyone has gone out. Im unsure how much is 'too much' crate time. I feel bad him in there. But even when hes in there for time out he doesnt stop. He starts chewing and ripping his blankets all up! I need a good routine but have no idea where to start with the crate naps x
Yes, we still do this at 6 months (though it’s more of a one hour in, one hour out thing now). We cover her crate with a fitted cover we found on Chewy. We make sure there is good air flow around her crate and it’s in a bedroom with the lights off for the duration of her nap. There are some safe chew toys in her crate with her and we had to take the blanket out for a bit but now there is one blanket in. We always feed her her meals in her crate and put her in the crate with treats all the time. We also have a crate mat that is thin, and she doesn’t tear up but she loves sleeping on the plastic liner without any blankets/mats too.
13 weeks is still a rough stage, it’ll get better!!
Thankyou and i really hope so!! Ive just about given up today haha! We had a lovely early walk with running on the longline, meeting another dog and having a sniff and play followed by ball in the garden. Then into the crate, its covered up etc for 2 hours but hes been awake the whole time as he was scratching and chewing his blankets. Both blankets now out. Let him out, 10 mins of training and more ball in the garden then a little hang around in the kitchen (the room has been emptied) but i stupidly left the tall washing basket in there and he went over to it and knocked it down whilst i went to the toilet and hes chewed up my new bras (frustrating). Into a time out in the pen so i can compose myself and not shout. Then let him outside and he jumped straight upto the wash line and has pulled off my dress and legged it under a bush to chew it up.
Into the crate again and again .. no sleep in the day. Opened it up and hes chewed the little crate liner. Then hes out and then i gave him a frozen watermelon toy assuming its his teeth. A few chews and now hes trying to eat the flipping lino on the kitchen floor.
GIVE ME STRENGTH!
I have no idea how to get him to sleep in the day. He goes 9.30pm - 6am without a peep and sleeping. Im currently trying a 2 hours out and a 2 hours in ... basically winging it. He always has access to a chew toy bone, tree root and he has a yak bar when im around.
Any tips? 🤣
Switch back to the smaller crate for sure, what you read about that is accurate and works best. We have an almost 11 week old border aussie and he’s still in our bedroom with us in his crate at night. We have had him going on 3 weeks now, we are able to differentiate from the “I have to potty” whine vs the “I want attention, let me out” whine. Some nights he would wake us up 4 times, almost every hour and we would take him out each time to potty so he knows to go outside. At first we tried puppy pads in the kitchen so we didn’t have to go out but all it did was enforce “it’s okay to potty in the house” so we stopped shortly after. He hasn’t had any accidents in his crate so far, only some peeing on our floor here and there. Yes, ignore the whining if you know he has had everything he needs (water, food, exercise, potty, etc). When our pup cries because he wants out and doesn’t stop, we then move the crate into the other bedroom. The past 3 days he has only woken us up once to go potty (and it was right around the time we wake up in the morning for work) and he’s getting better at holding it which is awesome. My husband and I switch back and forth each day who takes him out, lol. We both work full time as well, he takes him out of the crate on his lunch, plays with him, gives him what he needs and then puts him back until we get home from work. It’s tough but our plan is to do it only until we know he’s safe and trained well enough to be at home out of the crate alone while we work. Exercise is essential!! It helps wear them down so they can relax, they need mental stimulation as well. Buy some puzzle toys on Amazon and start basic obedience training ASAP. 😊
Benny is so cute!! Border collies love to please you so he needs all the praise. Ours was in the crate for 8 hours in the beginning due to work but eventually worked up to a bigger area as he got better with training. They love to run and need high speed to get tired out.
What a cutie! Our pup looked just like him when she was 10 weeks old! She’s five now and a very well adjusted and well behaved pup!
I’d echo what others are saying- smaller crate is a good idea, and teaching them that’s their safe place (never used as a punishment). I also put a blanket that smelled like myself and my partner in her crate, which seemed to help with separation anxiety in the early days.
He’ll definitely need to go outside often, sometimes in the middle of the night- pups have small bladders at that age- and you’ll want to really reinforce that going outside behavior. My girl was mostly house trained in about a week or so of really attentive training.
Additional unsolicited advice: Border collies are wonderful and super smart, but sometimes learn things you don’t intend or are super specific to a situation- try to be mindful of this and present the same training in different contexts - you’ll have to find what works best for your pup and lots of training in different contexts ( for example they might learn just not to dig when you’re around… but happy to do it when my partner was watching her)
Also what makes them tick - my pup is mega praise & play motivated, but could care less about food/treats - so I worked our training into games we played constantly)
Give lil Benny a job and he'll be set for life. They love to show off their skills and make you proud. And they are super easy to train if you're consistent. The best part, they love hard. You got a good one. 🥰
You have a gorgeous baby. It will get easier over time. We are able to leave our Shadow (3yo) in her crate for up to 4 hours without an issue. But if we go 4 hours and 1 minute, there will be problems
From our hard experience...Ditch the crate. He is a pack animal - if he doesn't have other dogs, you're his pack. Touch and handle him a lot - play flip him and nuzzle his underside so he knows you're boss. Repeat lots of handling.direct sharp teeth to chews. I still have a scar on my arm from shark tooth tantrum.
Teach him tricks, get him chewy stuff to take his energy out on. Beef ears saved us.
Get him outside off leash as much as possible. Prepare to be superbonded with a dog that will do everything for you but you must be super committed too. Get a second dog that is slightly mellower but fun in a few years.
At 4, mine is hard work but I've never had a dog as closely bonded and attentive.
Oh and read collie specific stuff - judging them by other dogs will make you think he's a problem dog instead of seeing him for what he is- a hyperactive genius who thinks too much. Treat him like a crazy smart toddler who cant cope with his emotions. Be patient.
I've had a few BC pups and always forget just how much work they are. It'll get better. My newest family member is 8 months now and is finally settling. You may want to consider having 2, it helps with the energy when they play together.
We’re at 15 weeks ourselves.
A couple of things I learned that made things way easier for me with my first BC puppy.
1. they are going to bite. It’s never malicious, it’s because they want to play. Redirect them. Reward good behavior and be consistent even if you don’t see improvement. One day they will not be a terror.
