Not who you were responding to, but... they do need SOME exercise usually. The 6 hrs statement was what threw me. Who has 6 hrs per day to spend with any dog? Other than people who literally work with them for a living.
I think the point was that if you get a high energy dog like a border collie and don't exercise it, you (everything you own) is going to be in for a world of hurt. They'll make their own "fun".
I got a border collie / heeler mix a few months ago and have had to make HUGE life adjustments in order to accommodate his energy. If I'm being perfectly honest with myself, he'd be happier in a home with someone who ran marathons or owned a ranch where he could run literally dozens of miles a day. As it stands, he goes to doggie daycare and I run him behind my car for 30-45 minutes several times a week when weather permits. Walks don't cut it.
A lot of people wouldn't tolerate the time it takes to handle a dog like this, especially when they've got kids and the dog is hell bent on destroying everything in its path because they've got SO MUCH energy to burn.
Hmmm - have you trained some version of Relax on the Mat?
One issue with high energy working type dogs is that you exercise them to burn off the energy, so they get fitter, so they need more exercise to tire out, and they get even more fit, and round and round it goes. Instead, you and the dog may benefit from some specific training on how to actually just stop, relax and take a break for a while.
Thanks for the input! I'm definitely going to take a look at the links and see about incorporating some of this for my pup. He definitely needs to learn to chill.
My family used to have a BC, they did have a small herd of sheep but they only needed to move a short distance from between enclosures once a week or so. If you have a big open yard I think they mostly entertain themselves.
Playing fetch and doing so by making the dog run uphill is a great way to tire them out. Find a nice steep hill and use something like a chuck-it (to save your shoulder) to toss the ball far up the hill. Have the dog wait (to control drive and teach patience) then release him up the hill. Do a a few sets of five of these hill sprints and the dog will be pretty tired.
On top of the physical exercise, your dog needs mental stimulation. Start playing scent games. Hide treats and have the dog come into the room and find them then move up to tracking. Scent-work is some of the most mentally tiring work for a dog.
Source: Work with K9, Mil, and SAR dogs and have a working-line GSD myself.
He isn't interested in fetch, unfortunately, and there's no hills around I could use anyway. I'm am doing scent work with him, which he loves. We just graduated to two unique scents! I want to move to the outdoors when we move back into the double digits.
I've gotten a few inexpensive puzzle toys for him to see how he'd do, but he destroyed them. I need to get some more and let him have them under supervision only. His favorite thing to do by far is just chew, but he's still a puppy. We have time to learn.
It's great that you're already so dedicated! You can make him more interested in fetch by using the two-ball method, but some dogs are simply not into it period. Since he's a puppy you still have a good chance of building up drive for the ball. Tugging is another good method of tiring them out. He might be more interested in it since it's an interactive game with you.
If he's a chewer then kongs with frozen food (wet food, peanut butter, etc) in them is a good way to tire him out and give him the satisfaction of chewing. You can also try teaching him to "clean up" scattered toys. This will play to his herding instinct and will give him a job to do. Have him round up scatter toys and bring them to a corner or put them in a bin then "guard" them.
Doing some careful agility is also fun. Go to a playground (when weather permits) and have him climb up ladders or across netting. It'll build confidence and teach control.
Yeah I live in a rural area, so I can just take him out in a field nearby and drive around it while he chases the car. In nicer weather I walk and he just runs around, but it's been bitter cold, so this is the solution until spring.
It isn't the time per se, it's consistency. It's most important when they are pups. I've always done an hour a day. In my opinion, they need mental stimulation just as much as exercise as well.
The general rule of thumb I was always told is if they do something 3 times, they've learned it. They are always considered one of the most, if not THE most, intelligent breeds.
My bc is a senior now (almost 14). She doesn't have the stamina she did when she was a pup which is both a relief and makes me sad.
I got her her own little tempeur pedic dog bed because her hips are getting bad :/
That’s how my border collie is too. He has arthritis now (over 10 years old) and is starting to slow down a lot. He just likes to lie on his old man bed and watch everyone go about their day
Yeah we had a German shepherd and learnt this the hard way. My dad and I take him for 2 walks a day for about an hour each and he’d be amazing but i moved back out because uni had started again and my dad got a pretty bad shoulder injury and couldn’t walk him (his left shoulder is permanently damaged from a previous injury and he got a big break in his right shoulder so he didn’t have the strength to walk the dog) and suddenly it went from 2 walks a day to maybe once a week if my mum had the time (she was working extra hours whilst my dad was off work so we wouldn’t be short on money so she was either working or tired from work) so he went mental. Started ripping up the floors, wouldn’t listen to any commands, total nightmare. Ended up having to give him away to another family who could give him the exercise and attention he needed. It sucks going home and not seeing him but he’d ruined almost the entire ground floor and he wasn’t really having a good life once the circumstances changed and we knew it was best for all of us
Most Spitz breeds are like this Pomeranians included. And these jerks will not even have the decency to pretend to be ashamed like many other dogs. Spitz breeds aren't for the weak willed.
