# too hyper boeder collie help



## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

I have a 2 yearold border collie with WAY to much energy.
He's at outside dog so its not like he dosent have room to run around.
I can't get him to stand/sit/ lay still for more than 2 seconds! It get really frustrating.
Anyone have an ideal on how to get him to calm down


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## GracefulAcres (Feb 22, 2012)

Energy, energy, energy! #1, he's young. #2, he's border collie!
Just because he is outside, doesn't mean he is expending all that energy. That breed is made to chase after livestock on a daily basis! I'm sure the excitement of having a human in his company doesn't help!!
If he doesn't already, teach him to retrieve a ball or frisbee. Have bonding time first by throwing the object several times for him to retrieve. Gives him a job and uses up some energy. (without you getting exhausted)
They also have dog vests that can hold some weight which also helps wear him out.
Then there needs to be a time to "settle down". Be clear in teaching him when that is.. but ONLY AFTER he's had an opportunity for all that energy to escape!


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

I'm working on fetching but after 3 throws he's like... you want ME to do what???
I also go running with him occasionally; its not long only a mile.
We also use him to exersize the goats.
I want to get him into agility but he needs to calm down and focus but I can't do that with him running around :/


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## meadow (Nov 20, 2007)

A couple of things come to mind.
* we used to say that when we exercised the Thoroughbreds, all they did was get more energy.. maybe making him be confined part of his day would help.
* the other thing is, has he been regularly vaccinated? If so, vaccinations can actually cause stuff that we don't attribute to the vaccines. NVIC.com is about people. Shirley's Wellness Cafe' is about animals there is info about what i'm saying


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## dreamriver (Jan 24, 2012)

I agree an outside dog is not a stimulated nor exercised dog. Many breeds are very much thinkers and NEED a job, any job. a very calm approach with lots of positive reinforcement goes a long way. You may want to try giving the sit command and then immediately give a release command, then praise. You should be able to gradually lengthen the time between sit and the release command. If the dog breaks before you release often times just turning your back on them for a few seconds and then facing them and resuming the training is very effective. They are trying to get your attention and turning your back is the opposite of what they want so it's very effective. my BC loves to do chores, which essentially means that she gets to come with and randomly will be told; sit, stay etc then praised. She's getting attention and doing a "job" win win situation.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I think excersize is the biggest thing he needs right now. Long daily walks or runs would be really good for him. If you can't do that daily...do you have a treadmill? Teach him to work on the treadmill and work some of that energy out. There are probably some DVDs out there that show you how to do that and teach him. :shrug:


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## NubianLady (May 6, 2010)

I agree with dreamriver, borders are definitely thinkers! Your border needs a job to do, have you considered obedience training? There are also puzzles made for dogs where they get rewarded with treats for figuring out the puzzle. Is he neutered, BTW?


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## 8566 (Jul 18, 2012)

My border collie is now 7 years old.

Just throwing the ball a few times and running a mile once or twice a week won't do it. 

You don't mention where you are at, but take her on a hike, walk/run 5+ miles. If you have snow and snow mobiles, have her follow you. Have her go along with you if riding a horse.

What ever it might be -- she will need more exercise and growing up to calm down. You can train her to not have this behaviour while training. 

We have a 7 month old Brittany who's a handful right now. Only time she is somewhat tired is when she goes out for about 3 hrs bird hunting. Otherwise we have to walk/exercise her at least twice a day for 1/2 hrs plus each time or she starts to get into things.

BTW - it is so hard working with a dog after owning a border collie. My BC is so dang smart ... :wink:. Remember they can have the smarts of a 2-5 year old. My BC actually babysits my brittany pup. If the pup starts to get into something she's not suppose to the BC starts to grawl at her. Kind of cool to see because we didn't teach her this. 

HTH,


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Definitely work this dog. The dog is practically begging for it.
Your dog will most likely develop some really bad behaviors if you dont start a training or exercise program. And it wont be the dogs fault. 
I have six BCs and yes ,they are a handful and need mental as well as physical stimulation. Seriously start hiking with her , biking with her , something that the both of you can do and have fun doing it. If its not fun for you , your BC will not have fun either..
Go for a hike and take treats with you. Work on attention and focus.
Let her get ahead of you , call her name , (dont say come ) and turn back the other way like you are going back , maybe trot a few steps to get her better focused on chasing you. Once she comes back , treat her lots , praise her and simply enjoy having her , she loves you no 
doubt  Play this game with her all the time. This way she will never know when you could possibly start the chase game and she will check in with you frequently. You also need really high value treats , like left over chicken scraps or whatever , make it worth her while.
If you have a toy driven dog , work with a tug or something similar.
You will want to work with a toy that keeps you connected .
If you throw a ball , she is not connected with you , see ?
In time , you can work up to a ball, no problem 
Just keep her focused. Next , you can play hide and seek 
Again , go on that hike or just on your property , let her get interested in something else , then go hide , lol. Start calling her and watch her reaction ,is she looking for you ? Make silly noises so she must find out where this noise is coming from .....when she finds you , play tug or give her verbal praise , pets and lovin....but REALLY reward her for her efforts. If she just turns and looks your way but doesnt seem to care your are gone , you havent worked on focus enough .
Dont expect big changes immediately , but I can bet she will be more relaxed and satisfied ( for a little while , seriously ) .
You have a high drive dog , you have to deal with it , bottom line.
If she gets too much for you or maybe there is too much stimulation for her at your place , you may need to rehome her. I hate to say that to you but these dogs are meant to work , they cant sit around watching butterflies so to speak. I have worked in rescue groups and seen these dogs come in with horrendous habits from being left to their own devices , most need major recovery and re training to be able to go to a foster home for a while , then to hopefully be adopted out.
Please give this dog what she needs , Im sure you will find something the both of you will have fun doing together.
Watch how fast she will learn , its simply amazing how any dog can learn . I love watching their wheels turn when you give them something to figure out , its so rewarding when they finally get it....you can see the accomplished look on their face , they are so proud of themselves 
Believe it or not , they actually have puzzles for dogs , lol.
If you go to Cleanrun.com they sell alot of these types of interactive toys and games. But you need to play too 
Enjoy her , Im sure she is a amazing dog 
I could go on with things to train her that will be more fun then just basic stuff. The basics will come , but you need to bond with her first. Then , the sit , come , down commands will be taught. They are extremely important to have and to practice too.
They can also save her life one day.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

