Feeding Advice??

[lynn 01]

HI

I have had my Border Collie since the end of August, she has just turned 1year old and I have had problems with feeding her. She is still underweight ( although she has put on a little weight since I have had her) After trying various things and vast amount of reading I now have her on the raw diet and she loves it. I feed her at the same time daily and she is practically waiting for the bowl. She has never shown this sort of interest in food before.

She is still quite a handful but again with time and training I know that I will have a fantastic dog, besides I love her to bits and I will try anything to get her trained and healthy.

Lynn
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My life belongs to a Collie

[Nikki]

Hi,

Millie certainly doesn't have any problems with eating she eats at the same time everyday and is more than happy to clear her plate!

Carol I was thinking of trying clicker training as she is getting very good at the basics but she definitely needs more.

I would not say shes an overly hyper dog just has a mad half hour every now and then!
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When a dog wags her tail and barks at the same time, how do you know which end to believe?

[Janice]

Nikki, I'd definitely recommend clicker training. Its really great fun. Dale loves it. Collies like to learn and need to something to think about.
I started Dale on tricks at Puppy School. I'd never thought of it 'til then but it was fun, something that you can do in the house and only takes a few minutes. Now I keep some treats and a clicker in the kitchen and in the living room and whenever there's an odd minute or Dale looks bored we do something. You can use it to teach anything from basic obedience to tricks.
If you Google clicker training or dog tricks there's a lot of advice. I've got a few books you can borrow too.
Clicking at home doesn't seem to cause any problems with what we do on Tuesday nights either.
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Janice and Dale

[Nikki]

Thanks Janice,
That would be great she needs to be mental stimulated and i don't think chasing the cats counts as being mentally stimulated!

My vet offers a half hour introduction to clicker training but getting an appointment is almost impossible as the woman works funny hours so any info on it would be fabulous!!
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When a dog wags her tail and barks at the same time, how do you know which end to believe?

[Nicola]

Ashley,

Janice is right.....Clicker training is great fun. I wasn't a particular fun until I seen what Mary Ray (heelwork to music) trains her dogs to do using clicker training. It's really interesting and amazing to watch.

I do a few things with the clicker with Molly and Roxy, such as "touch", like touching doors, the floor, my hand etc, all rewarded with a click and a treat.

Even if the dog is just sniffing around and happens to do something good which you see, if the dog already responds to clicker being a good thing, you could click at this point and the dog will hopefully come to you for a treat. This takes time though and you have to click as soon as the dogs does the action, or within a couple of seconds...So have your clicker at the ready! Timing is crucial.

Have a look at her website:

http://www.maryray.co.uk/index.html

When I was at a show of hers, I got a target stick, a clicker and a booklet! I would recommend them.

She has a section on her site that sell her books, DVDs and accessories. You may get the books and DVDs cheaper elsewhere, i'm not sure though.

Good luck though if you plan to try it!