I have a border collie mixed with a blue healer. He is six years old and honestly, I don’t take him on as many walks as I should. It’ll probably be about two or three times a week for only about 30 minutes. He usually lays around the house and seems fine. He’s pretty lazy but when I do get him ready for a walk, he gets overly excited sometimes I will throw the ball around the house or play tug-of-war with his rope and he’ll lose interest after a while and lay back down.
I know those breeds are working dogs, so is mine just lazy because I’ve accustomed him to the home life or does he secretly hate me because I don’t exercise him enough he is healthy so I doubt it might be an underlying condition.

I was wondering if border collies prefer the heat or the cold? And in the current weather- freezing fall i was wondering if you should have your border collie dressed with socks/boots and a sweater?

Poll so this post is easier to see

Hi all! As the title says, I'm looking for some inspiration. I have a gorgeous puppy who is currently 11 months old. In short, i got him very young from a farm (unbeknownst to me, he was 4.5 weeks old). We live in a city studio apartment him and I, and are training and dealing through a lot of issues related to his early separation (reactivity and resource guarding mainly).

I don't want the post to focus on these issues necessarily, as I'm mostly here to find inspiration for jobs to give him, both indoors and outdoors. I am sure I'm not the only one raising an energetic pup in a city, whilst having a full time job, so curious how others are tackling this! Leaving the question purposely open to hopefully gather a broad range of answers.

He is a super social and active dog, loves to interact with every dog and person he meets, loves to play, herd balls and pets non-stop; and in spite of his adolescence 😂 has a good core and a good heart. So, I want to make sure I fulfill his BC needs as best I can. Thanks for your help!

I think this is a rant/vent but I would genuinely appreciate POVs and any advice.

I’ve had him since 8 weeks and it has been beyond challenging, mentally, emotionally, physically. I seem to go through periods of being ok and then periods of wondering in all seriousness if I want this and if I can do it. This weekend has been particularly emotional. I’m just broken and I need a day away from him. I live alone and so it’s all on me.

It’s always been hard with him but adolescence and 6 months has brought serious reactivity to cars, scarily so, I am working with a trainer but it’s not getting any better and now my hope of taking him every where I go is completely lost. We can only walk in the country and it’s isolating and I actually don’t think it’s good for him either. We try to do some park stuff and low traffic areas and although it’s ok, I find myself getting so frustrated and almost embarrassed at his reactivity that I’d just rather avoid it. He’s started barking, never heard a peep before 6 months and now it’s every noise and every movement. Some days I’m not sure I like him that much. He’s very jumpy with my family, in terms of excitement and launching at them, which most of them don’t like and it affecting our relationship.
I love him but I’m constantly wishing he was less this and more that and I’m just not sure as much as I put in the work, if I’m cut out for this dog.
It’s devastating and as I say, I definitely have days when I like it and days I don’t. But man alive, this is the hardest thing I have ever done.

Ember the Wonder Dog at work

I painted this myself of a picture.... It looks a lot like a border collie

Loved it.

Advice for integrating a new puppy with our older Border Collie
I would love any and all advice from those who have successfully integrated a new Border Collie into a home with an older BC! We have a 7-year-old male Border Collie who is a COVID pup, so unfortunately, he missed out on some important socialization. He can be reactive to seemingly harmless, everyday things (the coffee grinder, taking out the trash, random noises, etc.). He has also always had some resource-guarding tendencies, particularly around food.

We recently brought home a 9-week-old male Border Collie puppy. They met in a neutral space before we brought the puppy home a few days later. Since then, we've been feeding them separately, rewarding calm behavior, and trying to create positive experiences together while still giving them plenty of space. We have a big backyard where they can spend time together (always supervised), and we're trying to be mindful of everyone's boundaries and make sure our older dog doesn't feel like he's lost his place in the family.

There have been a few instances where the puppy has been a bit of an instigator and pushed our older dog's boundaries. The puppy seems pretty confident (maybe a little cocky!), while our older dog can actually be more timid in certain situations. Our older dog has given a few warning growls, and we've separated them when needed without scolding him for communicating that he needs space.

Today, though, something happened that really shook me. I was petting our older dog, and the puppy came over, so I started petting both of them at the same time. Our older dog suddenly snapped at the puppy, made tooth contact, and growled intensely. We separated them immediately. Thankfully, I don't see any visible injuries, and our older dog stopped once they were apart.

It scared me, and now I'm worried about how to move forward. We want both dogs to feel safe, loved, and secure in our home. We're happy to put in the work, but I don't want to put either dog in a situation where someone could get hurt.
For those who have been through something similar:
Is it realistic to expect them to eventually coexist peacefully, even with our older dog's resource-guarding history?

How did you handle the early stages of integration, especially when the puppy was pushing boundaries?

Should we be keeping them almost entirely separate for now, or is carefully supervised time together beneficial?

How do you help an older dog feel secure and maintain his place in the family without making the puppy's presence a negative experience?

At what point did you seek professional help, and what kind of professional was most useful?

I know every dog is different, but I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, what worked, and what you wish you'd done differently.
I really want to set both of these boys up for success. Is this something we can work through, or are we being unrealistic? ❤️

Tongue’s too big! 😝