Dog Question

[JLcribber]

I just got a call from the RCMP last night that they found my father in law dead in his home. Roy lived alone on a farm with his dog. Major has lived what I consider a great dogs life. He has never been on a leash or been confined in any way. He has acres and acres of land to patrol, explore and play on. He is very smart and very well behaved (Border Collie around 8 years old).


I am going to try and find him a home with one of Roy's friends so he can continue to have the kind of life he is used to but I also know all these people already have 1-2-3 dogs themselves as every farmer seems to have. They also don't consider them to be "pets" as major is but rather just another farm animal. I have a feeling they may not want to take him and that I will need to take him in.


I know a lot about dogs but have never actually owned one. My question is will this dog be able to adapt to a completely different life style should he end up here. He will need to become a city dog as in he will not have free reign over his domain 24 hours a day like he does now. He will need to be leashed when outside and have to learn to live inside with us.


He will also eat anything and everything from table scraps (which is mainly how he was fed) to wild animals he finds on his patrols. He's not going to be fed like that here of course. What's a good diet to feed this dog?

 

[Mizzely]

I don't know much about the diet portion, but our border collie/sheltie mix adapted just fine from being able to roam 100 acres to being a city dog. The biggest thing was that it took more effort to keep her at a good weight - we couldn't just let her outside anymore to run around obviously: she had to be walked and taken out to the park. She lived to be 13, half of which was in the city. Good luck, and sorry to hear about your loss!

 

[Greycloud]

I am sorry for your loss John. Major is very handsome. I think it would be a huge life style change but one he may enjoy. My biggest worry for you would be the high prey drive he is use to by patrolling his territory. I think it will take a while for him to adjust but with your careful teachings and love he should be fine.

 

[crystaljam]

It's difficult to adapt a dog from the country life to city life. He may not be socialized with lots of people/other dogs, so this makes dog walking QUITE difficult. If you do decide to go this route (moving him to the city), definitely pursue the assistance of a good dog trainer. It will be a lot of hard work, persistance, and determination to get him into "city" mode.

If he's not used to other dogs too, this makes it much more difficult to find somewhere that you can bring him to run free, hence exercising him becomes more tedious.

Are there any rescues that would help you find him a country home? He might be happier continuing his lifestyle, without his loved one vs losing both his loved one and outdoor freedom...

 

[Hankmacaw]

My condolences to your wife and you for the loss of her father.

And great condolences to Major. Expect him to grieve for some time. I grew up on cattle ranches where we didn't have pet dogs, they were all working dogs and my Dad would get mad when I played with them. I expect Major will greatly miss his freedom, but keeping him busy can help. Can he go with you on construction jobs?

I hope you can find a home for him that is a lot like his old home.
ML

 

[JLcribber]

Thank you all.

I do have a bond with this dog already. When we visit there (regularly) Major sticks to me like glue every minute we are there.

Yes ML, the plan was to take him with me to the jobsite during the day to get his outside roam around fix. I also can't leave him home with all my birds. Just too risky at this point. As I said he is very well behaved/trained and very smart. He is a "pet" who just happens to have the best of both worlds.

 

[ortegah]

Border Collies are extremely smart working dogs that need a job. Imagine they are the Cockatoos of the Canine world Which means, like your Cockatoos, if he doesn't have a job he can get destructive, fearful, angry, etc. I do believe he can adapt to your way of life though. It sounds like he definitely needs a better diet. At 8 years old he should be matured so he may be ready to slip into a nice relaxing way of life. I say, try and see how he works with your family. It sounds like he's a wonderful dog!

I'm very sorry for your loss

 

[expressmailtome]

John, I am very sorry for you and your wife's loss. Dogs adapt remarkably well many times with love and care. I am sure that he will come to love being with you.

Matt

 

[Rizq]

I'm so sorry about your father-in-law. I am glad, though, that you are trying to help the dog and he is not ending up in a shelter like so many pets whose owner's pass. If you end up taking him in, he may be a lot of work, but as high-energy, high-drive dogs as they are, border collies are also very sweet and loyal. I miss my border collie dearly. One of the best dogs I have ever had.

I would highly recommend looking into the raw (often called the BARF - bones and raw food) diet. It would be more along the lines of what he is used to and as long as you do your research and it is balanced, it is the healthiest way to feed a dog IMO. It is also highly inconvenient. Any good, meat-based kibble (I feed Call of the Wild) is also a good choice. I look for grain-free with meat as the #1 ingredient. There are several good kibbles out there. Just try your best to avoid corn in particular and anything that says "meat meal" ... God only knows what meat it might be. If it doesn't specify what kind of meat, avoid it.

As to whether he will adjust or not, border collies are very smart, but also very driven. As others have said, keep him busy and give him a job. Remember that his mind needs to be kept busy, not just his body. A walk and a game of fetch is good, but he needs mental stimulation as well. Obedience training is always good for exercising the mind, as well as giving you control for his safety. Moving from the country to the city, he may not understand traffic and if his prey drive kicks in, he won't look to see what he is darting out in front of. A strong recall would be the first thing I would work on with him.

