Our Foster Dogs-Bosco
For more information on Bosco please contact Melba.
New video posted March 15. Video posted January 16. Video posted February 15.
Thank you Steven and Lori Friberg for donating in Bosco and Melba's name.
 April
14, 2010
I added a picture with this update of Bosco
"eyeing" the tennis ball in anticipation of it
being launched by the chuck-it. He thinks that the
chuck-it device is the best thing ever invented,
next to the tennis ball itself! I have been working
with Bosco's ability to "down" after he has already
started to run after the ball...no problem. We've
also practiced throwing the ball straight up in the
air and he is getting pretty good with catching it
on the fly....timing is everything! My favorite
trick is still the "ball in the bowl" trick where I
lay out three different bowls and he must follow my
lead as to which bowl he is to return the ball to.
The other day I watched a YouTube video of a border
collie replacing the rings on a child's ring
stacking toy....I'm going to have to get
Bosco one of those!
Bosco is now enrolled in two different classes
during the week. He continues in his second session
of
agility training and is having a lot of fun.
He has now mastered the
dog
walk and also handles the teeter at a
reduced height. I think his favorite obstacle is
the weave poles....we are almost there with
straight up weaves!. Bosco started another class
two weeks ago - his Distractions Class. The point
of this class is to help introduce dogs to
distractions while still being able to maintain
control. The kind of distractions they present to
the dogs vary from week to week and have included
exposing them to other dogs and people walking by,
people in wheelchairs and on crutches, people
dressed in funny hats and wearing sunglasses,
people on skateboards, etc. Bosco shows a passing
interest in these things but is fairly easily
redirected to watch me and will remain in his
"stay". Last night, the instructor dragged a
squeaky toy behind her on a string and when she got
close to Bosco, his ears and eyes went "what....for
me?" and I have to be honest in reporting that it
was the end of his stay.....really, what do you
want from a border collie? Just gives us something
to work on!
I feel an obligation in each of my updates to
remind visitors to Bosco's webpage that he is a dog
who does not tolerate people who are not in his
"inner circle" of human friends to come up to him
to pet him. I am certain, at this point, that this
is not a trait that will disappear with training -
no matter how well done or how consistent. Anyone
interested in Bosco must understand that management
of his environment will always be important.
Fortunately he is very capable of simply ignoring
people around him who do not approach him with the
intention of coming into his space. For this reason
I do take him places and am just watchful of the
presence of people around us. In contrast, which I
have also mentioned in other updates, he actually
enjoys people coming to visit in his own home. I
have seen this every time we have a visitor to our
home which is fairly often. He greets them quite
happily and is able to interact with them in a
positive way during their visit. The snarky
behaviors happen only when he is outside of his own
home.
I think I have failed to
mention so far that Bosco is quite the cuddler.
When the alarm goes off in the morning he is the
first one to jump on the bed to make sure I am
awake by getting some good licks in. He is very
fond of having his head and belly rubbed and will
snuggle in close to let you know how good it feels
and that he would REALLY like for you to keep it
up.
I am always happy to respond to any
further questions you might have about Bosco.
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March 15, 2010 Bosco has just started his second session of beginner agility classes....and his progress is pretty amazing. As his foster mom, I may not be completely objective, but I'd go out on a limb and call him a natural! Not only does he catch on quickly and show a lot of athleticism, but he also seems to really enjoy the sport. The other night in class, he handled a sequence of 10 obstacles (still not at full height) including the A frame, jumps, tire, tunnel, and all 12 (yes, count them!) weave poles. And for those readers familiar with agility, he already has a great beginning on the "two on- two off" contact on the A frame. The teeter and dog walk and bringing up the height of obstacles will come soon! I have made an effort to continue to expose Bosco to people coming into our house as well as to have him around people in unfamiliar settings. I do not even think twice about having friends and family over to our house. Bosco greets them readily and typically has dropped a toy at their feet within minutes of their arrival! His experience at doggie day care continues to go very well and he is Mr. Happy-Wiggle-Butt when I drop him off there - and exactly the same when I pick him up! When I have him around people in unfamiliar places, I keep him focused on me by talking to him, or holding a treat or a toy. The last snarky incident I observed was mid February when I took him visiting at a house with a large yard, and someone (who was a stranger to him) stood and watched him from a distance - he became wary and did growl. In that situation, I distracted him and just kept walking to show him that "really, all is OK". Within the last several weeks we have been around people at pet stores, weekly classes, and outside walking and he has tolerated it without any negative reactions. At the same time, I never assume that "all is well" - I watch him for signs of stress and am ready to distract him or remove him from the situation. I want to clarify that, although Bosco has been listed as "active" that he is not a hyperactive dog. Yes, he is always ready for play and will try his best to engage his person in a game of fetch by dropping toys at their feet (over and over). He will follow you where ever you go in the house even if it requires popping up from a cat nap. He absolutely loves his training sessions and thrives on mental stimulation as much as physical activity. One of his favorite ways to play fetch is for me to throw his ball and then direct him to deposit it in one of several bowls I place on the ground - he never knows which bowl I will point to so it keeps him thinking. Bosco is a quiet dog who rarely barks. Even on those days when he does not get a lot of exercise he can be directed to "settle" in the house with a single command. There are several days per week that he is in his crate for hours at a time and copes well. For these reasons I have adjusted his activity level to "low active". |
