cats and border collies

Mav quite likes him, when he's still. he chased her once and she hasnt forgiven him (he wasnt chasing her per say, he thought it was a game and started running too, he was running alongside her rather than after her. he wasnt barking either and his tail was wagging). Jupiter would scratch his eyes out if he were bigger and not such a wimp!

Were just taking it really slowly. the trouble is the puppy is very, very active.

I taught him how to shake hands and sit down already so he's quite a smart little thing.

Thanks MA. I actually have two Borders and 2 Aussies, same difference though.

With these particular breeds, unless you have something to do with them, herding, agility, flyball ect., I would not have just one. As MA said my dogs interact with eachother and that keeps them very busy. Having just one with no activities to do can spell disaster.

As for the cats, two of my kitties were already here when we started to add dogs to our family. They adjusted okay. My next 3 were babies when we brought them in and the dogs were perfect little mommies and daddys to them. Ashly however, was almost an adult kitty when MA brought her to us. I left her in the guest room for a couple of weeks with a baby gate up. The other cats could go in to visit her but the dogs were only allowed to look. She finally took to living downstairs in my hubbys bathroom and believe you me, that is HER room and she lets the dogs know it if they attempt to go in there.

With all that said it can be done. But remember, your Border needs something to do, constantly. Good luck.

he's going to be starting an agility class and puppy training as soon as his shots are all done (3 weeks to go!). we have a baby gate too, the cats can get through but the puppy cant.

he is also not allowed upstairs so they have the run of upstairs to themselves (2 floors).

i'm hoping his lab side will make him a little calmer i'm not a big dog fan really and BC's are said to be very 'doggy' from what i've read. He is very sweet though and he seems to like me, he gets very happy when he sees me and likes to sit on my lap.

He managed to find the one cat toy in the whole of downstairs and the garden we missed and swallowed it whole. we rang the vet in a panic and they said to let him pass it out. luckily he threw it up the next day. puppies are hard work and he's not even my dog!

Very good. As for eating foreing object all of my dogs except Niki eat everything in sight so I am very familiar with colorful extrements. A warning though, from my experience, BC's don't get out of puppy stage until they are about 3 years old so be prepared for a long, frustrating, yet wonderful experience.

Feel free to PM me if you need any advice or just want to talk on your bad days.

thanks, i'm bound to take you up on that

is it normally for them to be a bit bitey? and how can i train him out of it?

Puppys are natural mouthers especially when teething. Keep a toy near you at all times and when puppy decides to chew on you, replace yourself with the toy. Cody, my Aussie pup was an impossible exception to the rule though. I couldn't stop her to save my life. She eventually grew out of it at about 8 months. It helped putting her through classes as well.They teach the "leave it" command which is a very valuable tool.

we've started giving him a chilled washcloth to chew to ease his gums if he's teething. he prefers human flesh to toys whatever we try! i dont think my families reactions help, calling him naughty in a laughing voice then playing with him.

its early days yet. hopefully he'll grow out of it.

Maverick is in a sulk as she saw me holding the puppy. she wont be my friend for a good hour until i have bribed her well enough with prawns!

Can you get bitter apple spray in the UK? If he is a normal puppy, his attention will soon turn to wood chairs, moulding, wallpaper, etc, etc. If you redirect him away from chewing you, he could hit on things other than his toys.

Went thru the joys of 2 littermate puppies last year. Thank heavens I worked from home most of the year so I could keep an eye out for them. I'm all ears if you need me.

i think i've seen it in pet shops. so far he only chews people. he has lots of toys but has learnt that humans make interesting noises when you nip them and end up playing with him if he keeps it up.

about to order a puppy care book from amazon.

any ideas about how old he should be when you get him to wear a collar? my parents and brother dont want him to wear one until he starts puppy classes (12 weeks) but i think it would be better if he got used to it first. i put a collar on him and he didnt mind it but my brother threw a tantrum and took it off.

I had two border collie crosses growing up (one crossed with german shepherd, the other with australian shepherd) and both were great with the cats (the cats liked to share the dogs' beds) and never attempted to herd them (though one of them did like to try to herd kids). As long as the dog is getting lots of exercise and a proper introduction is made, I think it should be fine.

i've read the article http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_B...s_to_Dogs.html

but would be interested in what other people think a proper introduction is.

at the moment they cant be around each other as the puppy hasnt learnt not to run up to the or to try to initiate play. they can see each other through a baby gate, through the banisters on the stairs and from up high when supervised.

how can i stop the puppy running up to and after the cats?

As for the collar, we put a collar on the puppies immediately (8 weeks). When we took them out, it was always on a leash as 1) they need to get used to a leash and 2) you can start the education process earlier. The puppy trainer we went to strongly suggested that even if you have a fenced yard, use a leash so that they get used to directing their attention towards you. If they are running free you lose control of them. If they don't have a collar, a leash is impossible.

I had a very difficult time with Sam chasing the cats when we first brought him home. He had 10 littermates and was used to romping and playing with them. He comes here, sees 12 cats and feels right at home. Puppies simply need to be reminded over and over and over and over again what is right and wrong. They eventually get it, but not without a lot of frustration in the meantime. The higher the energy level of the breed, the more difficult it can be. But again, a border collie is a working dog and is bred to please their master. Our BC mix became the best behaved (of the 5 dogs we had) with our cats once he got past his puppyhood. For chasing cats, consistent redirection to his toys every time he chases them. Our puppies were kept primarily in the kitchen and we spent a LOT of time in there for the first 6 months. As tiring as it is, constant supervision is important when they are that young.

he is very good and a quick learner. i cant beleive i even like him, i'm not a 'dog peron' at all! lol.

he is very desperate to please. when maverick hissed at him he cried for ages as it was the first time he realsied the worlds not his friend

he is just so desperate to play and love them but they are not having any of it. if he wanted to hurt them he would have had ample oppotunity to try. when he got the cat cornered (grrrrr i was so mad at my dad for letting the dog and cats out together ) he gave her a lick and she swiped his nose.

I guess i'm just trying to reassure myself that this will all work out ok. but it is very frustrating.

well i spent two days solid traning snoop not to chase the cats.(i can only train the puppy when my brothers out as he doesnt want his dog trained. he's just being a brat because his dog prefers women over men so gets jealous if me, mum or sister spends time with it)

i thought i had got it (how naive, lol) as i had trained him to sit whenever her saw the cats and not give chase. it had got to the stage where they could spend time together in the same rooms, sniff each other and walk past each other without a cat hissing at the puppy or the puppy trying to play with them. they seemed to be getting on quite well though i wouldnt leave them alone together yet.

then today when i was in the kitchen making breakfast Maverick jumped the stairgate blocking off upstairs and followed me into the kitchen. unfortunatly i didnt notice her but the puppy did, ran over to play then chased her through the house. grrrrrr!!

so the puppy knows do not chase the cats whilst i'm watching him not do not chase the cats full stop!

back to the drawing board....

Patience patience patience!! This will go on for a long time until the puppy has attained a lot of self control. He's a baby right now and it can be months before things have normalized for you.

My puppy trainer's advice: With puppies it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back for a while. Be totally consistent and don't give them the opportunity to develop bad habits. Don't let them out of your site and kennel them when you can't supervise them.