Wednesday Afternoon with Photo

[nightdog_barks]

After being silent most of the day, the jackhammer two doors down has started up again. Boo and hiss.

To compensate, here is a picture of Chango (from this morning)

Comments

[silverjackal]

She looks very happy and comfortable. :)

[nightdog_barks]

She is really the happiest and most loving dog we've ever had, for real. I don't know if it's because she's a female (our first two dogs were males) or if it's just her nature.

:-)

[silverjackal]

Character is a very individual thing, not gender based. That said, in general female dogs are a little more refined and aloof, while males are sillier and more social. The spread and overlap on that is so enormous though, that I'd consider each dog individually. Breed does make a difference, too. In general collies have a sweetness and merry gentleness to their nature which is a highly prized aspect of that breed. It's more known in the Scottish collie (rough or smooth) but is also seen in the Border collies, Farm collies, English collies, etc. I'm a convert myself. In general I love the GSD, but Aidan was *more*, so much more, and in as much as it wasn't just him? That was the 1/4 rough collie, from old working stock. If I could find a dog with that (general) cross again I'd adopt it in a shot, not expecting the same temperament of course, but similar.

[nightdog_barks]

We just had a wonderful bit of canine silliness here tonight -- I was moving one of the two box fans in the den, and Chango went into play posture and barked at it, then walked away to get away from the terrible monster ... except she ended up sitting in front of the other box fan. You could SEE the gears turning -- "WAIT A MINUTE, THIS IS ANOTHER FAN!!!!" And so she had to bow and bark at it too.

Oh my god I was laughing. And then I had to reward her for being SO BRAVE.

We think she is part Border Collie, but we don't know. However, a friend recently gave us one of those "Dog DNA" kits, so we may find out in a couple of weeks exactly what she is.

[silverjackal]

Those kits are fairly unreliable, so don't put too much stock in the results. (Their sample size is very small, the differences are subtle and difficult to tease out because ultimately all dogs are the same species and most breeds are very "new" in genetic terms and therefore not particularly diverged, and basically they've been proved to have inaccurate results all over the map.)

Chango definitely has Border collie in her -- whatever other breed or breeds might be in the mix genetically she's come down quite strongly on the BC. (You can see examples of different ear sets here, all perfectly acceptable for the breed, and a similar domed forehead on the first dog. That behavior you described, sensitive/neophobic but friendly? Also classic Border collie.)

[nightdog_barks]

OH WHAT PRETTY DOGGIES!!!!!! *g*

Yep, she's definitely got the "drop ears" and a somewhat domed forehead. She loves people, especially children. We never taught her to sit when meeting someone new, but she does it instinctively. And did I mention that she adores children?

We're not too fixed on the kit results -- I'm mainly curious as to whether the results even mention Great Pyrenees, which is what the SPCA listed as her partial parentage when we adopted her as an 8-week-old puppy.

[silverjackal]

How tall is she at the shoulder? I don't have the impression from your photos that she's a big dog, and Pyr would produce something like a barge. :D (Otherwise I could see it, but I'm not sure about size.)

Border collies are a varied feast for any dog lover. So many beautiful colours, patters, and morphs. Here is a link to a great site that shows a lot of the variability in the breed. (If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you'll see links to various features such as "ears" and "brindle". I just googled for "split face" and "border collie" because I knew it would bring up that site. Gorgeous dogs, all of them, and you'll see a strong resemblance to Chango in many there.

[nightdog_barks]

A very rough measurement (because she's lying on her side and is interested in the tape measure) is that she's about 20 inches from front left paw to the top of her shoulder. She weighs about 75 pounds -- she carries it well, but we know she's overweight.

That is an amazing site. I really had no idea there was such variability in Border Collies.

[silverjackal]

I'll be very surprised if the results come back with Great Pyrenees then, though it's possible. She's entirely to small for me to expect it -- right in the range for a Border collie, actually. Then again, it's possible for a crossbred dog to come down 100% (or almost) on the characteristics of only one parent breed, so it's still just a guess.

