The chaos in our home has reached new heights with the addition of not just one, but two Border Collie puppies. After promising Katelyn a puppy and searching for the perfect addition to our family for several weeks, we finally found her...and him.
It all started with a promise to Katelyn. She's been showing interest in teaching my mom's dog obedience and agility. She also sees the fun Makayla has been having showing our 2 year old Border Collie, Jet, in 4-H.
John took Makayla to her 4-H training class and the instructor mentioned she had a litter of puppies just about ready for new homes. Excited, we arranged a visit.
Katelyn was instantly in love with Bella, but the instructor indicated that Ace would be a bit more out going and bold. We had a week to decide which we'd like. But Makayla's instructor put out an offer I couldn't resist-- she said we could bring them both home and if one wasn't working out we could bring it back. So last Friday I came home with two bundles of energy! Lucky for me, I married an amazing man who knows how much I love babies of all kinds and he wasn't upset.
This past week Katelyn and Makayla have been learning all about the commitment puppies take. They have been taking shifts getting up with them in the middle of the night to let them out of their crate and cleaning messes as they come. Natalie is thrilled to have puppies with out the responsibility of feeding and cleaning up after them and Colton is loving them too. He keeps calling Ace, 'A'. Any chance he gets he gives them little snuggles and pets. Colton has only been knocked over a handful of times. I'm amazed at how quickly the puppies learned to settle and sit when they run up to Colton.
Bella was a bit timid when we brought her home, but she is settling in nicely and we're finding out she's pretty feisty! She does not like to share her breakfast or snacks with Ace, so we'll be working on that behavior. Ace already loves playing fetch and they both love tug of war. Both of them are pretty chill as far as puppies go. They have a few morning zoomies around the yard, but have been so sweet while they're in the house.
The big dogs are adjusting. Elsa, our Great Pyrenees spends most of her time out of the yard in the cool dirt during the day so she hasn't had much interaction with them. Tuf, our older Border Collie x Heeler, tolerates them and moves them out of the way when they interfere with his toys and playing fetch. And Jet is getting a taste of his own medicine. Ace and Bella love to team up and herd Jet, which he isn't a fan of.
We’re looking forward to many more adventures with Ace and Bella. We'll begin with basic obedience for about 1 year. During this time they will be exposed to the livestock, but always in a safe manner. We don't want them to get injured or scared from an encounter while they're so little as it could deter them from working when they're older. Once they are doing well with obedience and especially recall, we'll introduce them to herding ducks, move them to sheep in a controlled environment, and eventually cattle.
Just remember if someone you loves brings home two puppies there will be less crying (from the puppies anyway!).
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