# Things To Do To Stimulate A Dogs Mind



## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

Hi there, i have a very hyper Border Collie/ Blue Heeler X who desperatly needs somehing to do... but im not sure what, i'm trying agility, which is going OK... but its just with a tiny (crappy) homemade corse.

Do you think it would or wouldnt be wise to train her to herd? Shes a year and a half now, and were getting sheep next summer, or would she be too old then to start her training?

Any other things you think we could do?


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## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

just to show that shes NOT worth giving up on:










Oh! Another thing, Bella Destroys EVERTHING! thats why she needs the stimulation..


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Awwww!!! She's a cutie!!! I dont have a herding dog, a bucket of feed herds for me...LOL So I know nothing about them. But their are others here that do. good luck and go play fetch till then....LOL


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

What about flyball? I have heard of people making the thing where the dog can step on the pedal to throw the ball. You just load it up. If they're really smart, they can be taught to reload it with the balls. This is more for the energy than anything else but a tired dog is a happy dog.


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## westbrook (May 10, 2002)

never too old for her instinct to kick in. start her w/sheep. there are farms that will let you bring her in to herd a small flock.

she needs a job.... 

take her for walks, dog park, throw a ball or frisbee. hire a kid with a bike!


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## westbrook (May 10, 2002)

define crappy homemade? LOL

I think that is so cool! an agility course.


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## westbrook (May 10, 2002)

ummmmmmm.... well, maybe?

http://animalvideos.yahoo.com/video-detail?vid=27029907&cid=24037714


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

Hide things for her to find, throw the ball-have two-when she comes back with the first one, toss the second one. Teach her tricks, take her for long bike rides. Put her on the treadmill.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I highly recommend taking her for herding lessons. Not only will you learn better control of her energy, but she will be more experienced by the time you get sheep. Sports that encourage high energy with your dog like agility and flyball can be good exercise, but can also keep her hyper. Even though herding uses plenty of physical activity, to do well the dog does best when mentally settled. The tail is not up in excitement, they are not bouncing around, etc. They also get more satisfaction as it is a real job and they seem to know that. The longer she is allowed to be "hyper" the more difficult it will be to get it out of her. I would also recommend taking an obedience course. For the chewing she needs to be constantly monitored and corrected for things she should not chew, and have plenty of alternative toys laying around. When I am training pup house manners I just give them an ack when they have something bad in their mouth, and right away give them something good. Generally there's at least a dozen different toys laying around my house. Don't leave her loose unattended.


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## SilverFlame819 (Aug 24, 2010)

Hmmm. Borders and ACD's are two completely different herding styles. One fetches and one drives. So if you decided to herd, no telling what you'd get as the end result, but no matter what, I'm sure that you'd at least have fun with her! If she doesn't get the complicated stuff down, she could at least be useful for all the simple chores... Guarding gates and such. 

If you're just looking for fun things to do, there are BOOKS dedicated to the subject. 

Are you wanting some useful tricks, or pointless (fun) dog tricks?

I think the world record for a dog knowing words is somewhere over 1,000 and held by a Border Collie. Maybe you can beat the record? 

You can train everything from helpful tricks (turning lights off) to amusing tricks (fetching a drink from the fridge for you) to completely pointless but entertaining (flash card reading, anyone?)...

It's a dog. The possibilities are endless!

On top of things you COULD teach the dog... are there things that interest YOU? Competitive obedience, Rally-O, flyball, SAR, freestyle dancing, disc dog, carting, etc?


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## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions! and suggestions still welcome! I dont think i mentioned this, but Bella is a outside dog, shes inside in the picture, because she was inside when she was a puppy. She was in obidence training for level 1, and she passed  She nows tricks, but i think if i were to hide things, she would get very worked up and start taking things that werent hidden and werent hers. 

if you want to see her as an adult, http://www.youtube.com/user/1997Mittens1997?feature=mhee and it kind of shows her personality, and how shes crazy.


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