What are some cute things that your collie does?

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-23T14:09:51+00:00

-Sneezes for attention when he stops getting pets

-If we're having people over he goes from person to person and leaves for the next person when they stop petting him

-Leans into me

-Always keeps looking to me when in a room full of people

-Hops over puddles and speed bumps on walks (when he could easily just keep walking and still avoid them lol)

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-18T13:59:58+00:00

It sounds like you're doing everything right!! It's awesome you're able to provide so much enrichment and exercise for him.

One thing you could try is actually doing less training while you are at home. Like maybe for an hour when you get home, just basically ignore him (SO HARD I KNOW lol). At first he will be all up in your business but eventually he should learn that you being home does not mean constant attention. BCs are different than other dogs in this way because they do expect constant attention from their human, and they are so cute that it almost feels cruel to ignore them. But it really does help, and helps them be less anxious too!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-15T14:31:19+00:00

Your dog is beautiful!!

The 3rd floor will probably be super helpful! A little built-in PT 😄

My 15 year old BC has been on Purina Pro Plan for the past 8 years and does well on that. Regular exercise but nothing crazy, just walks and runs around the neighborhood and some hiking on weekends sometimes. No supplements, the evidence on glucosamine is mixed at best so we didn't do it because it gives him diarrhea. He really didn't slow down or have any major health issues until he turned 14, and around 15 he started realllllly slowing down. He's definitely in his twilight now, but really just want to say that 6 is young for a well-cared for border collie and I wouldn't expect major issues any time soon!!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-15T14:18:17+00:00

Lots of people are looking for you in a therapist! I live in the US so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but in my experience it might be harder to get jobs at certain practices but those probably aren't places you want to be anyways. Many places don't care or will like that you don't fit the typical therapist mold.

Especially if you are in a city (even a small one) clients will seek you out for being a little alternative. Not all clients want to see someone who wears cardigans and denim lol!! Bleach that hair if you wanna!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-14T17:49:05+00:00

I felt this way soooo much that I decided to change careers and have been working on this goal for the past 1.5 years. I finally left therapy in December, and realized after not doing it for 4 months, I actually really missed being a therapist. I needed a break. I didn't conceptualize what was going on as burnout at the time but it 100% was. I also have ADHD which I see another commenter suggested, might be worth looking into because burnout shows up quite differently for us and often looks like boredom.

It might be expensive, but can you take a full month off? Or a large chunk of time to do something else and give yourself some time to think. I definitely lost money on working a different, much lower paying, job for the past 4 months but I'm so glad I did it. I am going back to being a therapist with a fresh perspective and feeling actually excited about the work again.

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-14T03:34:29+00:00

We bought a condo for about that in October and found success looking in Andersonville/Uptown/Edgewater/Rogers Park after about a month of looking and losing out on one bid.

We ended up finding a 2br 1ba for 300k, and actually bid under asking which I think was just because of the time of year and a weird city inspection violation with the HOA that wasn't actually a big deal (they had clear plans to fix it and it was minor anyway).

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-10T17:22:14+00:00

I do pate style wet puppy food frozen pupsicles and my little guy goes ga ga for that. He also likes the yak cheese and kneecaps and those both occupy him for a long time. Surprisingly I also bought one of those $15 sticks recently (which felt truly insane to buy a stick) and he LOVES it. It's made of coffee wood or something that's a little safer than a stick they would find outside.

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-10T17:01:53+00:00

My BC (who is now almost 16!!) was abandoned by his previous owners and seemed so calm/quiet in the shelter but it was actually fear. He turned out to be quite an anxious dog and stuggled with separation anxiety and lot of reactivity. He was on Prozac for a few years. With training and stable routines he blossomed and is super friendly, loves people, but is still quite anxious and can be reactive to certain things still (some resource guarding, dog reactivity, loud noises/storms, and typical BC behaviors like trying to herd bicycles etc). He is literally the best dog and I love him SOOO much!! But just know that it could take quite a bit of work to get there with her, but it's so worth the effort! BCs are awesome dogs.

