Emerald Park BorderCollies

10/01/2025

House Rules:

SETTING UP FOR YOUR NEW PUPPY

To avoid misunderstanding and to make your puppy's life easier, sit down with the family and decide the house rules that everyone in the house will consistently enforce. You may need to revise the house rules as you and your puppy discover what works and what doesn't. Just make sure that everyone in the household is consistent, or it can cause confusion and distress.

SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING HOUSE RULES:

1. Is the puppy going to be allowed inside?
In most cases the answer will probably be yes. Possible exceptions may be for certain farm dog situations, or for multiple dog households where the dogs have companionship outside.
2. Where is the puppy going to sleep?
The best option is in a crate (door open until at least 20 weeks) inside a pen (panels at least 1m high).
3. Will the puppy be allowed on the furniture?
You may have some designated furniture for the puppy, no furniture or all furniture available for the puppy. Just be consistent.
4. What about rules for kids?
Great idea!
5. What happens to the puppy if they are naughty?

Teach the puppy what you would like them to do instead of the naughty behaviour. For example, if your puppy barks when the doorbell rings, teach them to go to their bed for treats when the doorbell rings

10/01/2025

The Trip Home

If you can bring a second person with you to collect your puppy that would be EXCELLENT. My recommended method for transport is using a puppy sized (see your pet shop) travel harness that will clip into a seatbelt attachment on your back seat. Your puppy will settle more easily & be comforted by human company beside them. They will soon cuddle up & sleep.

I try to discourage the use of crates because your puppy is still in the learning phase regarding crates. They are intended to be a non-threatening; positive place & the puppies have not experienced the door closed. It would be a shame to turn their positive experiences into negative by locking them in a crate for a journey.

09/01/2025

Good morning from Emerald Park! It’s a foggy start to the day and the air quality is amazing. I was woken just before 6 by Tommy-cat meowing outside my bedroom window. All 3 cats are impatiently waiting for me at the front door now.

I almost finished packing boxes etc into my car last night. Just the back and front passenger seat to go. I have some children’s books to deliver to charity first. Then lots of cleaning before returning to the New England Region this afternoon.

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

09/01/2025

It's important that you be prepared for your puppy & give them time to "decompress" once they join your family. This can take between 1 & 3 days.

How will they spend their first night? Slowly introduce them to your family & home. Try to avoid extra people, friend's dogs etc until they have had a chance to settle in. Please be mindful that they have just been bombarded by change. They need to develop confidence in you & security in their new home.

Plan your first few days with them. They aren't a fashion accessory.

Remember they need plenty of sleep & you may need to enforce rest to start with if they become overexcited. Try to keep your puppy calm. It's not funny to see them go "crazy". It's counterproductive. They often waver over that excitement threshold when tired. You really do need a confinement pen or puppy safe room. It will make your life way easier & give your puppy what they need. Plan what each day will look like for your puppy. They do well with structure.

If you are going to play with your puppy's nose & mouth with your hand you will encourage biting. If you are going to roll around on the ground with your puppy you are going to encourage overexcitement. Puppies bite. Your role is to "tame the beast". Think before you act! Plan how you will play with your land shark & how you will tame them.

Children & puppies need to be taught how to interact with each other. Never leave them unsupervised. You cannot remove a bad experience once it has happened. Be sure to watch the body language videos I have shared (check the guides section). When you think your puppy may be enjoying an interaction with your child they may really not be & may be giving very clear indications of it. Your puppy is not a toy. Listen to your puppy when they communicate! Never allow children to play with your puppy in their pen. This is your puppy's safe place. Wonderful relationships between children & puppies are developed ....... not a given. Plan how & when children will play with your puppy. Never let it be when they are tired. This is just looking for trouble.

Make sure everyone in the family is on the same page with regards to how things will be managed with your puppy. Plan it! Have a family meeting.

NEVER SCOLD YOUR PUPPY FOR TOILET TRAINING ACCIDENTS. I can guarantee that in every case that a puppy goes backwards in their toilet training they have experienced disapproval of some kind from someone due to an accident. Puppies will have accidents. Expect them & plan what will be done when they do. If you had a baby or toddler without a nappy there would be accidents & you would expect that. Don't have unrealistic expectations of your puppy. Our puppies are generally very good to toilet train. They really do want to please you.