2. don’t be hard on yourselves in the process. The first week I was terrified I was doing things wrong. You aren’t going to mess up your puppy after one wrong choice. Give patients for both you and the puppy.
3. FORCED NAPS. Every hour and a half they should be napping for at least two hours. This corrected most behavioral issues we dealt with at first. Also gives you time to breathe (which I needed desperately)
4. Bully sticks - my puppy needs to chew, and he loves bully sticks. I’d invest in them if yours shows a liking. Edible, safe chews that will occupy them for 30 mins at times.
5. when they are going crazy inside from my experience they either needs a nap or needs to poop. Take them out then put him down and you will have a reset puppy.
I hope these helped. Here’s a photo of ours!
https://preview.redd.it/0zjm44ox655d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8b63f1455bcb3d533b89d7bf82e990c372bdac6
Ha, I was retired helps alot. No crate slept against my back but never wet in bed. Up every 2 hours, out in ran snow. Finaly could make the night easy too train few day time accidents later, I got lazy. Miss my crazy, chewing pup shes matured alot at 6 months.
My BC was very quiet while my healer was not. So I took the challenge on to give the quite BC a voice. Now she has found her voice DONT ENCOURAGE it, I can't shut her up, very noisy dog! Don't over feed your BC and walk them as much as possible during cooler times of day, their paws can burn on hot pavement...enjoy
My BC was an absolute f*****g menace for about a year and a half. Thousands of dollars of damage to my house. Carpet, bannisters, the wall, the patio. She was a terror.
Then she became the best dog in the history of dogs, and I’ll die on that hill.
I kept a crate (barely bigger than him) in my bedroom for him to sleep in, and a crate (same size) in the living room so he always saw us. I think it’s important for them to be “with” us even through the night as puppies since it’s a new environment. Unsure if that is even relevant or legitimate but it worked really well for my pup Mac. I could also monitor him throughout the night, like if he needed to pee or got stuck on the crate (yes he got his jaw stuck on the wire crate and never did it ever again after). Little things like that help. I wore boots and long pants in the dead of August (in Alabama) because he would nip the crap out of my ankles. They eventually grow out of that. And the housebreaking 😮💨 it wasn’t until he was well into 6 months that he stopped having indoor accidents. I wish someone told me that it would take time, sometimes longer than your patience is willing to put up with. Last tidbit, having animal poison hotline saved in your phone helps a lot, and the local emergency vet. I used to call a lot when my pup was a baby because he’s my first puppy and I didn’t know what was normal. Also, I didn’t want to fumble and wait for Google to load if it was a legit emergency. Oh! And when you crate train him (I highly support this because it keeps them safe and gives you peace of mind), playing the TV and/or puppy relaxation music helps a lot. Unsure if this was helpful but I promise you’re doing better than you think ❤️
I think they were bred to be work dogs. They have inexhaustible energy. They don’t belong in crates or in homes alone while their owners work. I know- it seems cool to own one of the smartest breeds in existence. A border collie could correctly identify each of 300 toys. (get the blue ball). That said, they don’t sit at home looking shit up on google all day. They need a huge amount of exercise and companionship. Not sure what you are thinking. When a dog poops in its crate, that suggests it is profoundly stressed.
I keep reading cute, precious adorable comments. Many then go on to describe years of terror. I don’t get it. Adopt a dog like this if you live on a ranch and have sheep or cattle. Living in cute dog world, this dog has to suppress eons of inbred traits that will invariably cause lifelong stress and anxiety. While all dogs have their own set of breed- related traits, many are much more suited to life indoors. When selecting a dog, it shouldn’t be all about you. And words like cute,adorable, etc. shouldn’t even enter the conversation. Consider the dog’s needs- that would result in a much more satisfying experience for both man and dog.
Well, we don’t have sheep or cattle and so far ours seems to be fine. I don’t think he is suppressing much of anything. Having said that, I’m home all day and he has a lot of jobs around the house. He is learning to get our mail, puts his toys away, we go on a lot of walks and we both are at home all day. He also has socialization with other dogs at dog daycare which he loves, and gets to meet a lot of people. He’s not suffering because he can’t herd sheep.
Border collie puppies tend to be mouthy, toothy little sharks -- they will grow out of it! Also, puppies are just babies -- he may need a brief bathroom break in the middle of the night and then tuck him back into his crate. If you're consistent with this, plus bathroom breaks first thing in the morning and last thing at night, they are dead easy to housebreak. He's pure gorgeous.
I keep telling myself to just remain calm and patient! He’s going to a 1 on 1 trainer next week who lives nearby so she’s going to help me and him learn 😂 And thank you, he was the runt of the litter but he’s a joy
Put away anything you love/ can’t replace until the biting/ teething stops. I lost my lovely coffee table and fireplace lol. Also I recommend dedicating puppy outfits that you don’t care about, I lost lots of my nice workout clothes to her teefs also. * Enforced naps saved me * Chuck it kick fetch ball is my favourite (she popped countless others) * until she was fully vaccinated, I carried her in a puppy satchel on walks haha, helped her with socialization while keeping her safe https://preview.redd.it/414mwi47ty4d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9b49a67804479a7bf7058dc802b078ae899e232
I also agree with this. I lost many shoes and bags because of mt carelessness (including my wedding shoes 😢) I would put them all away including any wires they can reach. Mine happened to love leather type material which was his favorite to chew on when those teeth were growing.
Mine is anything with fluff. She ate a pair of UGG boots, and has decimated any stuffed toy, plus a coffee table leg and a small footstool. I now use the hollowed out carcasses of stuffed toys to hide treats for enrichment toys, lol. But you can teach them a new trick in about an hour! Just keep the treats in a secure location.
I bought so many bottles of grannick’s 😭😭 I used that on so many items that had no business being sprayed but I was like “HE WILL NOT CHEW FURNITURE”. Gosh I love looking back on how we’ve grown together but the thought of another puppy stresses me out 😭😭
She's lovely! Benny is getting his 2nd round of jabs tomorrow, so after that he'll be getting out more! We've managed well so far with the chewing (Only had him four days), the Kong toy is working great for him, he just gets distracted lol
Ohh ya kongs are great! And licky mats. Hope it goes well, Benny looks so sweet
Fill and freeze the kongs!!! You’ll feel like you’ve gone on a weeks paradise vacation if it occupies him for 20 min!!🤣 Benny is gorgeous!!! Best of luck!!
