QuestionHi there!
I have a 3 1/2 month old male BC, and I'm enjoying him a lot, though at times I can hardly stand how busy he keeps me!!! The most difficult problem I'm having right now is the fiesty play-biting, which seems to be his favorite thing to do. He cannot keep his mouth off of people! Is this partly just a teething thing? When will he lose his baby teeth and stop trying to tear apart everything I own?
Also, he loves to tear around the house (or anywhere) at top speed, and go flying off steps unto the landing below (a 3-5 foot flying leap). Should I be careful about how he plays in consideration of his developing joints?
Thanks very much for your help!
AnswerHello Micale,
Your Border Collie pup sounds normal as any other at this stage. Of course you should be careful where he jumps because some Border Collies jump fences and do not realize there may be barbed wire at the top or some such similar obstacle. That's why you should never tie a Border Collie to a fence or they may hang themselves. Just make sure he can't get his leg caught in anything and he should be fine.
The teething is normal and should start going away between 6 months to 8 months of age. If it doesn't, then he may just be a "late bloomer" or you may have to start doing some serious training with him so he stops nipping.
I had a German Shepherd that I trained for a client one time and he was about 8 or 9 months old. He was a very "mouthy" dog. In other words, he was constantly biting my hand that was on the leash for corrections. It took some time, but with consistant training to break him of this habit it finally worked and the owner was very pleased.
Border Collies may continue to be nippy even after teething as they begin to show herding instincts. You must be careful that they stay away from small children when they do this and train them to only use their herding power with animals and not people.
I hope this little bit of info helps and have fun with your pup, they grow up so fast!
Kind regards,
Ann Jordan
