Collies are, in my opinion, the absolute best dog
a child can have.  Even when a Collie is not raised with
the child, it doesn't take very long for the Collie to bond with the child,
becoming a protector as well as a loyal friend.

Are all dogs child friendly?
Not neccessarily.

Actually, dogs of any breed should be raised with
children in mind.  Often a couple acquires a puppy early
in their relationship, with no thought of the children that
may come in the future.  The dog becomes their
child, and sometimes when a baby comes
along, the dog becomes jealous.

So, it is a good idea to socialize
your dogs around children of all ages as soon as you get
the puppy or adult dog.  When choosing an adult dog
take a child or two with you when you choose
the dog.  Choose a dog who is more interested
in the children than in you....you can be
pretty certain that will be a good choice.
Do not chose a dog or puppy that
shrinks away from your hand,
or crouches down when you
bend over him, or is frightened
in any way.

We expect children to respect dogs,
and it is as important that dogs respect children,
as well as adult human beings.

As much as we love our dogs
(and that is a great deal) they are animals and
it is important that dogs learn that humans of all
sizes are the leaders and should be obeyed and given in
to, under all circumstances.  Our Collies are raised to know
that there is NO CIRCUMSTANCE, EVER! that they may be
aggressive or overbearing with any human, big or small.
(They also cannot fight with each other - it just is not allowed.)

While the puppies are growing up,
we handle every part of their bodies.
We gently tug and pull on legs and tails, and
hold their legs stretched out (gently, of course) until
the puppies relax and let the us hold their legs in a stretched
out position.  We open their mouths and peek inside,
put our fingers in their ears, lift their legs and hold
the legs up off the ground, hold the puppies in
our arms like a babies.  Whatever we do, they must allow.
But, all of this is 'taught' in a gentle and non-invasive way.
It is actually 'conditioning' the puppy to tolerate being handled.
We start this the day they are born & continue it until they leave us.
Of course, the amount of handling done on day one is very little
compared to what we do at eight weeks old.

While feeding our puppies, we sit on the floor and feed them
from our hands while holding their bowls, we also hold the bowl and
let the puppies eat out of it while we hold it.  We take every
opportunity to handle the food and water dishes of our dogs so
they learn that we, including our very young children, can
touch the bowl, remove the bowl from them while they eat,
and return it to them.  My daughter makes her dogs sit before she
will set the bowl down, and the dogs must not leave
the sit until she says they may.

If you encounter a problem with a dog,
call and I will give you some suggetions.

Please email me by clicking here
and leave your number
if you would like me to call you back.
I will contact you today or tomorrow.
Note that our grand-daughter
is sitting down while she holds the
puppy, because both are so young.

Two years later, she is holding a
different puppy...notice how
relaxed the puppy is.
Taylor showing in
junior showmanship
class with Mia.
More coming
this week.

Dogs & children are
perfect for each other,
but it is a relationship
that is worked at - it doen't
just happen.
Lexi and Dutch...
doing what kids and dogs
do - enjoying life!
I should also say that our
granddaughter was allowed
to hold this puppy for this
photo, but is not allowed
to carry the puppies, even at
this age, as the puppy could
be injured if dropped even
from such a small height.
Children need to be
taught to be
gentle with
animals.

Often, children get
so excited that they
may squeeze too tightly or
pet too hard without
realizing it.

We teach our own children
to stroke the puppies from
their heads to their tails,
so they cannot pat the
dog too hard.

Children should be
supervised around puppies
and dogs because even
though they recognize
that they should be
kind to animals,
they are young, and
should not be expected
to completely understand
that concept.

I have found that
kindness and understanding
are concepts that can be
taught and learned.
Do not let your
puppy or dog jump up
on your children.
If your child is knocked
over, it can frighten him
and may cause him to be
afraid of the puppy.
Push
the puppy
down again
and again, saying
"NO"
each time,
until he realizes
that he
should not
jump up.
Repetition
is the trick
to make this
work.
An easy 'trick' is to teach the dog is to sit
on verbal command.  Say sit, and then give him
a small treat.  This is usually a very easy one for
the dog to learn and easy for the child as well.
You may have to help the child at first by doing it
a couple of times, and then giving the child the
treat, have him say 'sit', and have the dog
obey, with the child giving the treat.
In this way, the dog learns to listen
to the child, because most dogs love the treats
and don't care who it is coming from.
Teach the sit by putting a leash on the dog,
so he cannot run off, and holding the collar by
your fingers, say, "Sit", and press gently on
the puppy's rump.  When he sits give him a small
treat.   I use cat treats because they are small,
the dogs love them, and they are eager to
have another one.  Training sessions for a puppy
2-3 months old should be no longer than ten
minutes at the most.  But, you can have many
training sessions during the day, even two or
three during an hour, if they are just a three
or four sits, or downs, or whatever you are
teaching at that time.  I teach the sit, then the
down command, and then I begin to work on
the stay command.
I work on the COME command ALL OF THE TIME.
This is
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMAND
that you will teach your dog during his life.
I work on it every day of the dog's life,
always reinforcing it with food or praise.
Every single time my dogs come to
me I make sure they know I am
glad they are near.

I practice the come command at feeding time,
so they are being rewarded when they come,
and every single time I call them to me, I either
treat them with food, or make a big, silly fuss each
time they come to me, telling them how absolutely
wonderful they are - even if I have been
chasing them for the last ten minutes!!
This is especially important for a puppy or new dog.

For some reason dogs seem to respond
very well to us humans when we are acting silly,
and if you don't believe it - just try it.
more information coming....
Do you know that
even though dogs
recognize us by
sight, they rely on
scent to verify what
they see?
Dog Safety, What to do around strange
dogs, pages to color & more, maybe even
an interactive quiz - if I can figure out
how to do it!
REMEMBER
NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG
IN A CAR DURING SPRING OR SUMMER
DAYS.  THE CAR CAN HEAT UP AND YOUR
DOG MAY DIE OR BE BRAIN DAMAGED
WITHIN MINUTES.
P L E A S E    R E M E M B E R   T H I S!

The best thing you can do
to make you puppy, or adult dog, an excellent
family member is to be with him, to allow him to be
with you as much as possible - especially during the first
four to six months of his life.  How he learns to behave can
be determined in the first year of his 'training'.
Just as we teach our children what they can
and cannot do, is exactly how we should
teach our dogs.

He will learn to interact with the family & learn how
he is to behave as a part of the family.

Treat him as the new child in the family,
teach him boundaries and lessons so he will
know his place in your household.
AUSTIN and Dutch at play.
Austin
& Dutch at play.
Cody & Dolly
JD & Mia
JD   &   Mia
If you want your puppy to play fetch,
start as soon as you get him.

At first the puppy may not go to get what you toss.
If so, play tug of war with him and then toss the toy just a foot from
you at first, and grab it and shake the toy teasing the puppy into
taking the toy in his mouth.  Anytime the puppy takes the toy in his
mouth, praise him and pet him, telling him how smart he is.  If he
wants to pull the toy from you, let him.  You will teach him to let it go
later on, after he gets good at going to get it.  Just take if from him
for now.  Play tug of war with the toy letting him 'pull' you toward
him.  This makes him think he is 'winning' the game and he will
enjoy the feeling that he is winning - therefore he will want to keep
playing.
This also builds his confidence in other areas of his growing up.  
The more the puppy feels he is being
successful, the more confident he will be as an adult.
Toss the toy further and further as you play, shortening the
distance if he won't go get it.  When he is very good at one
distance, then move on to a longer one.  Soon this should have
your puppy chasing anything you throw for him.