NEVER, EVER play with your puppy using a LASER LIGHT (or water from a hose).

Lastly, love them unconditionally ......

You are being given an amazing opportunity to develop your new puppy into the dog of your dreams. Your puppy has no problems & it is your responsibility to keep them that way. Be mindful of where you take your puppy & what you do with them. It is very common for issues with puppies to be caused by others. Don't be afraid to have a voice for your puppy & ensure that all is right for them. You will be blown away by the intelligence of your puppy. Grow it! The first 4 weeks that your puppy spends with you is the most important in their lives, followed by the first 12 months. Don't put things off. Train your puppy from day 1.

09/01/2025

Miss Dream ….. a bit rough and tumble, but still pretty.

09/01/2025

And ….. we all want more of the “cuddle hormone”!

09/01/2025

09/01/2025

Guess where I am for a fleeting visit? 😊

09/01/2025

Three degrees of separation

Confinement training is very important in anti-separation anxiety training.

Our puppies are accustomed to all three different reference points at Emerald Park, but puppies don't transfer experiences well, so new puppy families need to train all three in the puppy's new homes.

1. Truly alone - with you in another room (both heard & unheard)
2. With people in the room quietly ignoring them - reading a book, doing work on a computer etc.
3. With people in the room doing active things - cleaning, playing etc.

These three degrees of separation aren't necessarily taught in this order. It is less stressful & hence more effective for new families to teach them in the order of 2,3,1.

[Technically I guess there is another degree of separation ...... not being home at all.]

09/01/2025

Shaping Behaviour

So, who wants a puppy that is going to pay attention to you, rather than the many distractions he/she might encounter? The secret is to teach them that looking at you is a behaviour they will be rewarded for. This could be the most important things they learn.

Using a "clicker" & food treats is the fastest way to accomplish this. DON'T USE A VERBAL CUE (eg. say "look") IN THIS TRAINING TECHNIQUE FOR SHAPING ATTENTION. A clicker is an inexpensive devise that can be purchased online or from many pet shops. When you press the "button" it makes a clicking sound. The beauty is that you can ALWAYS make the clicking sound faster than you can give a treat when the desired behaviour is displayed. The click is followed by the treat to begin with. Later (if you want to), you can just use the clicker, just the food, or just verbal praise. The puppy will associate the clicker with the treat & the correct behaviour. All are positive outcomes!

Your training sessions with your young puppy (eg. 8 weeks) should only be about 60 seconds in length.

Place your clicker in one hand & 20 to 30 tiny food treats (cheese cubes, diced frankfurts, bacon, steak etc) in the other hand. It is best to train not too soon after a meal. Being a little hungry helps them to be motivated by food. Have your puppy positioned in front of you & place both hands behind your back (to encourage your puppy to look at you. As soon as your puppy looks into your eyes, click & reward with a treat. Repeat & repeat.

Once the puppy is doing well, extend the time he/she needs to look at you before giving the treat. Count to one. Once they are good at one, count to two. Once they are good at two, count to three & so on to about five. Then start mixing it up. Reward after one, three, five, two, four, one seconds - randomly do different durations.

Just accept what your puppy learns in a 60 second session. Don't extend the training session time. Try again latter.

Firstly you are trying to teach the "concept" of "look". Then you are teaching the "duration" of "look". Looking at you is a behaviour & the duration of the look is a variation on the behaviour. It is important to teach both. You aren't trying to teach your puppy to look at you 100% of the time, but you are trying to teach your puppy to have you in their peripheral vision & to look at you if something crazy happens.
Eventually you will be able to add a distraction. You need an assistant for this. Start small. Have someone kneel to the side of the puppy & stay perfectly still while rewarding the look. Then (once the puppy is looking at you) have them very slowly (in less than 5 seconds though) lift their hand towards the puppy's face until the puppy looks at the hand & stop. Eventually the puppy will look back into your eyes. Reward. Repeat to reinforce. Eventually the puppy won't pay attention to that distraction for long, or maybe at all. This is when it is time to increase the distraction ……. move the hand closer towards the puppy's face, move the hand faster towards the puppy's face, move the hand in & out, wriggle the fingers, hand over puppy's head, etc. They do need to notice the distraction & make a deliberate choice to look at you. Remember to still keep the training sessions short!

