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KisstheCobra

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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:31 pm

Today after school I was able to get my new dog. ^^ Unlike I had planned I went with a puppy. I was reading the newspaper one day when I saw an add for a free litter of puppies. I was the first to arrive today and was able to pick which male I wanted.

I am now the proud owner of a six week old (today) border collie x kelpie. The mother was a Border Collie Kelpie cross, and the father was pure Kelpie. But I think Howie will have long hair. He's the coolest dog. I hope to put him through lots of obedience, frisbee, flyball, and if I'm lucky, agility. Since we live in the city but hace a spacious house and large backyard I really want to be able to divert Howie's energy elsewhere.

Anyway, as far as I can tell Howie and one of his brothers are the only pups in a litter of six that will be longhaired. The people I got him from only brought the males.

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I've started housebreaking and crate training him today. Any advice on either? Or any advice on what I want to get him involved in when he's older?

Also, when would be a good age to get him neutered? My mom's best friend and her husband are appauled that I'm neutering him. They used to have a large male rottweiler who was very into the dominating humans thing and wasn't fixed. When he passed away they got a male daschund they don't ever intend to fix. And now they're getting another male dashund pup who they won't neuter. They are upset that I would neuter my dog purposely, since my previous dogs were fixed when I got them. I've tried before, but it is useless to try to get them to fix their dogs.

Casey likes Howie though. She is just trying to play to rough and fast for someone his size and it makes him jump.

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:03 am

He's a gorgeous little fellow. I like the brownish shading that you can see in the picture. Does he usually have it, or is it just the sunlight?

Six weeks was a bit early to take him from his parents and litter. You might have some problems with nippiness in the future--make sure that you teach him that mouthing and biting, especially hard biting, are never okay. Your older dog should help you with that.

If you're crate training, just make sure that you make a big happy fuss when he goes to the bathroom outdoors. Don't do the rubbing-nose-in-it thing; it doesn't fix in the dog's mind that the act of defecating led to the punishment. Just try to make sure that he never has the opportunity to defecate inside.

Aside from making sure that you do work with him on something? Kelpie and Border Collie are both high-energy breeds that you can do pretty much anything with as long as it's stimulating. Since he's a cross, Frisbee might be a little more welcoming, since that sport usually isn't affiliated with a breed club (like the AKC or UKC). You can register him for UKC events, though; they're willing to take mutts as long as they're neutered. I'd take him up through obedience classes first, though, because his body won't be ready for most of the others until he's one or two years old. He might hurt himself if you push him too far.

Six months is usually the preferred age for neutering. I wouldn't ever spay a female before that time as there's some evidence that it can cause urinary tract issues if spaying is performed too early, for future reference.

Sola Catella
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KisstheCobra

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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:17 am

As far as I can see the brown is just from the sun. One of his brothers was colored like a doberman though.

Yes, I thought it was a bit soon. He is very nippy and likes to bite anything that moves and everything that doesn't. He doesn't seem to know no and I'm having difficulties getting him to understand it.

As for potty training, there was one accident last night. But both times he's gone poo it's been outside. One yesterday and one this morning.

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:41 pm

Wow he's really cute!!! ^^

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KisstheCobra

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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:56 pm

Here are some pics of Howie (and a couple of Casey) from this July. I'll post some new ones when I get the chance. :]

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[Howie]

[Casey]

[Howie]

[Casey and Howie playing]

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[Howie]

[Howie, Casey, and I]

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:09 pm

Howie turned six months old today! <3

And even started his first obedience class. We have he and Casey signed up for Beginner's Class at PetsMart. It'll be every Sunday for seven weeks. Since we were one day late we went in to make up the class today.

Anyway, here's what I posted on Myspace for them:

Howie and Casey are stars. Atleast Casey is anyway.

When I was "sick" on Monday I was able to make it out to PetsMart to pick up a few things for the dogs [ no worries ONLY $300 worth of things ] and while I was at it I stopped to take a peak at the Obedience lessons stuff. Now Casey is pretty well behaved, but Howie can be a wild child. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to look into them. While I was doing so the actual trainer came by and I talked to her for like twenty minutes.

Needless to say both Howie and Casey were signed up. The only bum part was that the class we signed them up for had started just ONE day earlier. Since they're both in the Beginner's Class for Sunday.

So Casey, Howie, my mum, and I went in today to make up the class. It was GREAT. I really like the trainer, she knows what she's doing. Casey behaved really well, just got a little distracted here and there. Howie did surprisingly well too. He just pays little attention to me and is engrossed in everything else. So I bought a clicker and traded Howie's Gentle Leader Headcollar for a Gentle Leader Harness like Casey has. Though he did well with the headcollar, he does excellent with the harness.

The trainer really liked the dogs and said we were doing a lot better than most her 'petparents'. She was so relieved when we admitted that we will use a punishment sound if they misbehave or even push the dogs into a submissive state if they're REALLY act out. She went on and on about how many dogs come in behaving horribly because they have no discipline. Boy were we relieved.

Infact, the trainer liked me and what I knew about dogs so much that she said I should come help her train her classes sometimes. I easily voiced that I wouldn't mind working there once I turn 16 and she was totally happy about it. She was like, "The DAY you turn 16 you should go online and apply! The manager will be more than willing to help negotiate a part-time schedual since you'll probably have school then, right?"

Very right. I think that's so cool. There's still loads I've got to get down, atleast in my opinion, but I definately wouldn't mind working there and around other dogs aswell as the trainer herself.

So yay for Howie and Casey! Casey will probably be the actual star pooch in the group, but Howie should have looooads of fun with the two golden retriever pups and the german shepherd pup once we start making regular classes.

KisstheCobra

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Arya_Havok

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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 5:07 pm

aaww the cutest puppy ever!

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:25 pm

Thanks. ^^ He's doing well in obedience, sort of. xD For the most part we'll just need to practice for like an hour each day. He doesn't listen well if he doesn't think you'll make him. He'd much rather ignore you.

KisstheCobra

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KisstheCobra

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Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 4:40 pm

Update. :] Today my mom and I took Howie and Casey to my grandparents' house to see how well they would get along with their new dog. You see my grandparents always foster a boxer for a while and usually end up adopting it. Generally they try to only have one dog at a time though. A few months ago their boxer died and so after the grieving process I was able to talk them into looking at a boxer I'd seen come into the local pound. Well, for maybe the first time EVER they went to an animal shelter and looked at a boxer in one. [ Normally they just stick to the rescues which are just as good. ] They one I got them to look at was named Ginger and she'd been taken by the Animal Shelter while her owner was in jail. They even had her papers since she was a purebred and they were available to them. Needless to say the owner never got out of jail, << >>, and my grandparents got her. Spayed and all. Because their dog died three days before my aunt's boxer did she also got another boxer shortly after them. That's the only dog I'm worried about, because I've never actually met her but she was saved from a rescue and when I got online and read her description it said she was dog agressive. So Howie and Casey get along with Ginger my grandparents dog, but on Thanksgiving we'll have to be careful because my aunt is bringing her boxer too.

Anyway, on to the fun part. Pictures from this morning. :]

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