border terriers

[flinty]

our border terriers are five months now they are males,one is friendly to other dogs the other not but the big worry is we have to cage them when we go out now as they have started causing damage indoors,i think getting two may have been a mistake.
they are very difficult to train and we are at are witts end in a way but we love them to bits , any help from people with border terrier no how will be grateful.flinty

 

[stevinski]

OMG another Border terrier owner!

firstly knowone really ever advices two dogs from the same litter, especially not two same sex males.

when we first got Harley (my border terrier) he was a little devil
we still cant leave him with anything,

lets see, hes gone through:
pool cover (extremely expensive)
pool covers cover
chocolate leather recliner
table legs
chair legs
computer chair legs
Shoes (never mine, thank god)
tv remote
phone
trampoline net
Pillows
etc

But omg i love him to bits

He used to be very nippy bitey, he used to grab onto your trouser leg, nd make a right scene, we had to have water spray bottles in every room, as soon as he did that, we would spray him, ( he really hated water )

we also took him to obediance classes twice a week, where he made me bleed twice, that we took care of with a water bottle.

I can't really say hes an angel now, but hes not the devil he used to be.

He wants to play ALL THE TIME.

but he is also a complete velcro dog, nd he loves his cuddles,
he will literally stay where u put him.

with two walks a day, his behaviour has extremely improved, hes much calmer, nd they just take away all his energy,

hes completely aggressive of any rodent or cat, anything bigger hes fine with, all other dogs and horses nd cows nd stuff hes fine with.

They need very firm discipline and persistance, it took us almost a month to teach him sit, he still hasnt quite mastered down.

Agility is a great thing for them!.

I really dont envy you having two of them, but then i really do, as they are complete terrors, tht will destroy your house without strict training, bt on the other hand, when they cuddle up to you nd give you those CONSTANT kisses, you know its all worth it.

There is knowone tht hasnt loved harley (accept people tht hate dogs), nd we've had 4 people ask for his breeders number.
They are truly a wonderful breed, nd i wish you the best of luck.

Be sure to post some pics!

 

[bubbatd]

Yes, getting 2 from same litter was a bad idea. Unless you are willing to give one up , it wall take a lot of patience and hard work . Time too , as they should be trained individually . Good luck and keep us posted !

 

[terrier terror]

Really? I have heard that they are very easy to train so long as it's fun and not boring.. I can see myself owning one in the future.

For me, I've had the best luck with clicker training my dogs (www.clickersolutions.com). They seem to "get it" quicker.

As for destroying the house, none of my dogs except one is allowed to run the house freely unless under supervision. When I am gone or can't keep tabs on them when they are out, they go in either their crate or x-pen. So much easier.

 

[flinty]

OMG another Border terrier owner!

firstly knowone really ever advices two dogs from the same litter, especially not two same sex males.

when we first got Harley (my border terrier) he was a little devil
we still cant leave him with anything,

lets see, hes gone through:
pool cover (extremely expensive)
pool covers cover
chocolate leather recliner
table legs
chair legs
computer chair legs
Shoes (never mine, thank god)
tv remote
phone
trampoline net
Pillows
etc

But omg i love him to bits

He used to be very nippy bitey, he used to grab onto your trouser leg, nd make a right scene, we had to have water spray bottles in every room, as soon as he did that, we would spray him, ( he really hated water )

we also took him to obediance classes twice a week, where he made me bleed twice, that we took care of with a water bottle.

I can't really say hes an angel now, but hes not the devil he used to be.

He wants to play ALL THE TIME.

but he is also a complete velcro dog, nd he loves his cuddles,
he will literally stay where u put him.

with two walks a day, his behaviour has extremely improved, hes much calmer, nd they just take away all his energy,

hes completely aggressive of any rodent or cat, anything bigger hes fine with, all other dogs and horses nd cows nd stuff hes fine with.

They need very firm discipline and persistance, it took us almost a month to teach him sit, he still hasnt quite mastered down.

Agility is a great thing for them!.

I really dont envy you having two of them, but then i really do, as they are complete terrors, tht will destroy your house without strict training, bt on the other hand, when they cuddle up to you nd give you those CONSTANT kisses, you know its all worth it.

There is knowone tht hasnt loved harley (accept people tht hate dogs), nd we've had 4 people ask for his breeders number.
They are truly a wonderful breed, nd i wish you the best of luck.

