Daily routine is in the second and third picture
Hola guys!
Let me introduce you to Onix!
2 weeks ago, we decided to adopt a beautiful, intelligent, almost 1-year-old Border Collie (birthday: November 20th). Unfortunately, we are his 4th family, including the breeder. Not because he's bad... His first real owner sent him to one of her friends for a couple of months because she had a lot going on in her life. She sadly passed away, so her friend kept him a little longer. She realized after the summer that her schedule was not going to work with a BC. Since my GF and I have completely opposite schedules, someone is (almost) always at home with him. So we decided that it would be an awesome fit for us, which it is, most of the time lol. My GF already had a Pitbull in the past, and for me, this is my first dog. I already knew a lot about this type of dog since one of my aunts has 2 BCs and has also had some Australian Shepherds in the past. I saw them a lot and also helped many times with their agility training in the past. I didn't take this dog without knowing the hard work I would have to go through.
But needless to say, it's my first time teaching a young BC how to behave, so it's not always easy. But he really looks like he's enjoying his life in his new home. Good thing, he's potty-trained, except that he's not neutered (yet), so sometimes he's marking his territory. He does love people and always wants to play with other dogs (and other stuff with female dogs...), which we're working on getting him to stop doing.
So first of all, I wanted to know if my schedule (see the pictures) seems OK for a dog like that. Keep in mind that for now, when he's sleeping at night (or a little bit during the day, +/- 4 hours, because I work nights), we need to crate him because he's eating everything in his path. He once tried to eat an electrical cable. I'm trying to teach him to nap outside his crate when I'm at home. I work 7 nights on, followed by 7 days off, so I have a good amount of time every other week.
In the routine, after each walk, we go into the backyard to play fetch or other games for about 15 minutes. Should I play fetch before the walk so the walk would be easier? I also try to add another 15–20 minutes of mental work at night after the walk, which doesn't appear in the routine.
Don't go easy on me. If you guys see some things that aren't good, let me know.
Also, we've encountered 3 problems.
1. He pulls a lot on the leash.
We use a harness, and clearly, he thinks it's for pulling. I let him sniff a lot during walks, but that doesn't help. Any tips would be welcome. I had my first dog training session yesterday. The trainer used a slip lead to correct the habit, which she didn't really have to do because he seemed to understand right away. He didn't look scared at all and seemed to enjoy that kind of leash. She showed me how to use it correctly to avoid any damage to his windpipe. I know many people don't like them, but my dog looks like he enjoys it.
2. He's always looking out the front window.
(There's a school playground really close by that he can see.) That doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is that he looks out the window for a minute, walks around the house, and then goes back to the window. He can do that even when he's tired because when I put him in his crate, it's nap time pretty quickly. I do think he's trying to give himself a job. Do you have any suggestions for other jobs I could give him?
3. He always jumps on the kitchen counter, even when there's nothing on it.
I try saying no and ignoring him, but nothing works. Need help with this one.
Any other tips about having a teenage Border Collie are welcome. I know that he will try everything to test his limits with me and that I'll have to go through this phase for at least another good year.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my text and give me some tips. I really want to be better for him and give him the best life possible.
