A new addition to the Mudcow household......

mudcow007

Ladies, Gentlemen and Mr Keiran Burns

let me introduce to you the newest addition to the Mudcow house hold

Molly the Colly

suzyb

awwww

walkingbootweather

So I bump into a mate of mine on the way to the pub. He has got a cabbage on a lead. I ask him, "Mudcow, what's with the cabbage on a lead?". Mudcow replies "Cabbage?, the bloke in the shop said it was a cauli!"

I'll get my coat.

SimonAH

Dat be cute.

gtvlusso

Now that be fluffy and full of ideas about what is chewable.....

mudcow007

gtvlusso wrote:

Now that be fluffy and full of ideas about what is chewable.....

my mrs just rang an said so far fluffy thing has already chewed - TV remote controls, mobile phone, sofa leg and architrave around the door

we have only had her for a day!

gtvlusso

Yup - they get bored easily.

What worked with Wilma, who only chewed an expensive pair of my wife shoes in her chewing career;

Get them there own toys to chew, when they go for a chew, pass them a toy.
When they go to chew something that you don't want them to touch, roll up a newspaper and whack it on the ground near them with a stern look on your face - dogs respond to body language.

Takes about a month before they realise that chewing your stuff = whack noise and unhappiness, chewing their stuff = pleasure and non-boredom.

You have to be a bit firm with collies - give them an inch and they will be in charge, they will always try to be top dog, it is their nature.

Just for note: Wilma was an utter b@stard for the first 4 months we had her, although very fluffy and cute, she was very unlikeable. Now she is a great dog and is never on a lead, not even going around town.

mudcow007

Cheers Lusso

we have gotten her a chew toy that is shaped like a fish and apparently tastes of bacon which she seem to enjoy chewing....i think we need more toys so i can leave them littered around the house

good idea about giving her a toy when she is prowling to chew something

how old is Wilma now?

gtvlusso

Wilma is 3 - in fact I need to book her in for jabs this week....

Lots of chew toys, particulalrly knotted ropes:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/rope-ret ... home-23905

Gives them something to do - collies can go through a chew toy in about 10 minutes when really bored. Takes them at least a day to do a knot toy......

Always good to cage train too - for later in life, so that they don't fear cages. Set up a cage with a toy inside and a cover over some of it - give the dog a den. Give treats when in the cage.

Drive them about too - get them used to the car. Take them for walks so that car journey = fun time for the dog. may well pee or poo in the car, get a boot liner!!

Get Molly (great name) off the lead too - she will herd with you when she is about 4 or 5 months old. Do some tasters where it is safe.

Oh - you will also find teeth in old shoes and on the floor when the first set drop out.....never pleasant.

mudcow007

me an my Mrs are going to "Pets at Home" this lunch time to stock up on all things chewable

she was a nightmare last night howling all through the night, she has also taken to chasing out two cats around the house

gtvlusso

mudcow007 wrote:

me an my Mrs are going to "Pets at Home" this lunch time to stock up on all things chewable

she was a nightmare last night howling all through the night, she has also taken to chasing out two cats around the house

Wilma howled and barked for about a month at night - we had complaints from the neighbour about it and had to fit thicker doors (we have all wood fllors so the sound just bounced about in our pad!). We would go down at about 2 or 3am and let her out for the loo or clean up if she had not made it in time - it is like having a baby!

You have to stick with it though - the temptation is to let them into your room or let them sleep on the bed. If you do this, you are screwed, they will never sleep anywhere else. We made Wilma sleep in the utility room in her cage until she was about 1 year old. She now does not bother where she sleeps and treats being allowed on the bed as a privelige - she also has no fear of cages, should she have to go in one.

mudcow007

gtvlusso wrote:

You have to stick with it though - the temptation is to let them into your room or let them sleep on the bed. If you do this, you are screwed, they will never sleep anywhere else. We made Wilma sleep in the utility room in her cage until she was about 1 year old. She now does not bother where she sleeps and treats being allowed on the bed as a privelige - she also has no fear of cages, should she have to go in one.

i was saying this to my Mrs last night about not letting her into our room once we have gone to bed...im sure she will get use to it. Just feel really mean

quite funny trying to get her to use "puppy pads" sometimes she uses them others times, i think she forgets.

she has her 2nd inoculations/ microtag next week, the following week she can go for walks

how quick was Wilma at learning Fetch an things?

gtvlusso

mudcow007 wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

You have to stick with it though - the temptation is to let them into your room or let them sleep on the bed. If you do this, you are screwed, they will never sleep anywhere else. We made Wilma sleep in the utility room in her cage until she was about 1 year old. She now does not bother where she sleeps and treats being allowed on the bed as a privelige - she also has no fear of cages, should she have to go in one.

i was saying this to my Mrs last night about not letting her into our room once we have gone to bed...im sure she will get use to it. Just feel really mean

quite funny trying to get her to use "puppy pads" sometimes she uses them others times, i think she forgets.

she has her 2nd inoculations/ microtag next week, the following week she can go for walks

how quick was Wilma at learning Fetch an things?

It does feel quite mean....but, you gotta do it for your own sanity! Wilma ate her puppy pads, so, we gave up on them. When she looked like she was going to have a loo break we carried her outside, took her about a week or 2 of carrying to learn to go outside for the loo.

For walkies - we had to wait for 3 weeks until Wilma had her jabs and tags, in the mean time I walked, carrying her everywhere, to get her used to being out. She fitted inside my coat....

Collies are not natural fetchers.....They are possesive over toys and it can take some persuasion to get a toy off a collie. However, once they realise that it is play, they are relentless and will play all the time! It took Wilma about a month to realise that what we were throwing was for her - in the meantime we concentrated on:

*sitting
*stay
*down (or drop)
*closer (crawl on belly forward)
*cum by (go left)
*go away (go right)
*away
*back-up
*up
*inside
*outside
*wait
*stop (immediately stop and go down)

Most of this was through treat training, but Collies will do allot of commands at a distance and learn this quickly when they actually get the command. The directional commands came from taking her mountain biking and telling her to go right and left as she ran in front of the bike.

We have control over Wilma as long as she is in earshot.

Collies will also pick a job for themselves. Wilma's job (self appointed) is defending my daughter - if anyone approches Sass, Wilma will get inbetween and growls until told to back down. Constantly licks Sass!

mudcow007

ahh fantastic

i will have to keep you updated (if you want me too) with Molly's progress

we did have a Border called Meg a few years ago but she died. she was a great fetcher an would play for literally hours

you can ask her where is your stick or snowman or ball etc

when she would bring it you could say "not that one" an she would go off an find a different one

fantastic dogs

does Wilma have favourites too?

Molly seems to have attached to my Mrs

gtvlusso

Fantastic - yes, keep us all posted, she is such a pretty pup!

Yeah - Wilma can differentiate between 'ball', 'stick', 'toy' and will charge around the house until she finds what we asked for.

The agility classes and a bit of herding on my fold smallholding keeps her trim and reminds her of command.

Molly the Collie - superb, I am very jealous, will sell small child for another Collie!