Be sure to post some pics!

help i am going to commit suiside,yes we realise getting two was wrong now, the breeder should have told us but she wanted the sale and we only puchased willow when we went to collect sammy, willow has a kink at the end of his tail and she said she was now selling him much cheaper and he was so cute i fell for the trap.but willow is the one that is not aggressive to other dogs and not the dominent one .
yes selling sammy would be the easy way out but i just cant do it now but if things get real bad i dont know ,

 

[flinty]

Yes, getting 2 from same litter was a bad idea. Unless you are willing to give one up , it wall take a lot of patience and hard work . Time too , as they should be trained individually . Good luck and keep us posted !

yes we know should have got one but its difficult they were only young here!

 

[flinty]

here is 30 secs of film of them
click on the link then enter the 3 letters where it says here
click down load and wait for the seconds to drop to zero
then clickher to download
then on file download click open and wait a few mins for the export depending on broadband speed

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KU0J3XCM

 

[stevinski]

You have to admit, they make the most gorgeous puppies you've ever seen!!!!!

its not that their hard to train, they'r extremely intelligent dogs, it just that they're stubborn and really cheaky!

hows the housetraining going with them?

 

[flinty]

You have to admit, they make the most gorgeous puppies you've ever seen!!!!!

its not that their hard to train, they'r extremely intelligent dogs, it just that they're stubborn and really cheaky!

hows the housetraining going with them?

i think we would have managed to train one better than two ,rarely any dribbles now.
send us a photo of yours

 

[stevinski]

heres the little terror now

heres him when he was a little tyke

 

[stevinski]

btw border terriers are actually supposed to have a very prominent kink in their tails

 

[flinty]

btw border terriers are actually supposed to have a very prominent kink in their tails

realy only dear little willow had a kink in his litter,the kink does not seem normal but it makes him very cute.they both seem to be getting more exitable as they get older,did you manage to upload and see the bit of film.by the way your little fellow looks like sammy to me.how old was he in the second photo.

 

[flinty]

sammy is six months next week and his aggression towords other dogs is getting worse,he has always been friendly to people but even snapped at someone for the first time yesterday,he is loving to us but i do not know how two dogs from the same litter can be so different.willow loves dogs and people.

 

[flinty]

the pups are well over 7 months now.sammy has been castrated but it has not helped,they both just wont be left alone without causing damage so we have to cage them when we go out and at night.at night they get us up at least 3 times howling although they dont want to go out.i am at my wits end and the situation is realy stressfull now.willow loves other dogs but the op does not seem to have helped sammy.
any experienced border owner, breeders advice welcombe.

 

[otch1]

Hello Flinty! You have your work cut out for you. I showed two lovely Borders last year, both with very different temperaments. The bottom line is this is a breed that needs a lot of training and a controlled environment. You will always use your crates or confine them. As puppies, it's dangerous to give them run of the house and as adults, you're asking for trouble with two males when leaving them unattended. Reccommend you get into a training class asap. These pups would benefit from a NILF program and a trainer can show you how to implement that. In the meantime, reccommend you contact your local breed club and talk to other Border owners, breeders and exhibitors. There you can gain breed specific information and talk to others that have "been there, done that". While this breeder was correct to sell them as pets, she was irresponsible in selling two males to a pet home. So unfortunately, she's not the one I'd go to for advice. (and not to step on toes, but this is not a dog that is bred with a prominant kink in it's tail.) Get into a training class, keep your pups seperated when unattended and contact your breed club. You'll soon be on your way to safe Border Terrier ownership. Good luck!

 

[sam]

Great advice from OTCH. ITA 100%
Getting great help is the difference between having a happy home and happy, well behaved, well adjusted dogs and major issues down the road.

Would you also be willing to get some great books ? I would arm myself with knowledge beyond just what you can learn at manners class. You need to give yourself teh edge having two littermate terriers-- that would be humbling and challenging for even an experienced trainer.
I would get:
- After you get your puppy by Ian Dunbar and
-The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.

Your library might have them or you can order them in to your local book store or order form amazon.com or dogwise.com

Good luck with your two and keep us posted. I am so NOT a terrier person but I just ADORE border terriers

 

[LuvsDogs]

They're terribly cute.
Had thought I'd get one when April goes, but think I changed my mind, besides I have pet mice & I don't think they'd mix.
I was told years ago to never get litter mates as they always compete with each other. I've seen this with any puppies of a similar age adopted within weeks/months of each other.
You'd need to train/walk them separately so they don't become completely depenant on each other. I've seen time & again, at obedience training, 2 pups from the same family so focased on each other that they can't learn anything.

 

[flinty]

thanks

thank you for all the advise,we had border collies in the past and they were so easy to train,only because of the move to a smaller town house did we get the terrorists, the thing is they love each other and willow loves all dogs.it will have to get pretty bad to consider letting one go as they are so loving,i can not understand why being two in the cage at night makes them get us up all the time i would have thought the opposite.all the best