This technique of "shaping" attention could shave six to twelve months off training. It's well worth perfecting & the time is now …… the more you can do before 12 weeks the better!

Have fun!

08/01/2025

Good morning from Emerald Park! It's a beautiful day in the New England Region. The sun is shining, the ground is damp & the air is fresh. The birds are going crazy too!

Less than a week now until the puppies commence joining their new families & just over 2 weeks until settlement of Emerald Park. Lots still to do on both scores! :)

Both Jess & I took photos of the puppies yesterday, so there are quite a few to share in due course.

Have a thankful Thursday everyone.

08/01/2025

Sit on the dog - or the long down

The Sit on the Dog exercise was created by Margo Woods years ago to help dogs calm themselves. It is one of the best exercises to teach your dog and can be done anytime and almost anywhere.

So here it is…

Sit on the Dog

If you only do ONE exercise with your dog, it’s this one.

Not sit. Not stay. Not even come.

This exercise will do more to create a bond and build a relationship of trust with your dog than any other.

In order to help your dog learn that you will not be available to entertain him at all times, and to teach him that he is expected to calm down and be well-behaved during those moments, we will introduce the long down, or “sit on the dog” exercise.
“Sit on the dog” is deceptively easy: place your dog on his leash, then sit on it, allowing him just enough length to lie quietly at your feet with a little bit of tension on the leash. (If you have a large or particularly active dog, you may want to wrap the leash around one leg after you’ve sat on it.) And then ignore your dog for 30 minutes. That’s it.

Be sure to “sit on the dog” when you are working on something else: watching television, reading the newspaper, working on the computer. You must do the exercise for a minimum 30 minutes, at least once, and preferably twice a day. It is helpful to have each family member practice the “sit on the dog” exercise.

If your dog does anything for attention, you are to ignore him. If he climbs up on you, chews the leash, mouths your hand, or anything else that is inappropriate, grab the leash next to the collar and put steady, gentle downward pressure on the leash – no talking or touching the dog allowed! Continue to provide this pressure until he settles again & continue with the “sit on the dog” exercise. The 30 minutes begins AFTER your dog settles down. This means the first few times you do the exercise; it may last as long as 45 minutes or an hour – some dogs have lasted even longer than that. Take heart – your dog will soon learn to settle very quickly.

You should “sit on the dog” at least once, preferably twice a day, and make sure everyone in the family takes a turn. It may take a little while, but you will find that your dog will settle quietly at your feet, and learn that when he wants your attention, sometimes he will just have to wait.

The “sit on the dog” exercise often feels like you are “not doing anything” with your dog, and people are sometimes tempted to not do it. To skip this exercise is to deny your dog the gift of self-confidence, self-control, and “doggy zen.” It teaches your dog how to calm himself down by choice, it teaches him to defer to you when you are not able to pay attention to him, and it teaches him that yes, he is fully capable of relaxing quietly, something puppies can have a hard time learning. “Sit on the dog” is an excellent exercise for achieving the overall leadership role you should have with your dog.

08/01/2025

Let's get real for a second.

The world often paints a picture that dogs who live together are best friends and do everything together.

This is just not true. Many many many multidog household utilize management in different situations to allow dogs personal space to enjoy things such as:

- feeding time
- chew time
- play time
- attention time

This. Is. Normal.

Just because someone utilizes management, doesn't mean their dogs don't enjoy each other's company or have fun together. It just means that there are certain activities that they prefer to do on their own.

And I will tell you firsthand that implementing safe space zones and time apart can be so beneficial to the relationship between two dogs.

Think about it-- do you enjoy doing every single activity that you do at home with your spouse, family, or sibling RIGHT there? I don't think so.

So let's normalize management between dogs who live together!!

