Feeling Very Guilty...Need Advice

[BigBlueHen53]

You are getting lots of good advice and encouragement here, so I'm not going to add any training suggestions. Just to encourage you, though, I'd like to tell you a little bit about our Sammy, a Sheltie pup we got back in October at 18 months old. Briefly, we came THIS close to re-homing him for a number of reasons, which I won't go into. He's a great, high-energy guy who had probably spent most of his life in a kennel situation, and we just felt we weren't the right home for him. Like you, I felt terrible about it. I kept thinking about contacting a rescue for him, but kept putting it off. Maybe tomorrow. Pretty soon. Next week. Definitely tomorrow! Maybe ... Meanwhile, we kept working with him. And I kept nagging at The Kid (my ADHD, mildly autistic young teen grandson, who was supposed to be responsible for him) to, well, be responsible for him. Well, finally we started actually seeing progress. And then one day The Kid admitted he actually liked him. And decided he wanted to keep him. And now they're best buds! This dog is doing wonders for my kid, I have to say. It wasn't easy and both of them still have a long way to go. I've started basic obedience on the dog because, well, Sammy is kind of ADHD/autistic too, IMO, but he has settled down enough that I can actually work with him now, lol. So ... I guess what I want to say is, if you decide to keep this dog, it's okay to expect miracles, just not right away. Best wishes, whatever you decide.

 

[lbgreenfield]

You are getting lots of good advice and encouragement here, so I'm not going to add any training suggestions. Just to encourage you, though, I'd like to tell you a little bit about our Sammy, a Sheltie pup we got back in October at 18 months old. Briefly, we came THIS close to re-homing him for a number of reasons, which I won't go into. He's a great, high-energy guy who had probably spent most of his life in a kennel situation, and we just felt we weren't the right home for him. Like you, I felt terrible about it. I kept thinking about contacting a rescue for him, but kept putting it off. Maybe tomorrow. Pretty soon. Next week. Definitely tomorrow! Maybe ... Meanwhile, we kept working with him. And I kept nagging at The Kid (my ADHD, mildly autistic young teen grandson, who was supposed to be responsible for him) to, well, be responsible for him. Well, finally we started actually seeing progress. And then one day The Kid admitted he actually liked him. And decided he wanted to keep him. And now they're best buds! This dog is doing wonders for my kid, I have to say. It wasn't easy and both of them still have a long way to go. I've started basic obedience on the dog because, well, Sammy is kind of ADHD/autistic too, IMO, but he has settled down enough that I can actually work with him now, lol. So ... I guess what I want to say is, if you decide to keep this dog, it's okay to expect miracles, just not right away. Best wishes, whatever you decide.

Thank you for sharing, what a lovely story!! I’m so glad Sammy worked out for you and your family. I’m hopeful for this dog, but still cautious. I hope I can share a happy story like yours in a few months!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you for sharing, what a lovely story!! I’m so glad Sammy worked out for you and your family. I’m hopeful for this dog, but still cautious. I hope I can share a happy story like yours in a few months!

I hope so, too. Do keep us posted. We're here for you.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Hot dogs work great as a training treat as they have a yummy odor and that will help keep the dog interested. Training treats need to be tiny, so cut the hot dog into quarters lengthwise, then stack together and slice into 1/4" pieces. TIny 1/4" pieces will be enough of a treat, yet not fill them up. Even for our 100 lb German Shepherd, that size is big enough. I would cut up 2 hot dogs at a time, put about 1/4 of a hot dog in my treat pouch, and put extra in the freezer. I was told to remove what you need for training from the freezer and put in microwave for about 10 seconds to defrost and you are off and ready for training, but I just used them frozen and my dog liked them just fine.

 

[jessivogel]

Sorry Border collies have high “chase” drive. They’re a working dog, and you (very likely) will never be able to trust it around your flock unsupervised as they free range. My advice would be to take the dog for a several mile run before introducing it. Also, look into positive reinforcement training with him. You may also put his kennel/pen near the chicken run. Providing that you have adequate fencing & a place for the chickens to go where he cannot see them. (As I’m sure he will try to herd them through the fence and it will likely startle your chickens) Sit with him often (after a very good workout) near the chickens so he can watch them. Praise him whenever he doesn’t pay them any mind/ignores them.

 

[lbgreenfield]

Hot dogs work great as a training treat as they have a yummy odor and that will help keep the dog interested. Training treats need to be tiny, so cut the hot dog into quarters lengthwise, then stack together and slice into 1/4" pieces. TIny 1/4" pieces will be enough of a treat, yet not fill them up. Even for our 100 lb German Shepherd, that size is big enough. I would cut up 2 hot dogs at a time, put about 1/4 of a hot dog in my treat pouch, and put extra in the freezer. I was told to remove what you need for training from the freezer and put in microwave for about 10 seconds to defrost and you are off and ready for training, but I just used them frozen and my dog liked them just fine.

Thank you, I think he will like hot dogs and it will be much cheaper to buy than the bags of the Blue Buffalo soft treats he likes now! Good to know that tiny pieces work well for your 100lb German Shepard, I think they will do for my 35lb pit bull/border collie mix

 

[lbgreenfield]

Sorry Border collies have high “chase” drive. They’re a working dog, and you (very likely) will never be able to trust it around your flock unsupervised as they free range. My advice would be to take the dog for a several mile run before introducing it. Also, look into positive reinforcement training with him. You may also put his kennel/pen near the chicken run. Providing that you have adequate fencing & a place for the chickens to go where he cannot see them. (As I’m sure he will try to herd them through the fence and it will likely startle your chickens) Sit with him often (after a very good workout) near the chickens so he can watch them. Praise him whenever he doesn’t pay them any mind/ignores them.

He's a pit bull/border collie mix. I'm coming to the realization that my chickens/dog most likely will never be allowed to be outside free-ranging and off-leash together. I'm exercising him as much as I can during the work day (three long walks) and am considering doing a test run around my yard with me on my bicycle to see if he would run while I bike (since I'm not a runner) to tire him out more. Still a work in progress, but trying! I will consider putting his kennel near the coop/run once he is kennel-trained (still trying really hard to work on this every day), I think that might help!

 

[wyoDreamer]

The only dog we had that didn't do well with the tiny treats was our Irish Setter (90 lbs, so a big guy) and that was because he had the big droopy lips and the treats would get stuck in them so he would loose focus on training while trying to get the treat into his mouth, lol.

I wish you the best of luck with your new dog.

 

[jessivogel]

Yeah, pit bulls are hit and miss, but that border collie in him is where he is getting his chase drive from. Can you roller skate with him or put him on a treadmill?

 

[jessivogel]

The bike ride would be perfect if you can get him to do it. We take ours out with the pickup, let them out and drive while they run behind us.