What do i do with this loco dog?!

[ninny]

Frist I want to say thank you for all the replies. Second there is no way we are going to rehome her so end of discussion on that. I got the dog. I will make it work.

I found a better toy then the kong. Its called the never ending treat ball. My lab loves it. But she don't really don't do anything with hers. I always put in their crates at night. But she likes it better when i hid treats in her blankets instead and she has to find them.

My biggest problem is i got spoiled by my lab. I had him putting laundry in the basket, taking the basket where i need it the whole nine yards when he was 6 months old. She won't even shake hands. So im having to rethink how we have always trained to fit her better.

We are also designing and pricing a huge dog run for the two of them. So they can run around during the day and swim. They wipe each other out it's great. I gonna try and build a agility course as well.

She is the sweetest dog ever! Kids just flock to her and she melts before them. She makes my proud around kids.

I was gonna take them on a hike this weekend but i messed my back up pretty bad. So that is on hold at the moment.

lishah2000 i love the idea of having them track the toy. I'll try that.

All the big dogs get jobs. I have to get her basics down pat before i can see what she'd be best at though.
I'll have to try and post some pics of her. If i can get her to sit still that is. Our guess is she is part lab part border.

How our borders with weight pulling? We are gonna train the lab to pull. Wonder if that would make her sleepy?

Hmm Question of the day: How to tire out a border pup and a lab pup without hurting yourself or braking the bank?

Edited to say. We feed Iams. And she( the border) weighs 60lbs He (the lab) weigh 100lbs

 

[lishah2000]

I concentrate more on working the brain rather than physically. Don't think it's possible to wear them out physically. LOL. I was lucky that the border and golden played together a lot and got out that physical energy, but the brain still had work to do. Free-shaping with the clicker and nose work really helped.

Swimming and water retrieves always seem to wear him out the most.

Look up homemade agility equipment. You can make a lot of things pretty cheap.

Food can also be an issue. My guy was eating pedigree when he came to me. I found out it has something that really ramps him up. A good quality food makes a big difference in his behavior.

 

[Stina]

I would try finding a food with less grain in it.....grain free would be best and can definitely make a difference in energy and focus. My dog eats raw at ~$2/day; I think a little under (he eats 1 lb/day and is 40 lbs; probably could spend less but I get everything at the grocery store plus frozen feeder animals intended for reptiles). There is some decent kibble out there though. I like Nature's Variety a lot, their instinct line is great; Wellness Core is good food too (I feed my cat a mix of NV Instinct and Wellness Core...she won't eat raw...). I would definitely avoid corn, wheat, and soy alltogether....I think you will be surprised at the difference if you do.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

a working dog such as a collie or lab definetly need attention and direction.
Even when left outside, they get into trouble without it. Mine, (lab) roams the farm and does his best to keep the place free of unwanted vermin for me. Unfortunately, he can't discern a kitten from a rabbit, and happily kills both and brings the remains to my back door to get praise! I have a terrible time getting kittens raised to help with the mousing on the farm.

I have considered raising the kittens in the henhouse, but know better than that...the hens would be just as enthusiastic as the dog to rid the world of another cat.

Another thing we can't keep is garden hoses. That Lab thinks they are spagetti.

The short of it is, that some dogs just have a nature that requires massive amounts of human time and attention. Each has it's own personallity. Sounds like you've got one that might be just a bit hyper. Good luck.

 

[Akane]

How to tire out a border pup and a lab pup without hurting yourself or braking the bank?

Tennis ball. We threw balls for hours with our aussie. Only way to wear them out without wearing you out. Adding water, stairs, jumps, and other obstacles to fetch over helps. Unfortunately the dog breeds I have now fail to see the point of fetch no matter how hard anyone tries so that doesn't work for more than about 10mins.

Even a large run will only marginally help with a dog like a border collie. They need interaction and things to do for a good portion of the day. Just leaving them to entertain themselves no matter the space or toys won't satisfy them. It will help to have a larger space and more toys but really they won't be happy unless they have someone to follow around all day and throw a ball for them or keep them occupied in some way. Collies were bred to work with people on farms all day and they crave human interaction. That's part of what makes them so trainable (provided you can contain that energy long enough to get across what you want).... and why I find them annoying....

I prefer dogs that don't want attention that often.​