Well seeing as you didn't get an intro welcome. Hello and have a belated welcome! Today is Saturday so you must be fetching her today?

I have always had collies, live in Wales, but not on a farm I am getting a Collie puppy soon. I reckoned pads were just a posh form of paper training so I never used them.

The last two puppies I used crates. We didn't have many accidents as I was taking them outside so often. I was immediately converted after the first time using a crate though because they were so useful not only for toilet training, keeping them safe and out of mischief but for car travel as well. The second puppy threw up a few times but the crate had a plastic tray in the bottom so it was quick and easy to clean up.

I took them for short drives before they were fully vaccinated and kept safely them in the crate. While we were parked up I sat next to them in the boot talking to them about whatever we saw passing by. They both quickly got used to travelling and as a bonus saw a fair bit of the world beyond the garden gate before they could go on the ground.

Personally we are finding puppy pads quite useful.They absorb more than news paper and you can get them quite cheap from shops like Home Bargains. Our BC pups learnt to use them fully by 14 weeks and we are now training them to go outdoors, which is also coming along very well as they are now becoming able to 'hold it' for a little longer.
I agree with the trips to the garden more like every half hour rather than hourly (at least initially), but we didnt fancy getting up this frequently during the night (!), hence the initial use of pads. In a few months we should be able to stop using them altogether.
Hope this helps!

No point in training a dog to use a mat. Then having to train them to go outside. Just train outside straight away.

I made the mistake of using training mats with my second dog as that was what the breeder was using. NEVER again would i use them.

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Hello and good morning to you all

I'm sorry I did not reply sooner, been busy with our new pup "star"

Brought her home Saturday afternoon, started the clicker training with her toilet duties outside, so far so good. I go outside with her every hour and upto now she's already done all her business outside

I've also done 150 miles with her in the car from picking her up to going to the "Mother In Laws" yesterday and she is superb in the car.

Only trouble I'm having from yesterday is she wants to nibble you, not actually biting just when people stroke her she wants to play and put you're fingers in her mouth ........will she grow out of this ?

She's very lively and go's out into the garden hopping like a new born lamb.

I'm toying with buying a savic crate as I've got her bed between a freezer and a kitchen unit as I have no other way of making her space smaller, so at night I have to block the front off to keep her in a confined space.

We are so happy with her, just this nibbling I'll have to sort out.

I've also got her trained with a tennis ball. I throw it down the garden and she brings it me back and gets a treat

Thank you Barkie for the welcome and thanks to the latest reply's warmly appreciated.

Will post pictures later today when "star" is sleeping

always1more

Glad everything is going well! Ours had a tendency to nibble when we first got them. We tried saying 'No' and 'Uh-uh' in a stern voice, but that didnt work, so we tried replacing our hands and fingers with a chew toy. That didnt work either. The thing that finally cracked it for us was just standing up and ignoring them for a minute, then going back to play when they had calmed down a bit. For us, it was mainly because they were excited and things are getting better as they get older anyway.

We also find having a crate very useful in the house and in the car. Its a place to go if they are worried and they can go in there if you have visitors or need to clean up!

Hello James

Thanks,

Yeah well chuffed with her. I walk away from her now as I've tried different things even Kong full of peanut butter is good for 2 minutes then she's on the go for something else lol. I'm just on my way now to the vets to get her checked over and 1st vacc.

I posted about a crate and never got a reply. Anyway the story so far is I messaged a seller on ebay lastnight and she's pulled the listing and I pick up a Savic large crate off her tomorrow for a bargain price of £25.00 she said it's as new as her dog only used it a couple of times.

I've just received a book and dvd from Amazon on "how to train you're dog like a pro".

I've also ordered a Kong Puppy Bone off ebay, that should be here tomorrow.

Thanks for the advise James, appreciated

Well the last time I visited Mr Frazer with my dog was with Kim in July just gone.

17.30 appointment, he's the best vet there so sometimes you have to wait 1 hour or so because everybody wants to see him

I only waited 5 minutes tonight as it was pretty quiet.

He gave our new Pup a good checking over, 1st vaccination, and to be safe a worming tablet. Next visit in 3 weeks for her 2nd jab. I couldn't get out of the practice for ages as the waiting room had filled up and everybody wanted to fuss "Star"

He was made up to see me happy again cos last time I just broke down and cried and I think it shocked him that I did this when I lost my best mate. Told him I'm going through all that again