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Border Collie's anyone got one?
30 Answers
Hi,
We were strongly considering getting a border collie, I have done alot of reading about them over the last few months, and when we went to crufts on saturday we were advised to go for a show dog NOT a working dog as they are not so manic,
Ive been reading another web site this morning and they have basically said that there is no difference in either dog, and that they should not be kept as family pets and they are unsuitable,
Are they really that bad?
I am home most of the day and have other dogs i live in a house that has a huge back garden with 6 foot fences , the house looks over fields, and would love to hear from anyone who has had good and bad experiences with collies.
We were strongly considering getting a border collie, I have done alot of reading about them over the last few months, and when we went to crufts on saturday we were advised to go for a show dog NOT a working dog as they are not so manic,
Ive been reading another web site this morning and they have basically said that there is no difference in either dog, and that they should not be kept as family pets and they are unsuitable,
Are they really that bad?
I am home most of the day and have other dogs i live in a house that has a huge back garden with 6 foot fences , the house looks over fields, and would love to hear from anyone who has had good and bad experiences with collies.
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Aw Zacs, he sounds so special! He could really be earning a wage for you ;) I admire him a lot. My mum buys Jack Christmas pressies and write him cards; I bsolutely know what you mean, he is definitely the grandson they are never going to have! It's amazing how a dog can matter so much.
He sounds like Lassie, but better! :D
Licks x
He sounds like Lassie, but better! :D
Licks x
nice one zac
my current bc ben cost me �100 five years ago, both his parents were working with sheep.
my previous one i got when i was 15. i worked on the farm i got him from. he was called ben too and both his parents worked with cattle.
before that my family had a couple of bitches both called nell (at different times)
great dogs and great fun to have!!!!
my current bc ben cost me �100 five years ago, both his parents were working with sheep.
my previous one i got when i was 15. i worked on the farm i got him from. he was called ben too and both his parents worked with cattle.
before that my family had a couple of bitches both called nell (at different times)
great dogs and great fun to have!!!!
Josaphine, put aside , for the moment ,what we've said.
Just remember that choosing a puppy should be like being an actor. (If you are not nervous before going on you'll never be any good at it !)Right, well you've passed that test !
Above everything else, ask yourself the single key, most important question of all, which is:
" Do I think that this dog, a border collie, will be cleverer than I am?"
If the answer is "Yes" that's good. The dog will think that way too.(It's best that you are of the same mind. It makes training the dog much easier )
Frankly,to me you sound perfect for a border collie.(I'm with Lankeela too, in her opinion ) If you still have any thoughts, think of having a bitch rather than a dog. The bitch is likely to prove more tractable, and less boisterous and independent than a dog, more of a home body.That's broadly true of all breeds, not just this one. (If anything, there appears to be a predominance of bitches winning sheepdog trials.If that's so, the reason might be just that, that a bitch is a little easier and more reliable and settled in training up.)
Most breeds stick with you and love you when you feed their bodies. Border collies stick with you and love you when you feed their minds. They need clear rules to start with. After that their greatest joy is in showing what they can do, the harder the better,to prove how clever they are in interpreting and doing what the (to them), idiot but lovable human wants (and is so easily impressed or pleased by !) Seriously, you'll never ever see another look in a dog like the look on a border collies' face, as it sits looking up at its master saying " Is that all right? What next?" That's a reward in itself, for both human and dog.
Just remember that choosing a puppy should be like being an actor. (If you are not nervous before going on you'll never be any good at it !)Right, well you've passed that test !
Above everything else, ask yourself the single key, most important question of all, which is:
" Do I think that this dog, a border collie, will be cleverer than I am?"
If the answer is "Yes" that's good. The dog will think that way too.(It's best that you are of the same mind. It makes training the dog much easier )
Frankly,to me you sound perfect for a border collie.(I'm with Lankeela too, in her opinion ) If you still have any thoughts, think of having a bitch rather than a dog. The bitch is likely to prove more tractable, and less boisterous and independent than a dog, more of a home body.That's broadly true of all breeds, not just this one. (If anything, there appears to be a predominance of bitches winning sheepdog trials.If that's so, the reason might be just that, that a bitch is a little easier and more reliable and settled in training up.)
Most breeds stick with you and love you when you feed their bodies. Border collies stick with you and love you when you feed their minds. They need clear rules to start with. After that their greatest joy is in showing what they can do, the harder the better,to prove how clever they are in interpreting and doing what the (to them), idiot but lovable human wants (and is so easily impressed or pleased by !) Seriously, you'll never ever see another look in a dog like the look on a border collies' face, as it sits looking up at its master saying " Is that all right? What next?" That's a reward in itself, for both human and dog.
Ah fred, I am not sure why, but that got me very emotional! It is so true. It is also funny to see Jack do what he is told, very briefly, and then get up again, because he's already done what's asked, and there must be something else he can do for us!
josaphine, I have to agree: it sounds like you have the time and dedication, and if so, you would be an ideal BC owner.
Let us know, whatever you decide. And if you do get a puppy, I will be SO broody and jealous! :P
x
josaphine, I have to agree: it sounds like you have the time and dedication, and if so, you would be an ideal BC owner.