 

[Macawnutz]

Border Collies are extremely smart working dogs that need a job. Imagine they are the Cockatoos of the Canine world Which means, like your Cockatoos, if he doesn't have a job he can get destructive, fearful, angry, etc. I do believe he can adapt to your way of life though. It sounds like he definitely needs a better diet. At 8 years old he should be matured so he may be ready to slip into a nice relaxing way of life.

I agree with this. If you can handle your too's you and Major will get along fine!

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Holiday]

My father has owned border collies for years and keeps them in the country with acres to roam. He currently has a female about, hmm, five years old, I think. And, he lost his older girl, a dog about 15 years old, just this past year. They are amazingly smart, and when they're young, unbelievably active and mischievous. At the age of 8, though, they're pretty mellow, as Heather suggested. Even the five-year-old has slowed down some. When she was a pup, she was a tsunami in dog form But, she pretty much just tags along with my father and quietly keeps him company now. She's his ideal buddy and doesn't need as much space to stretch out and run. She trots around, mostly in the yard, these days. Based on what I've seen with Dad's dogs, I think your boy will be just fine with his new life. He's so lucky to have you

 

[lupe]

Hello John. My dearest sympathy for you and your wife. Loosing a loved one is always difficult.
And even more so during the holidays.
I am a newbie to birds, but well informed about canines. True, there are cockatoos of the world.
I believe as long as you DO give him a job and let him hang out with you, he will be just fine.
I am a beliver in the BARF diet, however its alot of work. My fav is Natural Choice by Nitro.
Since he is a senior, though probably has a cast iron stomach, I think he would do well on the dry.
At this point in his life and considering his lifestyle he probably does have a very high prey drive.
So do take that into consideration. What ever you choose, you and your family are in my prayers.

 

[DQTimnehs]

I am so sorry about your father in law!

I think the dog will adapt fine. Years ago, my family adopted a border collie/spaniel mix from the ranch across the lake from our cottage. The dog was 4 years old and was not used to being on a leash. She fought it a bit at first but adapted fine. She was used to roaming the ranch with cows and horses but was fine being a house dog, in fact was the best dog I've ever known. She never destroyed a thing. She rarely barked (we heard her only 5-10 times in about 8 years). One time I took her camping and there were some cows on the other side of the fence and she rounded them up through the fence. I was so surprised but remembered that was her background. Another time, she barked and I went outside to see why and there was a girl on a horse coming up the street, nowhere in view from the house yet. Otherwise, she was a normal very well behaved loving dog.

Good luck with Major, either keeping him or finding him a home.

 

[webchirp]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Anne & Gang]

so v ery sorry for your loss John...Ithink the dog will adapt with some work...as long as you are willing to take her out for long walks etc..the only thing I would really worry about is her prey drive is very strong so you will have to absolutely keep her far away from those birds, but you already know that...border collies are incredibly smart dogs and she already likes you, so I think you have a real chance to give her a wonderful home..

 

[BraveheartDogs]

John, I'm so sorry about your father in law. Regarding Major, he probably will adapt but it can be challenging depending on a few things. Border collies that are very heavily working bred can have a difficult time living in the city. The reason is that the breed tends to be very hyper aware, as they should be to do their job. This means that they see and hear virtually everything, which can make the city overwhelming for them. However, I have known many that do just fine. It sort of depends on his hard wiring. The main thing will be to make sure he gets enough mental stimulation and enrichment and exercise.

I watched the video and judging by that Major will do fine. He is heavier boned and appears to be a fairly laid back BC (and adorable, which is great and which will make the transition easier for him and you. Interactive dog toys are a must

There are a lot of different dog foods that would be fine for him. You are welcome to PM me and I will offer any help I can.

 

[Danita]

i am very sorry about your loss.

I bet having the dog will be nice for your wife, it is like having a little piece of him with her. When you are grieving, things like that mean so much.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Yes, and he looks like a very sweet dog too.

i am very sorry about your loss.

I bet having the dog will be nice for your wife, it is like having a little piece of him with her. When you are grieving, things like that mean so much.

 

[Ankou]

I'm sorry for your and your families' loss.

I'd rather not reiterate what has already been said, you have good information there. But yes, he could adapt very well, very quickly.

I've seen many more well adjusted, adaptable, and mentally healthy working dogs than I've seen isolated, pampered, "city" dogs who treated like human babies. Even if he needs to learn some inside manners I can't imagine him being more difficult to cope with than Tika.
At least he probably won't be bite you.
Also a working border collie is a herder and helper, and a farmer can't have a dog who will attack and kill livestock. Herding breeds are known to have some of the best prey-inhibition too, not that I would trust any dog with a bird but they are bred to stare and stalk rather than harm. That said, Shadow and Pete are/were very much herders and they have/had very strong prey drives too.

Or he could be the exact opposite.

Also at 8 years old he may even be ready to retire to the peaceful life.

 

[penny'smom]

Very sorry for the loss of your father. I had a border collie when I was little - Bo, and he was my best friend. I have pictures of myself as a toddler holding him as a puppy. Smart, protective, very active. He stayed at my grandparent's home because they got him for me, and they lived in the country, and he had a large yard there. I am certain that they had him put down when they decided to move cross-country (he was older, but there was no reason other than "convenience"). I am glad to see this guy going to a good home. Thank you so much for caring about him.