KW Farms said:


> I think excersize is the biggest thing he needs right now. Long daily walks or runs would be really good for him. If you can't do that daily...do you have a treadmill? Teach him to work on the treadmill and work some of that energy out. There are probably some DVDs out there that show you how to do that and teach him. :shrug:


Were acctually getting a used one for my goats!! Ill so look into that!!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I totally agree , exercise cant be said enough here. But mental and physical exercise are what this BC needs.
While a treadmill is a great idea and a wonderful tool to have , it doenst take the place of actual exercise for body AND mind.
I believe this BC will get tired of the treadmill extremely fast and revert back to her rambunctious self. It isnt going to be stimulating enough for her right now. It will in time once she does gets her mind and body working. Being on a treadmill is still being confined in a way.
I can post a video of one of my BC getting overly stimulated by a video on the TV , happens to be a agility training video. But she will get very stimulated watching a dog run after a frisbee. She is extremely high drive from great herding and agility lines. This dog would go through a wall for a ball or to chase a dog after a ball. What im saying is just doing the same thing without mental stimulation isnt going to satisfy a herding breed. Im not saying leave a video in the TV for her either , lol. because you will not have a TV left if she gets to it , lol.
Mine will tak e a TV out in nothing flat , she snaps at the TV and punches it with her nose , lolol I have permanent marks on the screen from her. 
Not one of my dogs will sit for long , its just their nature. Its like a NASCAR race in my house when they dont get their exercise . Either it be agility , being sent to the poles from a long distance or over the Aframe or up to the barn and back with a toy I left the night before.
You can incorporate things in your daily routine to help work your dogs.
Its just takes some time at first but once you get into a habit , its great.


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## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

Like Trickyroo said, border collies are serious working dogs and if you aren't using them, they will find something to do. We did have to rehome a tree walking **** hound because we just could not find enough to do with him to keep him mentally together. He wasn't hyper, he was very calculated and always thinking. One of our neighbors has a border collie mix, the mix in him is just enough to keep him together with the way their active family lives. Another neighbor just had to have a pointer, that poor dog wears 2 shock collars, is on meds, and bit one of the owners because they needed a purse pooch not a pointer. All "just exercising" does for a dog is make them stronger. My hound cross and I walked 4 - 6 miles every day for years, but it didn't mean that he listened any better.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> .
> Believe it or not , they actually have puzzles for dogs , lol.
> I could go on with things to train her that will be more fun then just basic stuff. The basics will come , but you need to bond with her first. Then , the sit , come , down commands will be taught. They are extremely important to have and to practice too.
> They can also save her life one day.


Acctually I have a mind puzzle for him. Its a clear ball with a hole in it (for treats to go in and out) and its got a like maze in it (like what they put rats in but in a ball) and he has to figure out how to get the treats out of it. He figured it out and would pick it open and bring it to me lol
I need to clean it out again
I also wanna get him some hard ones (that one was rated easy)

He went threw training once a night for 6 week for an hour a night we did training.
Now I have conteniued the training. He knows sit, lay down shake, high 5, down, leave it, drop it, and party knows come (bugs side tract him), role over and more


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

[QUOTE="onehorse_2000;1277014"Another neighbor just had to have a pointer, that poor dog wears 2 shock collars, is on meds, and bit one of the owners[/QUOTE]

2??? I felt horrible when we had put a mild one of flash for his barking :/ 
I would NEVER put 2 on a dog!


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

NubianLady said:


> There are also puzzles made for dogs where they get rewarded with treats for figuring out the puzzle. Is he neutered, BTW?


Yes he is neutered we got him from a shelter and all animals that leave there have to get neutered/spayed.
I have one mind game for him I'm going to get more though


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

The games are great , but keep in mine that you can't just fill the toy 
with treats and toss it to your dog and expect that to keep him
occupied .


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## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

goatgirl132 said:


> 2??? I felt horrible when we had put a mild one of flash for his barking :/
> I would NEVER put 2 on a dog!


Ohhh, this poor dog is a mess. It was one of those where you see it coming, but they wanted the pretty pointer. This dog is from hunting lines and should be out in the field. He would be out all day and probably very good at his job. Unfortunately, they have him so screwed up that he will probably never be trustworthy again and it is completely the owners fault. Pointers are not couch potato dogs.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I hope you can take some of the opinions posted here and work with your dog. Im sure you will see a difference in time.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

I most definatly will take some of the opinions
thank you everyone


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes, if you can get a treadmill and teach the dog how to walk on it helps.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Have any of y'all ever made a home made dog bed? 
What did you use to make it?
Flash is verrry teritorial about his stuff and my dads did wont stay off it and so flash has torn it up. Bleg


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## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

I haven't found anything that they can't tear up, so we get cheap towels, blankets. Either old stuff that family is getting rid of or Sal Val, etc. Then, when it gets nasty, I just throw it out and start again. Please wash it before giving it to your dog.


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