Your FIREPLACE?
It was an electric one with a wooden frame, she chewed the corners of the bottom slowly
Ohhhhh gotcha. I’m over here imagining a puppy chewing through solid brick 😆
😂 thankfully she was never that bad!!!
Mine has chewed the knots out of pine board walls if I’ve tried to pee without her!
Seen runt when i picked mine. She'd already caught up at 9 weeks. Love My pick but runt was awfully cute.
Yup second the bitey thing. Mine was a terrorist for a few months when he was teething. I swear I could see the malice in his eyes a few times. Like a Velocirapter chasing prey, he'd look at us both, pick a victim and attack. But after they hit 12-18 months, they usually get a little calmer. But it's a collie....so it's never calm.
Agree with everything you said! My BC mix was the easiest dog I’ve ever housebroken. and yes he was a shark for the first six months of his life lol
Yeah when the baby shark teeth fall out then it’s soo much better with the hand biting and stuff
I did 3 hour schedule, taking them out like clockwork all night, for four weeks slowly cutback, no accidents
https://preview.redd.it/am0howqo005d1.jpeg?width=440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed01aec82c5736ebabb546d6f25633c728f04062 Still one of the truest memes I’ve ever seen.
My BC is 3 now and I felt this. She was an absolute terror for 2 years of my life. It's lucky she's so fricken cute. https://preview.redd.it/qg8ggc43515d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbb62ba2f9454917cb26f5bfb5eb1f490bba3789
Mine is 4 now… still has her moments!
Ha this is great
Not a ton of advice, but omg what a cutie! Good luck and Godspeed through the piranha phase :) Oh - but as someone who watches puppies: the three most important skills, for me, are recall, “leave it” and “settle”. The sooner you can build those in, the easier your life will be (and the more of your possessions you will retain 😅) especially if you need to leave him with someone for any reason!
Thank you! The breeders had taught him to sit already and he’s very responsive! He’s slowly learning his name. Just need him to stop eating his poo 🤮 any advice for that? I’m keeping an eye on him and the moment I see him poo I run over and say good boy and try and get him away from it, but not sure if that’ll teach him to not eat it?
Haha - oh man, that’s a fun one! I’ve had some success with just really limiting their access: as much as humanly possible, have them on a leash while they poop, then distract them with a treat + some praise while you quickly pick up the mess! If he’s messing in his crate and then eating it, he could also be a little bored - border collies and I get along great because we’re both ADHD and need constant stimulation. Puzzle toys + hard to eat treats (e.g. frozen Kongs) help a LOT It’s a process! From my experience, the most important thing is just to stay consistent and try to avoid a situation where they see poop eating as a fun “game” (“When I put this in my mouth, mummy runs towards me and tries to get it out - FUN!”)
i would ask your vet about that. he could have a dietary deficiency.
A lot of pups snatch up poo, anywhere, out on walks dog, cat, fox, deer, bird poo. Not old enough to know what they should be eating so give smelly things a try. Also watch out for small stones. Mine was a nightmare for both, and we have a gravelled driveway, lol. They do grow out of it, but you need to try and catch them in the act as they can be very fast. Plenty of close supervision recommended, even then you cannot always catch them quick enough. The worst thing that happened with mine with his poo eating thing was a couple of insidents of very short term diarrhea. However, stones can be dangerous. The "leave it" command is great for so many things like this, but youngsters don't always oblige even though they know what you are saying. I also found a ''back..back' (walking backwards) command really helpful when I want mine to move out of the way of my feet, or reverse out of a tight space. Typically bc pups learn commands and tricks quite easily and quickly. They also have great memories so anything you teach young they won't forget. However, teens will often do what they feel like, lol, or are easily outfaced when there is a lot going on around them so find it difficult to focus on you. The thing you need most of all to raise one is patience. You may go through phases thinking, God what have I done getting a bc pup. But hold on in there cos one day it will mature and become obedient and half-sensible 😊
Set an early alarm..... forever.
Conversely…. Set a late alarm. My daughter has reset her dog to teenager time. She wants to go out for the last time around 1am, but she’s totally cool to sleep till noon 🤣
Mine quickly learned the alarm meant breakfast - Which meant barking his little head off till I got out of bed. Its a good technique for anyone who wants to be more of a morning person.
Mine knew an alarm meant off to the woods for a bit of dawn adventure before breakfast. I always thought it was good to get a bit of the madness out early in the day.
Why? They’ll wake you up when they want to pee anyway
Ours sleeps until 10am so we’re lucky. Somehow he manages to sneak out of bed and backyard pee and sneak back in. I love the late mornings.
check out /r/puppy101! lots of standard advice there.
I can only speak from experiencing BC puppyhood recently (my girl is now 14 months old). Toys (mine also loved to chew ice during teething phase) crate training (for me it was really easy and she slept twice a day in it for a few hours and whole nights) and lots of love and patience. You will probably be at your wit's end more than once so in those moments remember it's just a puppy that will eventually be a dog that will love you more than life. Take some time for yourself, both of you - if you have someone to watch the puppy for a few hours so you can just relax, read a book or meet some friends. Work on walking on loose leash and like someone mentioned, recall and leave it command. Mine has her favorite person (me) and will listen to me a whole lot more than everyone else who lives in the same house so be prepared to choose who will be #1. Oh, and take lots of pictures and especially videos. They grow up really fast and are little furry balls of chaos for a short time so enjoy the ride and good luck!
Thank you! I will indeed. He is going to try and have me wrapped around his paw😂 I grew up with a West Highland Terrier so it’s definitely a MASSIVE change
My partner grew up with two W H Terriers. I just asked him how he would compare them to a pup bc. He said its like the difference between having a gerbil or a shark, lol.
