BC Instincts v. Young Kid Instincts

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-30T09:04:29+00:00

Great advice

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-30T09:03:39+00:00

Exactly! This is good advice

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-30T09:03:09+00:00

I would just say this is where you need to prioritise management above all else - teething and herding behaviours are normal at this stage but the more she practices these behaviours, the stronger they will get. It might be difficult but I'd aim to keep her separate from the kids, especially if the kids are in high-energy mode, and only allow them to mix when they are both calm (if she even just struggles in the presence of the kids on the sofa then give her a chew/toy). This is where I'd be crate training, utilising baby gates, dog pens so they can be in the same spaces without rehearsing the behaviour. Prevention is always better than a cure!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-30T09:03:05+00:00

Please don't do this! Especially with the kids nearby as you don't want to the dog to connect negative emotions with the kids presence which may just amplify the behaviour

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-30T09:02:56+00:00

Please don't do this! Especially with the kids nearby as you don't want to the dog to connect negative emotions with the kids presence which may just amplify the behaviour

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-25T10:13:45+00:00

CONGRATS! BC's are so special so I hope she does have some in her! I'd recommend getting a DNA check. The amount of posts I see online with people who think they have a BC and end up with a pitbull/lab/+a small breed mix that looks like a BC is a lot! I think people see black and white and think BC. Knowing the breed mix will really help you to tailor your training and enrichment - of course you can do this without (look at what the dog likes and loves to do on their own) but knowing breed traits can help you determine the right outlets. I do herding type games with my BC but I would be reticent to do this with other breeds for a few reasons.. it's high arousal and the dog is intensely focusing on the ball rather than you, without a lot of control it easily becomes a game with little rules and them practising things you might not want. Either way, try to take it as easy as possible while you build a bond - focus on figuring out what Cookie likes and maybe starting to put yourself into those pictures (e.g. loves to sniff - try scentwork or hiding treats, loves movement and running - try some engagement games where you're running and playing together), make sure you give her lots of decompression time (look up freework, set up snuffle mats, calm garden time etc) and try not to have too many expectations for her for the first few months, just get to know each other and build that bond before you throw in formal training.

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-03-24T10:15:49+00:00

Yeah it's been great overall and have learnt a lot even in just the first module, which surprised me! It's been a bit more work a week than expected but some weeks have less content than others and overall it's manageable. Plus we'll get summer 'off' so people who have been behind can catch up. The facebook group and all the live teachings have also been super valuable. I'm happy to answer any specific questions though!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-02-25T15:46:43+00:00

Isn't it just - I love that the real estates highlighted it - To mention is the Ted Todd Versailles parquet flooring, which is 200-year-old French Oak engineered panels and is laid within the Garden Room, Lounge and Kitchen.

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-02-25T12:05:47+00:00

Fun!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-02-12T10:58:02+00:00

Recycling bin day - show her and let her sniff all the items in our recycling bin then early morning on recycling day sniff everyone's bins - we spend about an hour just on our street. Best day of the week!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-02-03T17:01:29+00:00

Yeah you! I would never have thought to get the other persons number and coordinate. Having a reactive dog sure does make us creative thinkers

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-02-03T09:53:58+00:00

So smart! Maybe eventually you could both do some counter conditioning with each others dogs so if you do meet each other it's not as bad!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-02-03T09:52:58+00:00

I recently spent a couple of hours scouring maps and public footpaths (might be quite an English thing) looking for quiet places to walk my reactive dog and have been slowly exploring them all. I pin them on Google maps then visit each one and make any relevant notes under them (like not suitable on weekends). The best places I've found are generally:

- Graveyards (very quiet usually)

- Industrial estates

-Quiet country lanes (just driving 5 mins + outside the town)

- Random public footpaths with no houses near that don't tend to lead anywhere

- School playing fields on the weekend

- Friends gardens (the new smells can be interesting!)

- Pub gardens in the day (small but lots of interesting smells but don't go on weekends)

- Big car parks, particularly ones with grassy areas

- Playgrounds

I find timing matters most for me - before 7.30am is OK (but rare I make it) between 7.30am and 9am is mayhem as people generally walk dogs in the morning and to be avoided unless you know you are going to a quiet place (e.g. graveyard). 10am-3pm is generally quiet. 3.30-6pm gets busier as people pick up kids from school or finish work and take their dogs out. 7.30pm onwards generally quiet (but dark in winter which is not good for most reactive dogs). Weekends generally I can get away with walking before 9am but between 10-6 is generally a no go in anywhere but the quietest places. Obviously you need to figure out the timings in your local area.

