# Grace Everton the Border Collie x Kelpie



## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Hey all! :wave:

Meet Grace Everton (Gracie) my new 7 week old puppy. My partner and I got her from a farm where she was bred by a loving couple. Ideally we would have got her at 8 weeks, which is recommended everywhere it seems, but due to circumstances out of our control, we got her last week at 6 weeks.



















She is everything I've ever wanted in a dog. My two favourite breeds, a little ball of energy and lover of cuddles. I have already taught her to 'Sit' and began teaching her to 'Stay' yesterday, which she has already picked up rather well.

My partner and I both grew up with dogs in our famlies - Border Collies, Terriers, Poodles, Labradors... so we are used to dogs but Gracie is our very first pet of our own!

I come here to ask for some advice, perhaps reassurance is the better word.

You see, Gracie has a play biting problem. I have done A LOT of reading and tried all of the methods eg: Yelping, time outs, thumb under tongue, spray bottle... you name it. She actually seems quite vicious, however I am sure that she is just playing. She came from a litter of 9 and has unfortunately played quite a bit of tug of war.

I know we have only had her for a week. I know it will take quite some time to teach her not to bite, or not to bite as hard. I just worry because the ONLY thing she seems to do is snap, chew and bite whoever is holding her.

I have taken 2 months off work to be with her during this age and am willing to try anything and everything. What I want to know is what seems to be the best method? Everywhere I go I'm told 5 different things and it's getting confusing. Should I choose one method and stick with it? Or should I start to see some results after a little while and if not, try something else?

Anyway, if you have some advice or even just some words of encouragement, please feel free to share. It will be a big help!

Thank you! :whoo:


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Sorry not to much help-- am looking at a litter of Border collie- Mcnab- Queensland Heeler pups myself and think they must be similar to your pup... We already have a terrier-- that mouthy biting nipping thing is pretty typical SQUARED for a pup (their mouths are their hands remember its how they explore the world)..... Try lots of Chewies-- raw meaty bones are amazing, and frozen rags when she starts teething, she NEEDS to chew....


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

Welcome to the forums! She is absolutely precious! I remember when my husband got our first dog together - quite the learning experience in comparison to our family dogs growing up! We'll be getting our first young puppy next week, so I can't give you much in advice as I'm still learning myself! Hope you enjoy it here, there are lots of knowledgeable people here!


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Thanks guys!

I just read through the forum a little more... it seems there are HUNDREDS of biting threads. My apologies! But it makes me feel a little better.

That's great that you are getting a Queensland Heeler! I am actually from and live in Queensland here in Australia. They are beautiful dogs! One of my absolute favourites! <3


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

rubberlegs said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> I just read through the forum a little more... it seems there are HUNDREDS of biting threads. My apologies! But it makes me feel a little better.
> 
> That's great that you are getting a Queensland Heeler! I am actually from and live in Queensland here in Australia. They are beautiful dogs! One of my absolute favourites! <3


What do you like about the Queensland heeler i was thinking they are similar to Kelpies and maybe not so drivey as the BCs-- your pup is so adorable BTW...
PS I was as a small child in Brisbane for 5years... about 40 years ago.... my dad got me a Golden pup when I was 5 there....


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Candydb said:


> What do you like about the Queensland heeler i was thinking they are similar to Kelpies and maybe not so drivey as the BCs-- your pup is so adorable BTW...
> PS I was as a small child in Brisbane for 5years... about 40 years ago.... my dad got me a Golden pup when I was 5 there....


It's cool that you clicked on my thread because I live in Brisbane!

I love Queensland/Blue Heelers mostly because they are a real family dog. Very loyal, clever, active and loving. I grew up with a dog called Skippa and she was a Heeler X Terrier. Absolutely beautiful animal! The Heeler is a very 'Australian' dog and I really like that about them. I agree, very similar to Kelpies with a little less of the Border Collie's intense nature.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

rubberlegs said:


> It's cool that you clicked on my thread because I live in Brisbane!
> 
> I love Queensland/Blue Heelers mostly because they are a real family dog. Very loyal, clever, active and loving. I grew up with a dog called Skippa and she was a Heeler X Terrier. Absolutely beautiful animal! The Heeler is a very 'Australian' dog and I really like that about them. I agree, very similar to Kelpies with a little less of the Border Collie's intense nature.


Yes I am hoping for the "little less intense" nature ......part.... I clicked on your link b/c of the BC/Kelpie title actually and noticed you were from Brisbane later (you know you are the second Queensland new member in the last 24 hours?... I had just said hello the them actually....! They have a lab cross puppy and 100 acres... sound very interesting....


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Biting can take a really long time to curb, and you need to be super consistent. If you keep changing tactics she's not going to learn what you're trying to teach.

The best method is the yelp (or another cue, like "ouch"), followed by ignoring and leaving the room if you have to. Keep in mind that the yelp is a cue, not something she will innately understand. You are trying to teach her that yelp means that playtime is over and you will walk out of the room if she doesn't stop. You can also try giving her a toy to distract her when she bites you, but some puppies are persistent about going for your hands instead of toys.

Some nights it will feel like you are getting up and walking away a million times, but that's really what it takes and some puppies are more persistent than others. At almost 7 months my pup still bites inappropriately sometimes, though he is almost always soft about it, and will now stop if I cross my arms and just turn away. Progress will be slow, but you just need to stick with it and you'll notice a gradual reduction in how hard she bites, and then a reduction in biting in general.


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Hi elrohwen, thank you for replying!