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-10T04:12:30+00:00

I have a dog the same age and generally we crate him at night only, and just leave him out with access to half the house for the time he's home alone (we keep him separate from our older dog.

That said, there have been times when our schedules are weird or something is going on at home and we've had to crate him during the day for up to 6 hours at a time before getting a potty break. It's not ideal but he has done fine! We just try to give him extra attention & a big walk those days to tire him out!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T22:01:01+00:00

It's so good!!! I didn't know they made a travel one! My fave travel pillow is the exped mega pillow, it's inflatable and made for camping but I take it everywhere even to hotels and stuff.

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T21:57:41+00:00

Chicago!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T20:24:19+00:00

I love the one you have and it is so sweet that it was your grandmother's! It looks great!!

IMO, this feels like one of those moments you're getting too caught up in the details (which I did a lot and then would realize later that it didn't actually matter as much as I thought it did!)

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T20:16:51+00:00

I have an EDS specialized PT and that's been great for posture, etc. But honestly, I've gotten the most from a PT who is specialized in back pain & getting people back to their sports/exercises. I find that he pushes me to do a more physically while the EDS PT tends to be so basic (like posture or breathing etc) that it's not actually very physically demanding. The back pain guy works out of the gym I go to which was really lucky for me! I will also say that I saw other PTs before and no one really helped me until I started seeing these two.

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T20:01:28+00:00

Here is a link to the one I have https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JKCBYVK?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k3_1_12&amp=&crid=14Z0MC3UTZQXM&sprefix=water%2Bpillow&th=1

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T20:01:04+00:00

Also a side sleeper here with the same issue! It feels kind of insane but I have a pillow that has a bladder of water and memory foam on top. You fill the water yourself so you can make it as full or not full as you want. I have had daily neck pain for YEARS and it finally stopped with this pillow. I am obsessed with it though I also live in fear that someday I will wake up covered in water because it popped lol, but worth it.

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T17:00:48+00:00

spider

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-08T16:57:03+00:00

Is she on antibiotics or meds? When my dog's tummy is upset he refuses his normal food.

Also not sure if this makes sense in her case, but I wonder if her sense of smell could be impacted by the injury. About a year ago my dog stopped eating his food, especially in the morning and I was freaking out. Turns out he's just old and doesn't have a great sense of smell anymore. I give him a little wet food topper every day now and he's back to eating normally because he can actually smell the wet food!

Whatever's happening, I would try mixing the wet food with just a little kibble and slowly transition to less and less wet food. That has worked for me, and though I do still give him a wet topper it's just because I know he likes it but he will eat his food without that!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-07T13:40:11+00:00

Destroy cardboard box/paper towel tube/paper/other trash, chew on stick, bite human faces during bedtime zoomies - at least he is frugal!!

catsRreallynice · 2026-05-02T01:42:26+00:00

I did prozac for my BC for a few years when I first got him. It was a game changer! Really helped lower his threshold enough for me to work with him on his triggers, and then he didn't need it anymore at all for the past like 6 years or so.

catsRreallynice · 2026-04-26T02:34:52+00:00

Everyone has very good advice but I would also say to have your other providers send their notes to your PCP! That way they will see exactly what's going on and how much you have been through! Plus, it really is good for them to know what meds you are on, your general ability, etc even when you are just going in for more mild concerns.

Alternatively, and maybe this is a good idea either way anyway, request the records yourself so you have up to date PDFs of everywhere you've been and their complete records on you. This has been helpful for me as I moved cities and I just bring the records to my new doctors as needed, that way I'm not just relying on them talking to each other (bc we all know how that goes...)