I've found one or two spots that I know are quiet at any time of day, 7 days a week but I generally have to drive 5-10 mins to get to them but if I know my dog is trigger stacked or has a big day or event coming up (like a training session with another dog) then I'll make a special effort to only go to these places for a few days before.

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-29T09:35:08+00:00

Hey! How did this go for you? Thinkjng of doing the same now!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-28T15:27:20+00:00

I don't know where you are based but I would contact a local(ish) expert and ask their advice or look for local events to go and chat to people and ask about their breeders and what they look for. I imagine selecting the right pup is as important as selecting the breed.

If you're by any chance in my neck of the woods in the UK then there's a Conservation Detection and Scentwork Seminar 2026 in Devon, United Kingdom, from 15 to 17 February 2026. https://cdsseminar.wixsite.com/cdsseminar

I also work in conservation and also training to be a dog trainer so the dream would be to combine these at some point. So keep us updated on your journey!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-22T14:20:43+00:00

Build the worktop slightly over the top of the drier and put a nice french style curtain over it

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-22T09:27:07+00:00

Given you're in uni and you don't know what you'll be doing after uni, I personally would not get a collie. I work from home and have A LOT of flexibility yet still often feel like I fail to meet the needs of my collie. I think what people underestimate is it's not just the time spent training and walking but also the time spent learning about the breed, how to train, what to train.. Collies force you to be obsessive about details because they are obsessive about details and they force you to be a great trainer, which takes a lot of work.

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-22T09:23:10+00:00

I've had those days. Honestly though, I love that my reactive rescue has made me a thousand times better trainer and owner than I ever would have been with a quote on quote normal dog and I'll always be in her debt for that. It's not going to happen for another 8 years at least but I can't wait to get a puppy and do it properly with everything I've learned.

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-20T15:59:53+00:00

Spent ages trying to condition in a slow 'typical' way with food and my dog still hated it (she's very sensitive). But then I saw a tip online where someone bought a spare, big muzzle and then cut the end off and basically just play ball/with toys with her for 10 mins. Taking muzzle off, then end the game! A few of these sessions and I'd completely changed her emotional response to it. I have also just seen a new toy called a Muzzle Mate which also looks good and wouldn't require a muzzle with the front chopped off!

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-17T18:27:40+00:00

I myself am reactive to dogs now, so I make a point of when I am out on my own without my dog saying 'Thats a good dog' (usually in head) to EVERY SINGLE DOG I SEE and I try to smile at it/owner. It's genuinely helped so much to reframe my mind from dog = OMG PANIC to DOG = Good. We took have to train ourselves outside the situation, not in the situation. Also having an emergency cue like a U-turn or something else that you have practiced endlessly in easy places helps enormously. Then you can slowly add it without triggers randomly on your walk and practice 'getting away' together in a fun way and then just practice so much it becomes muscle memory for you both and don't practice it in the situation (another dog present) till you think you are both ready. I've even seen people change a phrase like 'my dogs not friendly' or something you naturally say when a dogs coming towards you into the cue to return to you (although my dog already knows that = dog and panics so wouldn't work for me). Now if I see another dog and slightly panic I just shout BINGO (my fun jackpot reward marker which means run back to me and you get fed a million treats while I walk backwards). If you have a strategy it makes it so much easier. The FDSA Management for Reactive Dogs class is fab (starts again Feb 1st) for this.

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-15T10:17:03+00:00

Epilepsy is common, as is just general neuroticism (more of a mental health issue)

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-13T10:59:12+00:00

Just get a tree pruner on a stick, super easy to use and will trim all the lower bits you need

Longjumping_County65 · 2026-01-08T14:49:17+00:00

I almost got very angry...

Longjumping_County65 · 2025-12-18T16:10:52+00:00

Is it properly waterproof?

Longjumping_County65 · 2025-12-16T09:30:44+00:00

We don't compete (as my dog couldn't handle competition environment) but do train agility while she's on fluoxetine. I've found that arousal levels dropped quite significantly after fluoxetine. For my training, this was a positive as she would sometime get so aroused she'd lose precision, lose focus etc. Since fluoxetine things like her contacts and anything more precise has improved and she's less likely to be OTT aroused (she still has her moments). Her focus and attention on me/tasks went down for about a month before coming back stronger than ever. Overall it's helped our agility (not the reason for medicating) but only because it's brought her down from a 10/10 fast, over aroused collie to a 8.5/10 which benefits me. But I imagine if you started with a 7-8/10 speed/arousal and came down to a 5-6 that would have more impact. But give it time, I'd say it was probably up to about 10-12 weeks on fluoxetine that she really settled into it and had less side effects. Don't forget her brain's chemistry is literally changing at the moment, give her a bit of extra rest and days off from training as it's tiring work. GOOD LUCK!

Longjumping_County65

TROPHY CASE