Do I yelp every time she bites/mouths or just when I deem the bite too hard?
It seems like it is all she does. If she is playing... she is biting us or nipping at our faces. It's like I spend all day being negative, instead of having fun puppy times!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

rubberlegs said:


> Hi elrohwen, thank you for replying!
> 
> Do I yelp every time she bites/mouths or just when I deem the bite too hard?
> It seems like it is all she does. If she is playing... she is biting us or nipping at our faces. It's like I spend all day being negative, instead of having fun puppy times!


I like to work on making bites softer before getting rid of them all together (and I still let my dog mouth when I initiate and we're playing). So I would start with the bites that are way too hard and she will get softer (dogs do this with each other too - if a bite is too hard the other puppy yelps and if that doesn't work walks away and stops playing). If she's mouthing softly, you'll also have a better chance of getting her to take one of her own toys than when she's in full on crazy biting mode. 

Once you think she's getting the hang of biting softly you use the same technique to stop her biting any time.


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## starrysim (Dec 2, 2012)

Sorry I can't give any advice, just wanted to say your puppy is just adorable!!! Hope to see more of her as she grows up.


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Thank you again elrohwen! I will stick to your advice and see how she goes!



starrysim said:


> Sorry I can't give any advice, just wanted to say your puppy is just adorable!!! Hope to see more of her as she grows up.


Definitely will post more photos! She's learning to sit and stay very quickly :clap2:


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Hey guys!

Thought I'd share a little Gracie update and ask a few more questions regarding her crate/playpen.

She has grown so much in the past two weeks I can't believe it! She's growing into her tail and changing colours slightly. Having a pup really is a lovely thing to wake up to every day... not to mention a few times each night.



















Below is the crate/playpen I have set up for her. The cover is hideous, I know, but the little thing started climbing her way out of it about three days after coming home and it keeps her safe!










My questions are:

Should I separate the crate and playpen so the crate is used only for night time, naps and transport while the playpen is to be used when we don't want her roaming the house or can't be fully supervised? They are currently connected and she has no problem going to her crate to sleep or feed at all and uses the playpen to lay around, chew on her toys and whatnot.

I take her out to go to the bathroom every couple of hours and she is getting very good at holding throughout the night with only a few accidents here and there which are to be expected and generally through my own fault. I have been placing a wee pad with a few squirts of 'Wee Aid' or house breaking aid on it. She doesn't use it at all... she merely chews it up and runs around with it in her mouth. The few times she HAS used the wee pad I'm convinced is purely good luck. If I am taking her outside to eliminate, should I bother with the wee pads? When I start going back to work she will be stauing inside... should I be teaching her to use them now? Or will that be too confusing for her, sometimes being taken out and other times expected to eliminate on the pad?

Gracie is still biting but I have noticed a little bit of improvement. I was worried that she was just a crazy dog but have since accepted that she is merely a puppy learning her way around the world and her new parents.

Thanks for reading  Any help is appreciated!


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

Unfortunately I can't help much except to say be consistent with the house training and she'll learn quickly! I'm bringing home my first puppy this weekend and really like that set up you have going! I have an older dog that we got when she was 2, but this will be our first young puppy - so excited!

She is absolutely adorable, keep up with the picture updates and how training is going!


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

Hi all!

Thought I'd stop by and share a few photos of Gracie. She's getting so big. 
Her legs and tail are growing longer by the day!

She has been an absolute treasure and we couldn't be happier. Of course, there has been times we've been frustrated (a lot recently). Being a herding dog we're struggling a bit with the nipping/biting and her stubbornness through deciding when she does and doesn't want to do what we tell her but she is improving and we are learning ourselves each day.

I'm back at work now and she is very well behaved in her room through the morning until I come home at lunch time and even in the afternoons when I would expect her to get pretty restless. I must admit, she has chewed a few beds a part!

She now sits, stays, drops, stands up, rolls over, shakes... plus we've got her into an advance puppy class starting this weekend and intend to get an obstacle course for the backyard really soon!

Anyway, I love this forum so I thought I'd stop in and say hello :wave:


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

Wow she's grown so much! Her coloring, especially around the face is so unique, it really adds character to her. Glad she is doing well!


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## schmikry (Nov 19, 2012)

She is just an absolutely adorable puppy. What a cutie!


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Oh my God, the cuteness!


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## rubberlegs (Feb 21, 2013)

I do love her colours! Especially the Cleopatra-esque marking below her left eye  Thanks guys!

I'm being more and more strict on Gracie. Not giving her third chances, keeping her from certain rooms/areas of the house (should have done this from the start I know, I know...), basically just being on top of everything she does and not being as soft as I may have been in the first months. Being a working dog, specifically a herder, we began to have some trouble controlling her or more her controlling us... anyway, she is MUCH better now.

I feel she is beginning to hold some sort of grudge against me, I know it sounds silly. If I ask her to do something, for example I ask her to sit and shake for her dinner she will sit but not shake... I ask her to shake again, one more time and if she still doesn't do it I leave and come back to her after a couple of minutes and try again.

She will sit there, leaning back slightly and looking away from me, as though I'm about to hit or something which I would never do! She has begun to display this behaviour more in the last week - even in general when we just hang out together, she is less affectionate or I feel like she is scared of me.

Am I being silly? Is she starting to hate me, or is this what being the 'pack leader' feels like?


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## MrBC (10 mo ago)

Hi everyone, old thread but surprisingly scant info on the web about Kelpie BC crosses. Basically we have the option of adopting a puppy (currently 8 weeks) from a farm. We are well aware both breeds individually are active and will need a lot of exercise, but what other advice can people give? The farm owner said it won't be as full on as a collie, that kelpie's in nature are more settled. This was the only other info I could find - border collie x kelpie guide.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Instead of resurrecting a 9-year-old thread, please consider starting a new one.


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