Do you want to work on your dogs' relationship and/or interactions? Go to my website here to schedule a private consult: perkedears.com/private-training-sessions

08/01/2025

Resource Guarding

It’s natural for puppies to guard food. If a wild dog didn’t defend its food, the rest of the pack would eat everything & it would starve. Puppies learn to communicate ownership of resources & avoid conflict by respecting each other’s possessions.
It is normal for dogs to resource guard against humans too. For example, if a puppy is chewing a bone & a person presses against their side, they may growl. Humans, however, don’t respect a puppy’s ownership of resources. We want a puppy to give up their resources. As this doesn’t come naturally, it must be taught.

Snatching a bone from a puppy through force & reprimanding it for growling & snapping will only lead to problems later when the puppy is bigger, stronger & has “serious” teeth. The alternative is to swap the bone for an excellent treat. Take the bone away & very quickly slip the puppy a really good treat. Then return the bone immediately. Repeat again & again over time. The puppy begins to associate bone removal with good things.

The idea is to teach the puppy that what they consider to be very threatening is actually safe & extremely good. Initially the puppy will stop & go very still, give a hard stare, a growl & usually a bit more explosive growl. Each of these behaviours are the dog’s ways of escalating the communication of “back off ….. this is mine”!

What a lot of people don’t understand is how the resource guarding mindset is cultivated, validated, and reinforced in the dog’s life ..... to the point where guarding has become the most logical & natural decision for the dog.

In order to understand this, we need to look at the dog as a member of an animal community with their own set of rules & logics. In a pack of dogs living in the wild, there is a leader whose job is to ensure the survival of the pack. In order to do that, this leader needs to allocate the limited resource within the pack practically so the pack can survive.

When a dog is guarding a resource, they believe they are the allocator & have no idea that there is someone else who is supposed to allocate resources in this community.

There are many resources which are crucial to the survival of the pack. Time is a very important resource. It tells the pack when to do what. Is it time to play loudly, or is it time to just keep moving quietly? Is it time to hunt, or is it time to hide? Is it time to sleep, or is it time to move? The leader is supposed to tell the members “what time it is”. The leader is there to allocate the behaviour that is appropriate for that particular occasion. The members are supposed to follow the allocation.

When a dog is living in a human family, if this dog already believes they are the allocator of resources in the family, always allowing the dog to choose “what time is it” throughout the day (ie, let the dog chase a wallaby whenever he wants, barks at the fence whenever he wants) will further validate (because it tells the dog they are indeed in charge of their resources), reinforce (because a lot of these behaviours are highly self-rewarding) and greatly worsen the resource guarding problem (because this choice is being validated & reinforced repeatedly).

Another important resource is movement. The leader is supposed to tell the pack which way to go, and the pack should all follow. A pack will freeze to death if they do not follow the leader to find refuge before nightfall in harsh climates. They cannot survive if each member chooses to move in whichever direction they feel like. If a pack is supposed to migrate in a single line formation in the midst of a snowstorm so they can find a cave to spend the night, that is what they should all devote their energy in doing or they will all die.

In a human family, if the dog can move in whichever direction they want all the time (ie free rein of the house, cling to the human like a shadow, run away when called, bolt through doors & escape) & the human will always follow the dog (being dragged down the street, chase the dog to come back), a dog with a guarding tendency will once again believe that they are in control of this important resource of movement and become very “devoted” in allocating this resource (ie, If you move close to my human when l don’t want you to, l will bite you. If you move close to the sofa when l don’t want you to, l will bite you. If you try to go into the bedroom when l don’t want you to, l will bite you). The dog becomes the movement police. They controls where everyone is allowed to go and how they can or cannot move.

Resource guarding in an adult dog is not something we can stop with just obedience command training. It is a deeply imprinted false belief that is shaped by how the dog has lived with the human throughout the day.

It is usually found in dogs who spend a lot of time doing whatever they want and going wherever he likes in the house (e.g. following the human everywhere, charging at the door and barking out the windows whenever someone comes) & running around freely in the yard (e.g. fence barking, chasing critter). All these unstructured movements have consolidated this false belief that the dog is in charge of movement, and it is very hard - if not impossible - to break this belief as long as the dog is allowed to keep living like that.

A dog will not think of themself as the allocator of only one single resource.
Dogs are very black and white. So, when we allow, & unintentionally encourage, a dog to control some resources in our life, they will think of themself as the allocator of all resources.

