border terriers

[stevinski]

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

[flinty]

Originally Posted by stevinski

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]

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