Hey guys, it's been a long time. I've been lurking but haven't had much time to post anything, some of you might remember me from a few years ago. but I'll re-introduce myself.
*if you want to skip this part feel free to skip down to my actual question
My name is Beatrice and I live in the Seattle area, currently a sophomore at a local community college. I have two dogs, some of you guys might remember Sam, my now five year old little black mutt thing. He's doing very well.
[/url]IMG_1136 by darshanabhilashi, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]IMG_1143 by darshanabhilashi, on Flickr[/IMG]
As of Wednesday night I also have Camo, a five month old border collie. He came to me from a breeder in Mississippi, and the hope for him is to become my psychiatric service dog.
[/url]IMG_1447 by darshanabhilashi, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]IMG_1453 by darshanabhilashi, on Flickr[/IMG]
Sorry for the bad pictures of Camo, the weather has not been awesome for picture taking and these were taken at night with my phone anyways. I'll have to whip out the ol' camera on Sunday when the weather is supposed to clear.
*Anyways, sorry about that novel but I do have a bit of a concern with Camo. He's still pretty shaken up about the flight and complete change of surroundings and completely new people. Can't blame him for that.
However, he is a five month old border collie puppy from working lines and has a lot of energy. I'm currently sick (great timing I know) and he's been absolutely fantastic about just hanging out and doing some training sessions here and there, and running around the yard with Sam, but he still has a lot of pent up energy. He isn't really completely comfortable yet, though, and this is where the problem arises.
I've already decided I'm doing a sort of modified two-week shutdown with him. He needs it, he's scared. He's fine with Sam but right now any change is reason for concern. I'm lucky he doesn't hide and is already seeking me out for comfort but I want to know if you guys have any tips to help him come out of his shell a little bit? Obviously time is important and he's already doing better. He's a little bit reluctant to take treats right now and won't play at the moment either so I can't consistently use either of those as rewards.
Also wondering about some ideas for him to burn off some steam? He and Sam will play in the backyard but Sam is kind of a grouch and doesn't want to keep going with that for long. I am doing some training sessions here and there too. I still feel like he isn't getting enough exercise though. I tried taking him for a walk around the block but coming from rural Mississippi I feel like that was too much for him. He would freeze every time he heard a weird noise and wasn't really feeling it.
I am thinking I could take him to my boyfriend's farm-type property (lots of big open fields) on a long line and let him run some. I'm also thinking he might feel better walking through the woods so on Sunday I would like to take him on a hike. We also start puppy class on Monday but I have no problem leaving him and going just to learn the material if I feel like he isn't ready. Thoughts?
Lastly, am I right in thinking he will overcome this as he gets more used to being here? Breeder said he was going through a bit of a fear-period but he was an otherwise confident puppy, a bit reserved and definitely wants to stick to his person but by no means fearful. There's a tiny part of me that worries that sticking him on a plane has ruined him and now he's going to be forever terrified (worst case scenario)
I think I've covered everything, if you guys read all that you get a cookie. Any thoughts and ideas are much appreciated thanks guys
ETA: sorry for the tiny pictures, I forgot how to flickr. Need to figure that one out again.
*if you want to skip this part feel free to skip down to my actual question
My name is Beatrice and I live in the Seattle area, currently a sophomore at a local community college. I have two dogs, some of you guys might remember Sam, my now five year old little black mutt thing. He's doing very well.
As of Wednesday night I also have Camo, a five month old border collie. He came to me from a breeder in Mississippi, and the hope for him is to become my psychiatric service dog.
Sorry for the bad pictures of Camo, the weather has not been awesome for picture taking and these were taken at night with my phone anyways. I'll have to whip out the ol' camera on Sunday when the weather is supposed to clear.
*Anyways, sorry about that novel but I do have a bit of a concern with Camo. He's still pretty shaken up about the flight and complete change of surroundings and completely new people. Can't blame him for that.
However, he is a five month old border collie puppy from working lines and has a lot of energy. I'm currently sick (great timing I know) and he's been absolutely fantastic about just hanging out and doing some training sessions here and there, and running around the yard with Sam, but he still has a lot of pent up energy. He isn't really completely comfortable yet, though, and this is where the problem arises.
I've already decided I'm doing a sort of modified two-week shutdown with him. He needs it, he's scared. He's fine with Sam but right now any change is reason for concern. I'm lucky he doesn't hide and is already seeking me out for comfort but I want to know if you guys have any tips to help him come out of his shell a little bit? Obviously time is important and he's already doing better. He's a little bit reluctant to take treats right now and won't play at the moment either so I can't consistently use either of those as rewards.
Also wondering about some ideas for him to burn off some steam? He and Sam will play in the backyard but Sam is kind of a grouch and doesn't want to keep going with that for long. I am doing some training sessions here and there too. I still feel like he isn't getting enough exercise though. I tried taking him for a walk around the block but coming from rural Mississippi I feel like that was too much for him. He would freeze every time he heard a weird noise and wasn't really feeling it.
I am thinking I could take him to my boyfriend's farm-type property (lots of big open fields) on a long line and let him run some. I'm also thinking he might feel better walking through the woods so on Sunday I would like to take him on a hike. We also start puppy class on Monday but I have no problem leaving him and going just to learn the material if I feel like he isn't ready. Thoughts?
Lastly, am I right in thinking he will overcome this as he gets more used to being here? Breeder said he was going through a bit of a fear-period but he was an otherwise confident puppy, a bit reserved and definitely wants to stick to his person but by no means fearful. There's a tiny part of me that worries that sticking him on a plane has ruined him and now he's going to be forever terrified (worst case scenario)
I think I've covered everything, if you guys read all that you get a cookie. Any thoughts and ideas are much appreciated thanks guys
ETA: sorry for the tiny pictures, I forgot how to flickr. Need to figure that one out again.