Let us know, whatever you decide. And if you do get a puppy, I will be SO broody and jealous! :P
x
I heartily agree with everything everyone has said. I've got Jake, a border collie, and Elsa, my elderly but amazing GSD. Jake is totally hyperactive, but very loveable without an ounce of malice in him. He's quite a good working sheepdog, except that he gets a bit carried away & once he's rounded the woollies up, he just lies there & gazes at them & won't come back even if I yell till I'm blue in the face!! The sheep got out one morning last autumn and I took him out to round them up & get them back in their field - that bit was OK. Then...he just lay beside them, in a trance. It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't have been raining and if I'd had time to get dressed first, but it was a bit of an emergency. Picture the scene....
A cold, wet morning up a mountain in Wales. A middle-aged woman, resplendent in pale blue, fluffy dressing gown and green wellies, standing in a muddy field, yelling obscenities (I'd got a bit fed up by that time!!) at a collie, with a flock of soggy sheep looking on. I had to go in & get a lead to get him back in the end!! Love 'im - if it weren't for Elsa, keeping him occupied all day & generally keeping him in check, I think I'd go mad!
A cold, wet morning up a mountain in Wales. A middle-aged woman, resplendent in pale blue, fluffy dressing gown and green wellies, standing in a muddy field, yelling obscenities (I'd got a bit fed up by that time!!) at a collie, with a flock of soggy sheep looking on. I had to go in & get a lead to get him back in the end!! Love 'im - if it weren't for Elsa, keeping him occupied all day & generally keeping him in check, I think I'd go mad!
Kleiber, love, how are you? That story has had me laughing my pants off! Poor Jake, I am sure that he thinks he is doing just what you expect-he certainly has the first bit right! I wonder what gets him so, well, fixated! That hypnotic element of a Collie's stare must reflect back onto him, poor boy!
Cuddles to Jake, Elsa and the menagerie; hope all is well x
Cuddles to Jake, Elsa and the menagerie; hope all is well x
Kleiber, I once had a GSD bitch who would round up the youngsters of a poodle bitch, as though she'd decided to help the 'mum' ! Mum, by this stage, had already decided they didn't need her attention any more, but the GSD thought differently.Having rounded them up to her satisfaction, the GSD would lie down at a distance and watch them very carefully.
There was I thinking that the GSD, being now used as a guard dog, was bred to protect a flock, not herd it ! Obviously the bitch had read a different book.For example, Desmond Morris in 'Dogs' says that the breed was bred for moving around the edge of flocks, watching for any individual sheep that strayed away and then gently but firmly usher the stray "back into the fold". :)
There was I thinking that the GSD, being now used as a guard dog, was bred to protect a flock, not herd it ! Obviously the bitch had read a different book.For example, Desmond Morris in 'Dogs' says that the breed was bred for moving around the edge of flocks, watching for any individual sheep that strayed away and then gently but firmly usher the stray "back into the fold". :)
I have a BC called Kirby, hes 2 years old. A woman over the road bought him, had him for a week and couldnt handle him, so we took him on ! He was a handful (still is !) but he's sooooo lovely ! The first year and a half he spent wrecking our house, chewing most things that were made of wood or ripping wallpaper and gererally filling the house with fur (He's long haired) Luckily now hes stopped chewing everything. He has more energy than a truck full of lucozade and as I type this he is waiting for me to chuck his ball :)
BC's are only for people who will spend time with them and keep them entertained, mentally and physically ! If you can't spend the time and think you'll get fed up with the constant attention that the doggie needs then BC's are NOT for you. Get a cat instead !
I have 3 cats too and they all get on with Kirby (or 'The Kirbster' as we call him :)) He gets 2 hours of walks in the week and then a 2 BIG (Over 5 miles at least !!) on a Saturday AND Sunday and went we get back and need a rest after all that walking he'll rest for and hour then he springs back to life and wants his ball chucking or we hide it anywhere in the house and he'll find it everytime !
They are smart and if you try to trick them they WILL learn ! I love the BC head tilts they do when they try to understand you and they do learn LOTS of words, even at 2 yrs old he knows too many to type here (Ive typed too much already, lol !) He loved cuddles, he jumps up on my lap and puts his arms around me and just sits there being fussed, he loves it !
The bottom line is they are wonderful dogs BUT you need to put in the time and effort and expect things to be chewed when they are young !
KIRBY ROCKS !!!
BC's are only for people who will spend time with them and keep them entertained, mentally and physically ! If you can't spend the time and think you'll get fed up with the constant attention that the doggie needs then BC's are NOT for you. Get a cat instead !
I have 3 cats too and they all get on with Kirby (or 'The Kirbster' as we call him :)) He gets 2 hours of walks in the week and then a 2 BIG (Over 5 miles at least !!) on a Saturday AND Sunday and went we get back and need a rest after all that walking he'll rest for and hour then he springs back to life and wants his ball chucking or we hide it anywhere in the house and he'll find it everytime !
They are smart and if you try to trick them they WILL learn ! I love the BC head tilts they do when they try to understand you and they do learn LOTS of words, even at 2 yrs old he knows too many to type here (Ive typed too much already, lol !) He loved cuddles, he jumps up on my lap and puts his arms around me and just sits there being fussed, he loves it !
The bottom line is they are wonderful dogs BUT you need to put in the time and effort and expect things to be chewed when they are young !
KIRBY ROCKS !!!
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