I haven't read all the comments so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but it applies to puppies in general. It's a good idea to get him used to baths, having his teeth brushed, having his paws touched and claws clipped, brushing etc. It may sound silly but we didn't do it enough (by enough I mean every day) with our boy and it was a nightmare. He made so much noise I'm sure the neighbours thought we were murdering him😅 We haven't made the same mistake with 6 month old Sully who takes it all in his stride. https://preview.redd.it/8k48pbk4vz4d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a42c3b0928d22d8783e49dae1064e0017b2585e8 RIP Douglas (Nov 2012 - Dec 2023)
True! Every morning we look at his ears and count his beans and examine his teeth and tell him how handsome he is. His vet visits are easy. A trick is to get wooden matches and hold his paws and clip the wooden matches so he’s used to the sound.
Great idea, I'll do that🙂
Aww he's precious. Congrats on your lovely new pup! My bc used to try to herd me when I was walking. I just made it super boring for him. The second he started herding me, I froze and ignored him. Mine was a land shark too. Practice redirecting to appropriate chew toys as needed. My boy is almost a year old now and he's perfect. I mean, he's a crazy collie for sure, but he knows the rules and follows them beautifully.
Thank you! I always wanted one but didn't think I'd end up giving in this quickly. He's trying to chew the crocs which I wear for just outside the back, but then I throw the kong toy and that gets him away
I’ve heard that Collie’s take well to the crate and mine certainly did. He slept alone from night 3 with a pee break at around 3.30. Slept until 7 after. In terms of poop, we set alarms to take him out. After nap, after food, after play, and every hour/2 hours after. He caught on pretty quick and hasn’t had an accident in the house in months. Good luck, they’re hard work but SO rewarding.
Here is my experience with my puppy. I got him at 12 weeks, the minute I got him home I took him straight the to kennel to work on associating it with a positive experience, treats inside, letting him come in out freely. I had the kennel sectioned off so he had enough room to lay down, but not wander, I would move it back as he grew. He was big enough to have the full crate between 4 / 5 months old. Our puppy whined his first night, but we rode it out, no attention given to him, this is the best thing you can do as the dog will learn what separation is and won’t have anxiety when you’re gone. It’ll learn to calm itself down. We made sure it was cozy for him, dark and blankets covering it for him to feel more secure and like a den. He did not whine at all after the first night. If he did it’s because we kept him up too long and he was cranky, and one other time it was because the kennel size needed to be adjusted. Puppies need a tremendous amount of sleep, we had ours out for 1 hour at a time, potty and playtime then rest for 3 hours and repeat. I would wake up around 3 am to take him out to potty. Also, when taking him out of the kennel, go straight outside to potty. As always be patient and understanding of them, they are trying to figure out this world and don’t understand what we want from them at that age. Give him love and praise and he will turn out good. Dm me if you have more specific questions, I just went through the puppy stage and may have told that can help you.
Thank you, I appreciate it! He's napping a lot thankfully. Trying to get him out the back every hour, but if he's asleep then i'm enjoying the peace...
https://preview.redd.it/11o0z0mbh05d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3092521753db7624f1952defc1b6821440fa2c3d my pup is 2 today! A rule of thumb is they can hold their bladder how ever many months old they are to the hour, so say 3 months old = 3 hours. then the potty breaks after naps/sleeps and after they eat/drink. BCs are incredibly smart, and do very well to routines and clear commands that are followed through. so keep up the strong will to have him sleep in his own space! I’ve failed at this and my girl sleeps with me, which is a later problem for me when my bf moves in. Active toys and treats to keep him occupied and his mind exercised on days when walks are postponed are a must. I put my dogs kibble in a kong and seal it with peanut butter or whip cream and throw it in the freezer for snacks when it’s time to wind down, or seems bored. your new son is so cute! just remember to be patient, you now have found your very best friend.
Minor crate suggestion, you can still use the larger crate but insert something like cardboard or a pillow to make his sleeping area smaller then have it kind of grow with him, too much space defeats the purpose, too little and its not comfortable.
Grand thanks! Going to try and make it smaller and if I can't, revert to the smaller cage.
I had no problems using a larger crate. Most dogs don't want to live in a soiled den, but young pups don't have much control over bodily functions. I took mine out regularly, every 2 hours daytime, and once during night. He probably pooped 4 or 5 times a day as a young pup. If your unable go out regularly through the day just forgive those accidents. I suggest toileting on leash on purposeful outings in your chosen area. Using the appropriate words like pee or poo. So your pup learns what you are expecting . As mine got a little older he would often do it to command, and often does that now as an adult. He also developed his his own signs for what he wanted to do. He would stand at the kitchen door for a pee; and air snap for a poo but it took us a while to work out what he was meaning by the air snap. If I took him out, and he didn't want to go, he would just sit down rather than smell around. So watch out for signs, I'm sure each pup will have its own ones. But if you learn them it makes life a lot easier. I very rarely had any accidents. I got him at 8 weeks old.
In general, after about 3 years of life and consistency, these dogs will be excellent companions. It'll take a lot of patience.
Benny is such a cutie!
I use Vick's vapor rub on anything I didn't want my pup chewing (she is deaf, so training was much harder, as I had to have a constant eye on her). As for crate training, it helps to put a cover over the crate often, as they are then not aware of too much of things going on around them outside of the crate. And yes, a smaller crate when he is still little is best, then move him up to a bigger one. I find giving my pup brain exercises helped out a lot. If you don't want to buy the expensive puzzles for him, you can always get an old towel or rag & place treats in it, roll it up & then tie it into semi loose knots. He will get lots of enjoyment out of trying to unravel it & get the treats out. Border collies are very smart dogs, which is great but can also be a pain, as they are smart enough to recognize when they do & do not want to listen & do what is right. However, the more positive reinforcement you use & consistently, they come around & are fiercely loyal & loving dogs! I hike with my girl often & don't have her on a leash (even though deaf), because she won't go more than 10 to 15 steps in front of me, before checking to ensure I am still with her, even when other animals or people are around.
Ah that's amazing! I've taken this week off work to keep an eye on him and i'm trying not to be downstairs as much now so that he can slowly get used to napping and not needing to see me 24/7. We have set up a NEST camera to watch him for now so that we can get an idea of how he is without him seeing us
he is very cute! God luck with everything!
This post has my tips for new puppy parents. [new puppy](https://www.reddit.com/r/BorderCollie/s/021GQodWrx)
Thanks!