We cannot just stop the dog from controlling one resource (e.g. food) but keep allowing this resource guarder to control others (e.g. movement, space). A dog will not understand this concept. You are either the allocator or you are not.

That is why it is very important to reset the lifestyle of a resource guarder if we really want to stop his resource guarding successfully.

If l let them bark at people/dogs/cars at the fence, if l let them chase critters in the yard all day, if l let them pull and drag me to where ever they wants to go, if l let them guard any furniture they feels like … in their mind, they are the allocator of resources in the household. Why can’t they control their food then? According to dog logic, isn’t guarding food supposed to be their job as well?

That is the root problem.

And that’s why no matter how much obedience we teach them, & how much socialisation we do, it will not work — not until we can convince them that we are the one in charge of allocating resources in their daily life.

And that is why implementing a proper daily structure is most important & why it is the corner stone of resource guarding & food aggression rehabilitation.

With a young puppy I recommend some training as well as structuring your day to show that you allocate resources. Don't let the problem develop!

By practicing the “exchange” you will change the puppy’s emotion about the exchange. You are producing a conditioned emotional response. Puppies don’t need strong discipline for resource guarding, they need their emotional response to change. You want to develop a culture of trust & love.

Even if your puppy doesn’t guard their possessions, you should still do exchanges. This protocol should be used by families with puppies from 8 weeks of age, a couple of times a day if possible. The ship will have sailed if you leave it too long.

Exchanges are perfect for young puppies but could be dangerous for an adult dog with long term resource guarding issues. You can move quickly & assertively with a young puppy, as even if they did bite you, it wouldn’t hurst too much. With an adult dog it’s another matter. You would never reach in, grab a bone & wrestle it away. A competent professional is best for a long-term resource guarder.

If you are a breeder or a puppy owner with puppies under 12 weeks of age, you should be doing this in the 4 key areas where dogs are most likely to guard:

1. Food dish
2. Objects
3. Sleeping location
4. Lap guarding (particularly for small dogs).

Food Dish Exchange:

1. Approach the puppy while the puppy is eating from their dish (don’t show them the treat). Squat down beside them. Hand some better food to them (yummy treat). This gives a happy conditioned emotional response to you being close to the food bowl.
2. Approach. Squat down. Take the bowl away (eg. Behind back). Give the yummy treat.

Then return the food bowl. Make sure you don’t show the puppy the treat before it is time to give it.

We want to eventually encourage the puppy to think that anyone can approach them at anytime they are having a bone or eating from their food bowl (or have any other valued possession etc) & it’s a good thing. Practice with yummy treats will condition this response.

Object Exchange:

1. Take the object away. Give the puppy the payoff (treat). Then give the object back. Repeat.
2. Be sure to do this for a variety of toys. You don’t really know what that puppy is going to find valuable.
3. Always touch the puppy before you do the exchange. Sometimes they object to touch.

Sleeping Location:

Some puppies may guard their bed, the sofa, your bed etc.

1. Approach the puppy when they are resting in their “coveted” location. Move them a bit, then give the treat.

Lap/Arm Guarding:

When puppies are small they are more often held or placed on laps. They can start to guard these special locations.

1. Approach when being held.
2. Touch the puppy’s head (pat).
3. Give the high value treat.

In every situation you want the puppy’s conditioned emotional response to your approach & action to be positive.

It's also important to pick your puppy up while they are playing & treat/praise before putting back down.

It’s a matter of including resource guarding prevention in your everyday routine.

08/01/2025

Don’t forget it’s ok to add your left over veggies and fruit to your puppy’s meals.

08/01/2025

This big brave puppy is Marvin. The puppies are exploring near and far and Marvin was snooping along the boundary fence when one of the sheep went “baaaa”. He shot away and past the puppy pen like a bullet, not even stopping to see what made the noise or pausing as he raced past me. I called him and he almost flew into my arms. Then went back for a look! 😊 The sound of sheep is familiar, but it was very close.

08/01/2025

“Feeding the horse Mumma Donna?”

08/01/2025

“Where are you going Mumma Donna?”