For comparison, Cyrus stands 25.3" at the shoulder (he obligingly got out of bed so I could measure). He's fit and in his ideal weight range, but not "working weight" (i.e. he'd have to have a bit more muscle mass for that) at 35.5 kg/78 lbs as of his last weigh in two months ago. (I know he's lost weight since then, probably about 0.5 kg due to his food. I've put him back on the chicken based variety of his kibble now, the fish just didn't sit right with him.) Translated, Chango's ideal weight would probably be about 63 lbs. but being able to easily feel ribs (and muscle between) is the definitive criteria. With that fur it's not like you could assess waist, tuck, and distal rib/spinal column with her. :D

Have you tried getting her weight down? I know I sound like a judgmental nag, but keeping them trim really does have appreciable health benefits in the long term. It doesn't take anything radical, either, just gradually adjusting the quantity being fed downwards, and sometimes switching food. I'm not fond of the "diet" foods personally, as they have too many additives and too much filler. But finding something that agrees well with the dog that has higher protein and then gradually reducing the portion size often does the trick. (For example, Cyrus is on a high-end, grain free food. On the bag they say dogs in his size range should be eating 2.5-4 cups daily. I started with 2.5 cups, concluded it was too much, and adjusted it downwards for his metabolic requirements based on activity level. He eats 2 cups daily (split into two meals) and maintains good weight and very nice condition (in re: coat etc.). His appetite isn't more than just normal and healthy, either, so it's not like he's feeling hungry on that quantity of food (plus treats of course). For him to need the additional 0.5 c of food we'd have to be doing an additional three quarters of an hour of vigorous exercise. Essentially, the pet food companies lie on their packaging to sell more product.)

Edited to add: the variability in Border collies really is marvelous, and it's due to the fact that they were (until very recently) a "working" breed with no standard for appearance. People cared first and foremost that the dog could work. After that, if it was pretty that was nice, but not essential. Hence all the variation.

[nightdog_barks]

No, no, no judgmental nagging that I see! :-D

We haven't made a concerted effort to get her weight down, but then we haven't made a concerted effort to get our own weight down either. She eats Nutro Natural Choice Lite dog food, but I'd say she only eats about a cup and half (if that) daily (we have a two-cup kibble scoop). The problem is that she gets too many treats and not enough exercise, which I recognize is our fault. The other problem is that sometimes it's difficult to take her for walks because she can be very aggressive towards other dogs. She's fine with other dogs in "neutral" territory, i.e., the vet's office, but on our street she's quite fierce, barking and growling and pulling on the leash. So. Issues that need to be addressed.

[silverjackal]

Does Chango play fetch? Running after a thrown toy is an excellent form of exercise, entertaining for the dog, and easy on the owner. ;) (It's also not hard to teach -- the Fiend learned how to fectch in two five minute lessons on succeeding days, while he was still the definition of Epic Inattentive Spastic.)

I'll also sound very judgemental when I talk about the dog food you have her on, but I don't mean it that way. I know that dog food selection varies incredibly widely depending on location. Many places (like Australia) don't have dog food choices that I'd consider *good* -- their "premium" stops at my definition of "decent if you don't have anything else" for example. That said, the food you have Chango on isn't very good. It's full of carbohydrates (which are fattening rather than the reverse), it has poultry fat (fattening, generally unhealthy, and very suspect as to comtamination), and a very controversial source of Vitamin K that is being withdrawn from the market as a result of being linked to liver damage. (If you scroll down in the site I linked you'll see their opinion of the food.) If you poke around on that website you'll see numerous other reviews -- personally I wouldn't feed anything less than four stars (or a similar unreviewed food), and my fellow is currently eating Wellness Core Original -- only because it's egg free. If I wasn't constrained by his sensitivity to egg he'd be eating Orijen Regional Red as it has everything I'd look for for quality in a dog food. It's the Wellness Core Ocean by the way that caused him to lose weight when I didn't want him to, so you might want to try a fish food (which metabolizes quicker than red meat or poultry) for Chango. You can also use kibble in place of dog treats to cut the calories in treating, and keep "the good stuff" for when you really want her to pay attention and do what you want, like walking out the door and down the street with her attention on *you*, not other dogs.