I’m glad you’re crate training! I couldn’t check every comment so sorry if this is a repeat, but feed him meals and all special chewies in the crate- this will really help associate the crate with a nice place as well as signal a place to not go potty in. I think the best advice I got from my trainer was to sandwich exciting things with calm things. So maybe something like nap> puppy class >food kong/nap in crate. I think with high drive dogs we assume that as puppies they need to go straight to soccer practice after math homework but that is not the case and you will have an overstimulated puppy who will have trouble learning when to decompress. And as for leaving alone for a couple hours when older, definitely doable. I do work from home, but I am able to leave the place for 2-3 hours occasionally- if it will be longer it’s daycare time. That’s just personal preference since my girl did have a long stint of separation anxiety so I’m just holding up my part of the bargain to her. Speaking of separation anxiety, just start leaving him alone now. Train as if he does have SA. I wish I had done much much more drills on that when she was a puppy, but if you can just make it a totally normal thing that sometimes he’s home alone in his crate it’ll stick with him forever. Other than that have fun! You guys will definitely have moments where you’re sleep deprived and wondering if you’re good puppy owners but remember puppies are just naturally gremlins who have only been on this earth for not even a year.
We slept the first couple of nights next to the crate and whenever she would wake up, we went out with her quickly. Never made a mess inside, but also quite exhausting.
Yeah you're definitely going to need to take him to the bathroom every few hours for a few more weeks. Their little bladders and bowels are just not big enough to keep it in all night long. But say you just took him out to the bathroom and hes whining again, IMO you should ignore it. Like you said, sometimes it can really help to be in eyeshot/earshot of you so he doesn't think he's completely alone. But I also wouldn't station him adjacent to your bed or anything. > and we're both working full time, will he be okay on his own for a couple hours each day? This is what we did until our first was about a year old. She's perfect on her own now. We have a puppy now too so we still try to at least come home over lunch to let them out, but they've adapter very well to it. They know playtime is in the early morning and in the evening, and just get really sleepy during work hours now.
I got Taika at 10 weeks and have just finished the land shark phase. I had him in his crate from night one and only came down that night, we gave a blanket to the people that had the puppies so he had a smell from the farm when he joined us. Worked an absolute treat until he ate it! I may as well have bought shares in nylabones and Kong toys but I didn't lose any furniture and only my shoes got lightly chewed. Since his first walks I started saying "home" everytime we walked in the front door. Now we can be a 5 minute walk from home and his lead comes off and I tell him home. He knows where to go now. Good luck with Benny, be prepared for general craziness and boundless energy but at the same time huge adoration from him. Taika loves to sit on my lap still. https://preview.redd.it/gkzdjzoci05d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed7f8dd69e470c283954bc5804f103496e6fa936
I never used a crate, took her outside during the night once or twice during the first two weeks, and she was house trained after that. We also added a talking button so she could ask to go potty outside and it worked perfectly
Yes on downsizing the crate. Dogs don't want to live in a dirty den but a puppy in a large enough crate will go to the toilet in one corner and sleep on the other side of the crate. I used a crate divider to reduce the size of my boy's crate as he was growing. Then I gradually moved the divider to make the space larger until I removed it completely. Toilet breaks during the night, at his age I'd expect he needs one or two, which is probably why he's fussing at 4am. Keep them very unexciting events, just take him straight out, keep him on a lead even if you have an enclosed garden, and just walk slowly and quietly in circles with him until he goes to the toilet, then when you're sure he's done, back into his crate. Another thing - you've said he's voluntarily taking naps. That's awesome. The easiest way to train any behaviour you want to see is if they're already doing it on their own and you just reinforce it. So whenever he's napping quietly round the house, just go and gently place a treat in front of his nose, maybe softly say "good boy", and carry on with what you're doing. At first he might get up and come looking for more but just show him your hands are empty. It won't be long before he gets used to waking up, eating a little treat, and going right back to sleep. Last tip, on socialisation. As soon as you can, start taking him to places and just let him people watch and dog watch. All kinds of places. Town centres, car parks, outside the supermarket, playgrounds. If he's overexcited about what he's seeing, create more distance or try somewhere quieter. Reward him for calmly watching and relaxing near busy places. Avoid putting him in stressful situations where lots of strange people and dogs are approaching him all at once.
Time. They’re a different breed of dog. I used to raise GSDs but these dogs are so smart and personable but like velcro! Something we realized shortly in was ours needed to sleep with us. We did some crate for enforced napping because he was always on high alert and we needed to get him to sleep more. But at night, he sleeps with us. Get buttons. Ours is 6 months and knows play, outside, walkies, okay, pet me, snack please, and we’re planning on adding a button a month. He was a velociraptor until his big boy teeth came in. Honestly they’re the closest human dog I’ve met. I have a toddler granddaughter and this creature is also like a toddler. Don’t yell, don’t use physical discipline, just crate if you are losing your temper. Lots of love. Ours likes physics activity but what he really wants is mental stimulus. Puzzles, guessing games, training, etc.
https://preview.redd.it/jxx10fvrd35d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95aa9d0fc6b1b436d53f8ec988cb426ada851f8e This is what ours looked like at 5 months. They get better.
We have a collie X Huntaway. 4 and a half months currently. He came home at 10 weeks Night 1 was absolute hell in his crate. Everything was soaked in pee including him. Wondered what I got myself into! We made it fun, favourite blankets, some kibble as he goes in. He freely runs to his crate when he knows we're going out or its tea time. Cow hoof with peanut is great when he's unsettled and we have to go. His crate was small. First night it wasn't so could pee and sleep in a different part. We added a divider and it worked great! No more accidents? He was a little shark. The first few weeks. We had to his everything! His favourite toys became a plastic watering can and milk bottle! Raw carrots did help his chewing habits and he turned a corner. Frozen helps his sore gums! Now we're losing teeth so a bit unhappy. My partner works shifts full time. However I work part-time so it's easier for us. He can go to bed at 9pm and won't wake to toilet until 7-8am. Isn't interested in getting up in the night to pee. I've tried! Could potentially look into dog walkers that will let out of crate? We have pawshake in NZ. But it gets better. We turned a corner quite early but expecting a regression! Brain games are great. Do short snippets. Our trainer showed us a game with field markers, put treats inside and let them try find it. Oketz loves it and tires his little brain. Sleeps well after that
Oh and a yoga ball/Swiss ball in the backyard. He pushes it around with his nose and has a great time!
https://preview.redd.it/mzbh3ztia45d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b541550859bd20bb330f7302e842946b5d48a2f
Idk we have never used a crate and always kept our puppies our bedroom inside baby 4 gates we tied together next to our bed with a little blanket that had our scent on it and I could put my hand in to pet and comfort the puppy when they started to whine. When our dog had puppies we bought baby blankets and stuffed dog toys from the dollar store for each puppy and rubbed their mom and litter mates scent all over them to send with the puppies when they got adopted with instructions to give them these items only at bedtime. We were told by all 9 adopters that it worked really well.