February 15, 2010  Bosco is a truly a wonderful dog in so many ways. He is devoted to his owner - he wants to be by you and he wants to please you. He continues to be such a great playmate due to his endless love of the game of fetch. I believe Bosco is a good example of how smart a border collie can really be. He loves to train and is pretty quick to learn. Bosco has readily acquired so many new skills since coming into my house. He already knew sit, come, and shake when he came. He has added a down, stay, extended sit and stay, come to stand, around to heel, figure eight through my legs, and putting his ball in a bowl. In agility training he is following my direction to take jumps, the tire, the A-frame , tunnel, and the chute (of course, nothing is at full height yet). I have him practicing on a tilt board to get ready to try the teeter! I think Bosco is going to love the weave poles as he already is excited about working six poles that are not quite straight up. While Bosco has quite a bit of energy he has shown a very good ability to settle in the house - it may just take a reminder! In the right setting Bosco can honestly be described as a friendly dog. Most importantly, he is very comfortable in my house and with all family members. When the doorbell rings and someone enters the house (even a complete stranger), he is excited to see who it is and to greet them. They may even get a "hug" and kiss on the nose. He consistently shows that friendly side at his doggie day care.> Then there is the other side of Bosco - if you have previously read his reports, you will recall that he exhibits insecurity around strangers in settings that are outside of his comfort zone. Interestingly, if people just pass by and ignore him, that suits him fine. But one of the side effects of being so very handsome, is that people can't help but want to approach and say "hi". This is where you can see Bosco's body language change - he will become very still and just stare at the person - his body becomes tense and he stays at about a 3-5 foot distance. This can happen very quickly. If the person persists, especially if they reach a hand out to him, Bosco will growl, bare his teeth and even snap at the hand. This has happened several times while in my care. I now know the triggers and the signs he shows so I work very hard to avoid those situations that provoke the behavior. Bosco and I are also working with a trainer on exercises to desensitize him to strangers in novel settings and to reinforce my ability to simply call him back from those situations. We are working very slowly in order to provide him only positive experiences. When adopted, it will be important for the adopter to continue to work on this behavior with Bosco and to understand his potential for becoming anxious.  Bosco has shown that he is adoptable. I have thought quite a bit of what kind of home would be a good match for Bosco. I have summarized my thoughts in the following comments: * It will need to be a home without children since Bosco has not had very much exposure to them in his first home. * Bosco has proven that he can live in a home with other dogs and even a cat! On the other hand, I also feel that he would be content to be an only pet. * His new owner will need to appreciate Bosco's enjoyment of play and training and to understand the importance of both for him. If someone is interested in continuing his agility training as a way of having fun with him, that would be a bonus! * There will also need to be a willingness to continue the efforts to increase his comfort with meeting strangers in public - this would be best done with input from an experienced trainer. **Perhaps most importantly any potential adopter must understand the importance of providing strong leadership for Bosco in order to be able to read his signals and to use good judgment in determining which settings he can be taken without creating anxiety. There is room for a measure of caution and reflection in deciding whether you are the right adopter for Bosco - but I can assure you that if you have what it takes...that he will quickly make his way into your heart and will become a fun-loving and faithful companion. br /> |
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January 18, 2010
Bosco has been with us for just over three weeks but it seems like it has been a lot longer. He fits very well into our family life - enjoying his playtime and training, as well as learning to settle nicely during those evenings when the TV is on and the fire is burning in the fireplace. He has adjusted to his foster mom returning to work after the holidays and enters and tolerates his crate very well for about 6 hours when no one is home. Two days per week he has been going to doggie day care for opportunities to exercise, as well as to socialize with new people and groups of dogs in a supervised setting. His report card from the day care is always an A+. I also have to mention that Bosco has not once showed any interest in chasing our cat. She now moves freely about the house. Bosco has also earned the privilege of sleeping next to our bed at night - there is not a peep or a wiggle after lights out until the morning alarm sounds.
You can see from the newly posted video, that Bosco
is truly crazy about the game of fetch. I have
never seen him tire of it. To make it more
interesting we mix up the game, sometimes requiring
a "stay" before he moves to fetch the toy (he has
mastered this since the video was taken in late
Dec.) while other times hiding the toy so he must
search for it. He remains focused during the search
even if it takes a while and knows exactly what he
is looking for. This dog is FUN to play with.