My last suggestion (and then I'll shut up unless you ask me to say more, honest) is that you try a better control tool like a Halti headcollar for walks. It lets you have much better control over the dog (particularly the loud, sharp bits), it makes the dog much less able to lunge and pull, and most dogs don't mind it at all if they've been properly acclimated to wearing it. You'd only need it for the first little while anyway, and then could just switch back to her collar.

[nightdog_barks]

*g*

I'm happy to have your input, sweetie. I will say that seven years ago, Nutro was a decently-rated food, but I see they've gone downhill. Shows the importance of not keeping up with food ratings. Thankfully, it looks as if our local PetsMart does carry some of the Wellness varieties, as well as Blue Buffalo, so I can buy a small bag of one or the other and begin the process of switching Chango over.

The Halti headcollar looks like something I would be very interested in! :-D

Oh, and Chango knows the game of fetch -- except with her it's more "I'VE GOT THE BALL AND YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" Heh.

[silverjackal]

If you go with the Halti introduce it slowly and gently -- first let her sniff it, then give a treat, then hold it open and coax her to put her nose through it, give a treat, etc. In fact that's quite enough for a first introduction. Many people just bang it on the dog, which causes the dog a great deal of distress because there's suddenly this thing on their face and they can't get it off. Slow and positive is the key, working up gradually to having it on, then letting the dog roam around the house with it on, etc. before ever snapping on the leash and walking out the door.

That said, every dog reacts individually. My hypersensitive spastic isn't at all bothered by the head collar, and I was able to put it on him in one continuous go, take it off, put it back on half an hour later, and then walk him in it later that evening. No stress, because the Fiend is weird. :D (That's actually also why I recommend the Halti as opposed to the Gentle Leader(TM). The latter is tight on the dog's face, and some dogs never adjust to it. In contrast the Halti just sits there loosely unless the dog pulls, which is an aid to training as well.)

As for your description of Chango's "fetch", that's not fetch, it's another dog-game called KEEP AWAY! Humans can't win that one. The way to teach fetch is to keep the dog in reach (using a dragging leash on long line) and *two* balls, or a ball and treats, or even two balls and treats. And you can simultaneously teach the dog the cue "give"/"drop it"/"out"/whatever you want to call it. Essentially you throw one toy a short distance, and then encourage the dog to come back with it and drop it (on their own, without you asking) for the treat and/or other toy. At that point you throw the ball again. After a couple of repetitions when the dog is returning the ball you can teach the cue (by giving it before the drop and still rewarding the behavior) or you can just work it into a chain. Once the dog has learned that if they bring the toy back and drop it the game carries on you can remove the other aids and just play with the ball. You ensure the continual return by stopping play (i.e. you turn and walk away, you don't chase the dog or ask for the toy) until it's ingrained. Most dogs catch on very quickly, as chasing and retrieving the ball is fun. It's also important not to overdo and bore the dog -- always stop before they tire, to keep the game fresh. And in Chango's case you wouldn't want her to physically overdo because she could hurt herself with overexertion until she sheds some weight and gains fitness. I wouldn't throw more than three times at first, slowly working up to five, more distance, etc.

[nightdog_barks]

:-D

She does some of this already -- she doesn't want to give me the ball (and play growls when I act as if I'm going to take it from her mouth), but she'll drop it where I can get it, and if I start to go back in the house she'll drop it.

I should get some new tennis balls, too. The ones we have are pretty ragged.

[silverjackal]

Chuckit! Ultra Balls are the best. Light, bouncy, durable, etc. Since they're natural rubber if the dog puts a tooth through them they just reseal afterwards, and keep bouncing. The Jaws-of-Doom! (otherwise known as Aidan) would play with a single ball for six months before it started to show wear. He'd often just incidentally crush even expensive tennis balls while catching them because his bite was so strong. I laid out much money before discovering the Chuckit!s After I didn't have to replace balls more than once or twice a year, and they're great to handle for both the human and dog. I hope the people who make these get very, very rich, because they deserve it!