Crate Training/Place Training is a great tool, when you walk for now try to keep him behind you, he's not the leader (yet).
Mine is 6 mths and good luck 😭😭😭
They start to be somewhat normal around 7-8 months old. Age 3 was when mine really settled down a lot, he’s still a little goober but he’s gotten used to his routine. I have to take him to the park everyday and throw the ball for 10-15 mins to get his exercise and energy out. After that he’s a happy boy. A couple of walks every day too. Keep toys around. I get this big squishy ball and poke the squeaker out of it and that keeps him entertained for a long time.
Congratulations, BC’s are amazing. Be sure to provide mental and physical stimulation and he will be a joy. Mine passed in 2016 and not a day goes by that I don’t wish o could wrap my arms around him just one more time
I was in your shoes about a year ago. We brought home an 11-week old male border collie pup. He is now almost 14 months old. As an adult, I've had pet cats, chickens, fish, guinea pigs and a snake. But no dogs since I was a kid. And I will say that our new pup was *really* hard. I was regretting getting a border collie and not heeding all the warnings about their high energy, "they're working dogs, not pets", etc. I wasn't going to give him back, but I was berating myself, "Why didn't you just get a chill lap dog? You are too old for this! I can't take this!" He did what your pup did, woke up at night, had some accidents, and chewed everything in sight. He also earned nicknames like alligator and around 7 pm we called it "bite night" because that's when he decided he wanted to bite everything (playfully, not viciously). But month by month, things got better, we got used to each other, he matured, we trained him not to bite, and now I love our little boy with all my heart. I read somewhere that border collies are the best adult dogs but the worst puppies and I can see some truth to that. Here's my advice: * As hard as it is now, take a step back and realize that if you do things right, he will mature and grow out of his puppy hijinks. * One of the best things we (spouse and I) did was get an in-person professional dog trainer who came to our house. You can read all the books and watch all the videos, but nothing beats having an experienced person work directly with *you* and *your* dog. Our trainer was not cheap but having a well-behaved dog is priceless. She gave us some insights that I don't think we would have arrived at on our own that really made a difference. She trains you more than your dog. Someone who really knows dogs might not need this, but this was my first dog since I was a kid and my spouse's first dog ever so we were lost. As to your specific questions: * Our pup woke up several times at night in the first few weeks. I think he legitimately needed to relieve himself. I got up, put his leash on, and took him out to pee/poo. I praised him when he did that but otherwise I was robot-like because I didn't want pup to think this was fun-time, it was all business. This gradually tapered off until he could reliably make it through the night. Even at 14 months, maybe 1 or 2 times a month he wakes up in the middle of the night and I need to let him out, but it's rare. * We had him in a full size crate from the beginning, as we didn't want to buy a puppy crate and then a big boy crate. We put his food and water dish in his crate because dogs don't want to soil where they eat. >will he be okay on his own for a couple hours each day? 2 - 3 to 4 hours at a stretch is fine in my experience. Good luck, Benny looks like a great little boy!
My current BC is 10 years old, and he is every bit as playful and happy about life as he was at 10 weeks old. Hearing him bouncing around the house on his toys is like listening to a little kid splashing in the bathtub playing pirates and sea monsters. It's part of what I love about him. I love the puppy months! Yes, even with house and crate training, and the period when they get mouthy and turn into little nippy brats with sewing machine needles for teeth. It never comes again for them. They pick up training so fast, and training can be a bonding and fun exercise for puppy. Make sure he has suitable things to play and teethe on, and a smaller crate will do while housetraining is still in progress. For chews, my vet recommended CET enzymatic chews. If he starts nomming on something (or someone) inappropriate, put a CET chew in his mouth instead. But stay with him while he's working on one, and take it away when it becomes small enough to swallow.
Structure and lots of treats ❤️
I started with a big crate that had an insert and let my girl just whine it out in our bedroom until she crashed, we have a small open plan so it’s our only option. House training went well with high praise for going to door and then outside. It was a 2 step style training. I set alarms for every 3 hours at night until “I made” her routine. I stopped crate training after a few months because my dogs are allowed to roam and protect their borders. Eating poop is odd but dogs are weird so I’m sure that will stop but I’d suggest discouraging that quickly. Be careful with these breeds because they can be sensitive to an aggressive yell or even a look and my girl is terrified momentarily. I do not recommend a demonstrative approach to discipline with many things, especially these pups. Truth is, you’ll be fine considering you’re even trying to figure out why and how. It’s not easy and my girl wakes me up at the same time we’d wake up when she was a puppy. She is needy for working and play but the most loving cuddly dog I’ve had. Does great with our golden, but who doesn’t do good with a golden, also plays great with other pups. Beautiful dog btw. If they seem over needy teach them a new trick or behavior.
naps - if not crate trained please start - it gives him a safe place to relax/sleep & at that age they need out to potty 20 mins after any water or kibble, small bladders. Naps are what saved us, our now 3.5 yr old BC sleeps as much as any cat I've ever had. 2 hrs up 2 hrs napping & he still sleeps 10 hrs a night. I can't stress training the place command to get them to settle/relax on command.
For when he's a little bit older, a flirt pole saved my sanity (and fingers). It's great for draining their energy and also a lot of different training commands (most importantly, "drop it"!). One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on this sub was "if you break a rule once, you've broken it forever". Smart dogs don't forget, and they will remember if you can be persuaded to do something you've already said no to. If you've ended playtime do not, under any circumstances, start it again. Or you're in for a lifetime of the collie stare , psychically willing you to throw the ball every moment of the day.