Bosco has also started two different classes at a
local training center, a Family Pet class and a
beginner's agility class. In the Family Pet class,
we are reinforcing such skills as loose leash
walking, watching his owner, and respecting the
command "leave it". In the agility class, Bosco is
acquiring important foundation skills and being
introduced to the various obstacles such as the
tunnel and the A frame. He is a quick learner
and is progressing nicely in both classes.
Unfortunately the most important news that I need to
share about Bosco is not good news. It is important to
note that Bosco readily became comfortable in our house
and is quite attached to our family, mostly to his
foster mom (who feeds, trains, walks him,
etc). Initially he also seemed to accept strangers but
as time passed I observed a change in his attitude. I
first noted this in his trips to the dog park. He might
sniff people as they approached or passed by but did
not seem interested in carrying the interaction any
further (unless they were carrying a tennis ball!). The
unfortunate part, however, is that within the past week
there have been several incidences where he
exhibited unfriendly behavior when a stranger stretched
out a hand towards him. In most instances he simply
backed away but in two instances he bared his teeth,
growled, and jumped back from the outstretched hand. I
have been watching carefully whenever I have him in
public. It has become clearer to me that the trigger is
when unfamiliar people actively reach out to him. If a
stranger pays no attention to him, he handles it fine
and may even be inclined to approach them to sniff
briefly. Today I took Bosco to a dog trainer who is
also a volunteer for MWBCR. She watched and interacted
with him for over an hour. She describes Bosco as a
"worrier" who does not want people he does not know
invading his personal space - even when they are well
intentioned. She gave me some strategies of how to help
him with this, but added that since he is 4 years old
that it may be difficult to change. She also saw right
away how bonded he is to his "person" and was pleased
with how "biddable" he is (meaning that he is tuned in
and highly responsive to what I ask of him). Any time
she felt he was getting a little worried she would have
me call him back and he would immediately return. She
felt that his owner can serve as an important buffer to
let him know when novel people are safe.
Due to the above behavior, it has been decided that
Bosco will stay in his present foster home for some
extra time. This will give me a chance to get to know
him even better and to work on his ability to cope with
strangers who may reach out to him. He is such a
wonderful dog in so many ways....I am keeping my
fingers crossed that we can find a solution to this
issue and that there is a suitable forever home for
him.
People are welcome to continue to email me with
any questions.
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 January
2, 2010So, how's your throwing arm? Because Bosco really wants to know! Balls, Frisbees, stuffed animals, kitchen utensils, if you throw it, he will fetch it happily and quickly and repeatedly! Bosco does a very nice job of returning his toys right at your feet or will release them into your outstretched hand. His eyes beseech you to throw just one more time and then one more time after that. I have learned that if I want the game to end, that its best to put his toys away and tell him "all done" (and then try really hard to ignore those eyes). Bosco is a four year old purebred border collie who was relinquished from a loving home who, due to changing circumstances, knew they could not provide the kind of exercise that he needed. He is a beautiful dog of slender build who has the sweetest brown eyes adorned with white eyelashes. Bosco is a border collie through and through. His intense interest in playing fetch is fulfilling his need to "have a job". His other habit of chasing his tail is further indication of pent up physical and mental energy. Since he has come into my home I am trying to give him other options to expend his energy and to use his mind. He loves his long excursions to the dog park where he can run free and interact with other dogs. He naturally checks in with his person when allowed off leash and returns anytime he is called by name or with a whistle. Initially he seemed tolerant of other dogs but not really interested in playing with them. Just recently he is showing increased willingness to play chase and is realizing that he can run like the wind in a wide open area. Bosco is also very responsive to our mini training sessions and is learning to walk in a heel position, to down, and to wait for a release command to approach his food or a toy. He watches his person very closely and is always looking for clues for what is expected. Bosco came to our house with some very nice traits already established that makes him easy to live with. He is completely housebroken. He also enters a crate willingly on command and settles nicely. He enjoys car rides and is quiet and patient during the drive. He has rarely barked during the week we have had him and when he wants to come in from the fenced back yard he will just sit patiently at the door. Bosco is a friendly dog and will politely greet people. I have yet to see him with children but his previous owner commented that he did well with them although has not lived with them. One of Bosco's downfalls as reported by his previous owner is that he will chase cats. We waited several days to introduce Bosco to our cat. Interestingly, upon their first visual encounter, Bosco almost seemed disinterested. Today we let the cat roam a little in the same room as Bosco while he was kept on leash. He made no effort to move towards her but watched rather casually. I know better than to trust his reactions but am still pleased that these controlled visits went well. I will continue to provide updated information in this area. The other behavior that the previous owner reported was that Bosco had snapped at their other dog when it startled him during a nap. I have seen Bosco get a bit "snarky" if another dog tries to take a toy that he is actively playing with. It is a short lived reaction and seems isolated to times when the ownership of a toy is in question. Bosco has not shown any resource guarding with people and I can remove his toys or his food at any point without a problem. Bosco is a wonderful dog waiting for a family who understands the unique needs of the border collie breed. Oh, and someone with a great throwing arm! |
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