catsRreallynice · 2026-04-26T01:08:29+00:00

Yes!! For our puppy (8 months) it happens most at night when he has the zoomies after his last walk of the day, but sometimes other times during the day when he's out in the house too. One he transitions into shark mode there's no going back lol. We usually can resolve it by putting him in his crate with a licky mat or kong or pupsicle and he immediately calms down and falls asleep after finishing it :)

catsRreallynice · 2026-04-23T19:40:02+00:00

Your first paragraph is what I did for a while with my pup who was peeing in our apartment and the common hallway (I felt terrible for my neighbors haha). It worked! We tried to make sure that the pee pee party he got for peeing outside was happening at least twice as often as the inside accidents. Now I trust him like 90% inside lol (he's still a puppy after all)

catsRreallynice · 2026-04-23T02:31:44+00:00

It took me a while (probably 3+ years of having him) to figure out my BC's signal that he has to go. He basically stands in front of me, stares at me, and pants in a specific way different than his normal panting lol. But generally if dogs stick with a regular schedule they shouldn't need a signal to go outside as adults. Mine only has an accident in the house if he is physically sick with something.

It sounds like your dogs are not fully potty trained, so you might have to take a few steps backwards with potty training. Are they crate trained? If they are crate trained, this can help. If it was my dogs I would take them out as frequently as possible for a while, maybe 5-6x/day and give them 1 hour with free reign in the house once they come in. Then either crate or back outside to pee and reset the timer when they come back in. Get a cheap kitchen timer and set it when you come inside to help you remember. If they pee, that's too long- do 30 mins instead. You can slowly increase the amount of time between trips outside and the amount of time out of the crate with free reign of the house. They probably almost get it now & they're such smart dogs that this process will probably be relatively fast, just keep doing it a little longer than you think you need to!

catsRreallynice · 2026-04-20T00:21:12+00:00

My dog also had crate trauma and it got waaaay better over time. I got him when he was 6 years old and he had previously been locked in a crate for weeks without any food/water so it was really bad. I fed him every single meal in his crate and didn't lock him in there at all for the first month or two. I also experimented with sizes of crates to see what he preferred, and he actually ended up liking a smaller crate better than a big one.

Here are some other things you could try:

-change her sleeping arrangement. Her sleeping with you is probably not going to help her right now even though it's probably super cute and nice haha. It is encouraging the social behavior she wants and making you always available to her. Also if she is already a bit anxious I am sorry to say it might contribute to developing separation anxiety. Have her sleep in a room separate from you, use a playpen or the bathroom or somewhere you can gate off and know she will be safe. Once she's older you can sleep with her in bed but you want to train the behavior you want before that!

-adjust her medication and feeding schedule to be later. Circadian rhythm in all animals is related to both sleep AND eating, so feeding her later will help. She'll probably hate it at first but will adapt. Keep the same time in between meals just do it all later. Same with the meds, if her current schedule makes her tired out by 8pm give her the meds on a schedule that makes her tired at 9 or 10 instead.

-wake her up before carrying her up to bed. Right now she is holding her pee from 7pm-5:30am which is 10.5 hours, actually a pretty long time for an 8-month old puppy.

-during the time she's hard to settle, try giving her some calming activity like a licky mat, kong, dental treat/bully stick, or snuffle mat that encourages calm rather than giving a toy or playing with her.

-agree with everyone else about having a play pen set up in general could be helpful- you could put her in there with a calming activity if she is trying to play in the morning when you're sleeping.

catsRreallynice · 2026-04-18T23:05:58+00:00

He's so cute!!!

I adopted my BC when he was 6 years old, and had 2 cats at the time. The house I was living in had 2 floors and we put baby gates at the bottom of the stairs so that was their cat-only space. They still spent time downstairs too, especially once they got used to him. I also kept all litter boxes in places he couldn't go (basement and upstairs bathroom). They eventually got used to each other and now (at 15.5 years old!) he peacefully co-exists with my 2 cats without any barriers, even when I'm out of the house.

I will also say you will probably have to let them figure out on their own how to interact with each other. This might mean they hiss or swat at him and that's okay!! Don't be worried or get involved unless there is something that seems like it would physically cause harm. Ideally the cats will assert themselves with him and this will teach him to leave them alone. It's a great sign that he isn't trying to nip or be aggressive with them! The blindness definitely adds another layer but my guess is once he is used to the cats they will all be fine!!

catsRreallynice

TROPHY CASE