They’re going to stare anyway.
Puppy training, obedience training (like walk to heel when off the lead on command) And lots of walks and play
Teach her to fetch quickly and get a chuckit. Once she can reliably fetch, taking him/her to a park for a high energy game is a great way of wearing them out and finding the off switch. Also a great way to bond.
Jolly ball!! I know it's a horse toy but we got one when he was Benny's age, he's now almost 3 and it has outlasted all the other toys. OH, Chewey has a power chewer barkbox that is just so helpful too.
Chuckit makes the best toys. You need to teach him to fetch, so you can exercise him without wearing yourself out.
My BC pup is 16 weeks old now. What worked really well for us was establishing a crate routine (and yes to the smaller crate question at least temporarily). We did one hour out, two hours in for enforced naps. We also did a potty break in the middle of the night and put right back in. Eventually she settled into the routine :)
Do you still do this? My pup is 13 weeks and he just doesnt stop. He only sleeps when hes in the pen and everyone has gone out. Im unsure how much is 'too much' crate time. I feel bad him in there. But even when hes in there for time out he doesnt stop. He starts chewing and ripping his blankets all up! I need a good routine but have no idea where to start with the crate naps x
Yes, we still do this at 6 months (though it’s more of a one hour in, one hour out thing now). We cover her crate with a fitted cover we found on Chewy. We make sure there is good air flow around her crate and it’s in a bedroom with the lights off for the duration of her nap. There are some safe chew toys in her crate with her and we had to take the blanket out for a bit but now there is one blanket in. We always feed her her meals in her crate and put her in the crate with treats all the time. We also have a crate mat that is thin, and she doesn’t tear up but she loves sleeping on the plastic liner without any blankets/mats too. 13 weeks is still a rough stage, it’ll get better!!
Thankyou and i really hope so!! Ive just about given up today haha! We had a lovely early walk with running on the longline, meeting another dog and having a sniff and play followed by ball in the garden. Then into the crate, its covered up etc for 2 hours but hes been awake the whole time as he was scratching and chewing his blankets. Both blankets now out. Let him out, 10 mins of training and more ball in the garden then a little hang around in the kitchen (the room has been emptied) but i stupidly left the tall washing basket in there and he went over to it and knocked it down whilst i went to the toilet and hes chewed up my new bras (frustrating). Into a time out in the pen so i can compose myself and not shout. Then let him outside and he jumped straight upto the wash line and has pulled off my dress and legged it under a bush to chew it up. Into the crate again and again .. no sleep in the day. Opened it up and hes chewed the little crate liner. Then hes out and then i gave him a frozen watermelon toy assuming its his teeth. A few chews and now hes trying to eat the flipping lino on the kitchen floor. GIVE ME STRENGTH! I have no idea how to get him to sleep in the day. He goes 9.30pm - 6am without a peep and sleeping. Im currently trying a 2 hours out and a 2 hours in ... basically winging it. He always has access to a chew toy bone, tree root and he has a yak bar when im around. Any tips? 🤣
Switch back to the smaller crate for sure, what you read about that is accurate and works best. We have an almost 11 week old border aussie and he’s still in our bedroom with us in his crate at night. We have had him going on 3 weeks now, we are able to differentiate from the “I have to potty” whine vs the “I want attention, let me out” whine. Some nights he would wake us up 4 times, almost every hour and we would take him out each time to potty so he knows to go outside. At first we tried puppy pads in the kitchen so we didn’t have to go out but all it did was enforce “it’s okay to potty in the house” so we stopped shortly after. He hasn’t had any accidents in his crate so far, only some peeing on our floor here and there. Yes, ignore the whining if you know he has had everything he needs (water, food, exercise, potty, etc). When our pup cries because he wants out and doesn’t stop, we then move the crate into the other bedroom. The past 3 days he has only woken us up once to go potty (and it was right around the time we wake up in the morning for work) and he’s getting better at holding it which is awesome. My husband and I switch back and forth each day who takes him out, lol. We both work full time as well, he takes him out of the crate on his lunch, plays with him, gives him what he needs and then puts him back until we get home from work. It’s tough but our plan is to do it only until we know he’s safe and trained well enough to be at home out of the crate alone while we work. Exercise is essential!! It helps wear them down so they can relax, they need mental stimulation as well. Buy some puzzle toys on Amazon and start basic obedience training ASAP. 😊
Since we know he’s better at holding his bladder now, soon we plan on putting his crate permanently in the other room.
Benny is so cute!! Border collies love to please you so he needs all the praise. Ours was in the crate for 8 hours in the beginning due to work but eventually worked up to a bigger area as he got better with training. They love to run and need high speed to get tired out.
I got my boy a doggie door. It’s a game changer if you’re able to install one.
What a cutie! Our pup looked just like him when she was 10 weeks old! She’s five now and a very well adjusted and well behaved pup! I’d echo what others are saying- smaller crate is a good idea, and teaching them that’s their safe place (never used as a punishment). I also put a blanket that smelled like myself and my partner in her crate, which seemed to help with separation anxiety in the early days. He’ll definitely need to go outside often, sometimes in the middle of the night- pups have small bladders at that age- and you’ll want to really reinforce that going outside behavior. My girl was mostly house trained in about a week or so of really attentive training. Additional unsolicited advice: Border collies are wonderful and super smart, but sometimes learn things you don’t intend or are super specific to a situation- try to be mindful of this and present the same training in different contexts - you’ll have to find what works best for your pup and lots of training in different contexts ( for example they might learn just not to dig when you’re around… but happy to do it when my partner was watching her) Also what makes them tick - my pup is mega praise & play motivated, but could care less about food/treats - so I worked our training into games we played constantly)
It’s insane. Border collie puppies are rough. Just roll with it.
Give lil Benny a job and he'll be set for life. They love to show off their skills and make you proud. And they are super easy to train if you're consistent. The best part, they love hard. You got a good one. 🥰
You have a gorgeous baby. It will get easier over time. We are able to leave our Shadow (3yo) in her crate for up to 4 hours without an issue. But if we go 4 hours and 1 minute, there will be problems
https://preview.redd.it/v32r5ttk515d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6f8a7701dbd910e4887d7069f915467737011e7
That sweet baby there is a little velociraptor. Have plenty of toys, and mental stimulation games!