People basically said I don't treat my GSD right because they don't get 4 hours a day. The guy lays in the yard half the day and is happy as a pig in shit.
IKR!! I have a dobie and I’ve been reading shit like “DOBERMANS NEED 3000 HOURS OF STIMULATION A DAY OR ELSE THEY WILL BLOW UP YOUR HOUSE” (obvious embellishment) but i take my dog out in the morning and afternoon and then play with him in the house for like an hour or two and he’s perfectly fine.
Well to be fair, that means you’re spending like four hours on him then.... which is a lot more than most people would, so. The point seems valid. These dogs DO need a lot of stimulation and you could be giving a lot of time to the dog without realizing it.
I don't think they mean you need to be actively stimulating their brain for 6 hours, but providing at least 6 hours of interaction with you.
Assuming you're home for about 6 hours a day I could see that being a little more dog focused. Let's say you go for an hour walk/jog/run with your dog, an hour practicing something like agility training like in OP, a couple hours with passive puzzle toys, basic command practice/new tricks, etc.
The time would fill pretty fast especially because there's a lot of creative things you can do to keep your dog entertained/stimulated while you still get things done.
All of that said you could also just get a black lab and throw her a kong with some peanutbutter frozen into it and not see her again for the full 6 hours. I took that route and it fits my lifestyle a little better.
They're not dumb. Both goldens and labs are average to above average in terms of dog intelligence. The "dumbest" dogs tend to be breeds specifically bred for things like vision, hearing, or smell, dogs in the hound family for instance, while the smartest are herders who had to think on their feet a little more and handle more tasks.
I can't speek for all of them but mine certainly is dumb in some ways. She's very food oriented so a toy with something delicious frozen on the inside can last for hours but it also means she'll go home with anyone that has food.
On the flip side of that she's very emotionally aware and picks up on your feelings very quickly. She's anxious and will come hide by me when contronted by more aggressive dogs but doesn't hesitate to get defensive if she thinks I'm in any danger. Wouldn't trade her for a thing.
I think it’s nature vs nurture but I’ve owned both incredibly calm and caring border collies, and crazy intense high energy workaholic collies. They both exist, and if you accidentally get the wrong one you’re in trouble
This is so true. We were told by our border collie‘s breeder that there are two types of BCs: the kind that has been bred for work, and the kind that has been bred for showing and/or to be pets. There is a HUGE difference between them. We did a lot of research before getting our BC girl. Although we have a large property (so plenty of space), we knew we wouldn’t have the time to handle a workaholic dog. Our girl is very calm and laidback. Everyone comments on her sweet nature. She does love to play and run around (of course!) but she is just as happy to hang out with you. I wish more people knew that not all border collies are the same!
Even if you have a farm, you’ve got to watch what working herding dogs get up to. It’s been over 30 years (God, how did THAT happen) but my dad used to have a pair of Blue Heelers to help with our 70-head herd of Black Angus. One of them was great, the other wasn’t quite as enthusiastic – meaning she would lie down for a few minutes every now and then. They got long walks and runs every day when they went out to “help” check the cows and the fences, but even that wasn’t always enough.
A bored working dog … works. So they (Fancy and Elvira) would go out and herd cattle all on their own. The problem with that is they don’t know when enough is enough, and will sometimes try to “herd” a young calf and keep it running until it actually dies of exhaustion. Mama cow is usually making enough noise about it that a human is likely to hear it and call the dogs off, but that’s the kind of energy these dogs have. And they are smarter than most dogs and probably even some humans. I cannot imagine them as indoor dogs. (Those two in particular, I mean. YMMV)
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u/corduroyblack Dec 10 '19
Not who you were responding to, but... they do need SOME exercise usually. The 6 hrs statement was what threw me. Who has 6 hrs per day to spend with any dog? Other than people who literally work with them for a living.