Recovering from some mystery illness that kicked my ass for the last 4 days. Today I seemed to have turned a corner, no more fever or any ill-feelings but I'm so weak I can barely clean up the dishes I used while sick.
My mom took care of Arson since I basically could only crawl to the door to let the dogs potty (thank god for flexi leads and good dogs who go right to the grass, pee, and come back in) and he needs a lot more attention and play than I could give at the time. He's coming back tomorrow and I've been able to see him every day, but yeah, not a good time to be on my own with a puppy. I'm glad I have that support system.
It does make me really appreciate a good dog, though. Kai has been all across the country and in just about every living situation imaginable. On acreage, in a tiny 3rd floor apartment, in the suburbs, thousands of hotels of all types, and now again on a bottom floor apartment. She was quite alright with the "sick routine" that consisted of move from the bed to the couch, potty via extenda-leash, chill on the couch all day, potty, dinner, bed. Taro, who is always balls-to-the-walls when she does things, has been equally calm. She has a signature move of pushing people, especially when excited, that she hasn't done once the entire time. She has a whole basket of toys that she has free access to, and yet she only chose a handful to quietly play by herself while I was on the couch. When it was her turn to potty, she went out, did her business, and came right back, and while she waited for Kai (only one flexi), she sat on the couch versus trying to race outside and play. People who meet her only at agility or sports-related functions would never imagine how calm she is when it isn't time for craziness. I think this is an immeasurably valuable asset that is sorely missing in so many sports dogs. Both girls have always been this way. It takes minimal training for me to have them like this, and while i try my best to provide some sort of stimulation or enrichment, they also have recieved basically nothing to "make" them quiet and settled.
I get the feeling Arson also possesses this trait, as he is already easing into a calmer tempo when he is inside. He reads a room well and catches on to what is allowable or favorable behavior quickly just from observation. I would not and do not expect him to have the "off switch" the same way Kai and Taro do at his current age, nor will I until he is perhaps two, and even then, he is his own dog and may not be able to settle quite like the others. But having only been this "level" of sick once before in my life, I am just so immensely appreciative of dogs that have the built-in ability to just be calm, and then have the life experience and training to maintain calmness and "easiness" for long periods of very boring and empty time.
While some of it is hereditary, no doubt, I think it has a *lot* to do with owner attitude too. A lot of border collie people start off on the premise that borders absolutely NEED to be stimulated 24/7 else they'll die. And I don’t think this is true except for some marginal cases. I genuinely think it’s learned. People try really really hard, thinking that hey, it’s a puppy, gotta offer constant enrichment, and it builds into a habit that is very hard to change. Esp since borders don’t struggle with lack of stimulation as much as they struggle with fixation.
It’s unfortunate too because if you look up borders, you’re going to find a buttload of precisely this kind of advice. Borders are crazy! Give them something to do constantly or they’ll ruin your life! This, added on top of puppies being a bit of a pain at times, is just terrific. People try it out, and exhaust their puppies by constantly giving them stuff to do, they are pleased with their very tired puppy who eventually falls asleep like a log, but fail to realize that they will build up stamina and will eventually reach a point where they can go all day lol.
My boy is half agility lines (Fetch is his dad, and he tends to produce some crazy puppies) and half ISDS lines. He’s a reactive doofus and tends to be overkill most of the time, but he has a very clear and precise off-switch. Agility-wise, he can go until he’s overheating, and we had days when we were at the training fields all day from morning till sundown, and he never tires. At home? Very chill. Sleeps most of the day, isn’t over the top, doesn’t ask for play and isn’t pushy. I work full time and that’s 12 hours of being away from home and he’s perfectly fine. Ever since he injured his foot, we haven’t been exercising either and frankly? He’s got no problem whatsoever. He gets basic 10 min walks and he’s perfectly fine.
But I’m a very no-nonsense kind of person, so everything has been very clear from the beginning. I never trained for this, I simply made it clear that excitement leads to nothing if it’s out of context, and I never tried to “induce” calmness by offering stimulatory activities because honestly, it seems incredibly counterintuitive to me. Giving a dog a kong (which is exciting in itself) specifically as a way to keep them quiet only teaches them to expect stimulation when it’s quiet time. It offers temporary relief for tired owners, but essentially teaches the opposite of calmness. Giving a kong as a fun activity however, outside of quiet hours, is awesome. My boy simply learned that expectations are directly tied to the present context. Home was always quiet time, so he never expects exercise, and therefore, doesn’t get frustrated over unmet expectations.