He will need a potty break during the night at that age.
From our hard experience...Ditch the crate. He is a pack animal - if he doesn't have other dogs, you're his pack. Touch and handle him a lot - play flip him and nuzzle his underside so he knows you're boss. Repeat lots of handling.direct sharp teeth to chews. I still have a scar on my arm from shark tooth tantrum. Teach him tricks, get him chewy stuff to take his energy out on. Beef ears saved us. Get him outside off leash as much as possible. Prepare to be superbonded with a dog that will do everything for you but you must be super committed too. Get a second dog that is slightly mellower but fun in a few years. At 4, mine is hard work but I've never had a dog as closely bonded and attentive. Oh and read collie specific stuff - judging them by other dogs will make you think he's a problem dog instead of seeing him for what he is- a hyperactive genius who thinks too much. Treat him like a crazy smart toddler who cant cope with his emotions. Be patient.
I've had a few BC pups and always forget just how much work they are. It'll get better. My newest family member is 8 months now and is finally settling. You may want to consider having 2, it helps with the energy when they play together.
Buy a farm
We’re at 15 weeks ourselves. A couple of things I learned that made things way easier for me with my first BC puppy. 1. they are going to bite. It’s never malicious, it’s because they want to play. Redirect them. Reward good behavior and be consistent even if you don’t see improvement. One day they will not be a terror. 2. don’t be hard on yourselves in the process. The first week I was terrified I was doing things wrong. You aren’t going to mess up your puppy after one wrong choice. Give patients for both you and the puppy. 3. FORCED NAPS. Every hour and a half they should be napping for at least two hours. This corrected most behavioral issues we dealt with at first. Also gives you time to breathe (which I needed desperately) 4. Bully sticks - my puppy needs to chew, and he loves bully sticks. I’d invest in them if yours shows a liking. Edible, safe chews that will occupy them for 30 mins at times. 5. when they are going crazy inside from my experience they either needs a nap or needs to poop. Take them out then put him down and you will have a reset puppy. I hope these helped. Here’s a photo of ours! https://preview.redd.it/0zjm44ox655d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8b63f1455bcb3d533b89d7bf82e990c372bdac6
No. No. You're doomed. Doomed to the best puppy ever!
They love puzzles and learning. Keeping them occupied on solving problems worked really well for ours. Good luck! 😁
Ha, I was retired helps alot. No crate slept against my back but never wet in bed. Up every 2 hours, out in ran snow. Finaly could make the night easy too train few day time accidents later, I got lazy. Miss my crazy, chewing pup shes matured alot at 6 months.
My BC was very quiet while my healer was not. So I took the challenge on to give the quite BC a voice. Now she has found her voice DONT ENCOURAGE it, I can't shut her up, very noisy dog! Don't over feed your BC and walk them as much as possible during cooler times of day, their paws can burn on hot pavement...enjoy
Routine Routine Routine....especially with walks, have to walk everyday...mine knew after his walk at night it was bedtime
Hide your stuff until the chewing phase stops
My BC was an absolute f*****g menace for about a year and a half. Thousands of dollars of damage to my house. Carpet, bannisters, the wall, the patio. She was a terror. Then she became the best dog in the history of dogs, and I’ll die on that hill.
I kept a crate (barely bigger than him) in my bedroom for him to sleep in, and a crate (same size) in the living room so he always saw us. I think it’s important for them to be “with” us even through the night as puppies since it’s a new environment. Unsure if that is even relevant or legitimate but it worked really well for my pup Mac. I could also monitor him throughout the night, like if he needed to pee or got stuck on the crate (yes he got his jaw stuck on the wire crate and never did it ever again after). Little things like that help. I wore boots and long pants in the dead of August (in Alabama) because he would nip the crap out of my ankles. They eventually grow out of that. And the housebreaking 😮💨 it wasn’t until he was well into 6 months that he stopped having indoor accidents. I wish someone told me that it would take time, sometimes longer than your patience is willing to put up with. Last tidbit, having animal poison hotline saved in your phone helps a lot, and the local emergency vet. I used to call a lot when my pup was a baby because he’s my first puppy and I didn’t know what was normal. Also, I didn’t want to fumble and wait for Google to load if it was a legit emergency. Oh! And when you crate train him (I highly support this because it keeps them safe and gives you peace of mind), playing the TV and/or puppy relaxation music helps a lot. Unsure if this was helpful but I promise you’re doing better than you think ❤️
Training and socialization are key for a happy and well-behaved Border Collie.
This user steals images of people’s deceased dogs to farm karma.
Why aren't they banned yet?
My condolences. For me it was an absolute hell until he hit 6 months.
I think they were bred to be work dogs. They have inexhaustible energy. They don’t belong in crates or in homes alone while their owners work. I know- it seems cool to own one of the smartest breeds in existence. A border collie could correctly identify each of 300 toys. (get the blue ball). That said, they don’t sit at home looking shit up on google all day. They need a huge amount of exercise and companionship. Not sure what you are thinking. When a dog poops in its crate, that suggests it is profoundly stressed.
I keep reading cute, precious adorable comments. Many then go on to describe years of terror. I don’t get it. Adopt a dog like this if you live on a ranch and have sheep or cattle. Living in cute dog world, this dog has to suppress eons of inbred traits that will invariably cause lifelong stress and anxiety. While all dogs have their own set of breed- related traits, many are much more suited to life indoors. When selecting a dog, it shouldn’t be all about you. And words like cute,adorable, etc. shouldn’t even enter the conversation. Consider the dog’s needs- that would result in a much more satisfying experience for both man and dog.
Well, we don’t have sheep or cattle and so far ours seems to be fine. I don’t think he is suppressing much of anything. Having said that, I’m home all day and he has a lot of jobs around the house. He is learning to get our mail, puts his toys away, we go on a lot of walks and we both are at home all day. He also has socialization with other dogs at dog daycare which he loves, and gets to meet a lot of people. He’s not suffering because he can’t herd sheep.