Border Collies

[RD]

I've seen nothing but brilliance from these guys.. Quite a few with boredom-related behavior problems, but still brilliant dogs that can give even the best handler a run for their money, and a pretty good test of intelligence. As a matter of fact, I'm considering buying one.. :D (A far cry from a GSD or Dobe, but I've just recently fallen in love with this breed)

This is the little borderboy I'm considering.. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Rips_Girl/borderboy.bmp < Look at that stare he's got in the far right picture. hehehe. And that's at 4 weeks!

If I don't buy him, the same breeder is planning to have another litter in the spring, both the sire & dam are AKC champions and have herding and agility titles galore.. I might reserve a female pup from that litter...


Does anyone else have a BC?

[sheltiepups]

well good luck in getting him, he looks like a doll!

[FaceZ Of DeaTh]

Border collies are the smartest dogs in the world. There was one that could recognize 200 diferent objects by their names. Border collies are good house pets. They are extremely hyper. They nead a physical and mental challenge each day like herding.

[RD]

Border Collies are not hyper dogs. They're energetic and enthusiastic dogs who put their all into almost everything they do. Of course, if you force a Border Collie to be a couch potato, it's going to backfire on you and he's going to be uncontrollable and destructive.

Because of that, you contradicted yourself in saying that "They make good house pets".


And yes, they are some of the smartest & most obedient dogs there are. ;)

[chazhound]

Border Collies are awesome dogs. High energy and will play with you until you drop.
A great dog for someone with an active lifestyle.

Chazhound

[FaceZ Of DeaTh]

Herding is so deeply embeded into their genetics they try to herd little kids. I met one that had an obsession with moving balls around a house lol. They got a lot of exercise requirements.

[FaceZ Of DeaTh]

but they are cool

[RD]

LOL, I met one that would lay all his toys in a straight line on the floor, and if anyone kicked one out of place, he would drop anything he was doing and put that toy right back where it belonged. :p

They do need exercise, but more than that they need mental stimulation.. I know a 13-year-old border collie who knows an almost unlimited number of tricks, because learning was the only thing that would tire her out, so her owner taught her tricks every day. :)

[Renee750il]

Oh, Grace, I do hope you get that little guy! I'm anticipating all sorts of hysterical stories about him and Ripley! Ripley's going to get herded! Just be careful not to hurt yourself laughing!

When my parents were taking care of my sister's JRT, Braec, he kept aggravating their blind Australian Shepherd, O'Riley, who in turn, drove Braec to the edge of his lttle mind by herding him wherever he wanted to put him! Oh, it was soooo funny to watch! Braec would try to sneak up on O'Riley and would end up in a corner, and being a Terrier, he kept trying over and over again. When he'd get mad enough to snap at O'Riley, all it earned Braec was a paw across his back, holding him down until he'd quiet down.

I seriously doubt Ripley's obnoxious like little Braec (we love him, but he really is an obnoxious brat - mostly because of his previous, abusive owner), but it will be great mental and physical exercise for him to try to figure out how to get around a Border Collie. From your descriptions of his energy level and intelligence, it should be a great pair of dogs to live together - if you can keep up with them! ;)

[RD]

LOL I know, I'm just picturing the hysteria in the house with two dogs with herding instincts.

Ripley actually does have herding instincts, I don't know HOW he got them, but he circles things just like a border collie. LOL. And he is obnoxious... very obnoxious... Think: run in circles around you, teasing you, and then bite you when you finally catch him and pick him up.. obnoxious. :D :p

I just got an email from the breeder, she's an AWESOME breeder with some fantastic dogs... Ooh, I want him sooo bad.. *crosses fingers*

[pitbulliest]

Be careful about the breeder. If the female just had pups and he's planning on getting her pregnant again in just a few months..I'd ask him why he's wanting to breed her so fast again and see what his excuse is. A good breeder that really cares about their dog waits for AT LEAST a year before making another litter. It's a dog, not a baby machine..

Sorry about the attitude, but this guy is kinda starting to tick me off now that I think about it.

[RD]

It's a different female... It's been a year and a half since this one last had a litter...

[pitbulliest]

Oh ok..that's good then..sorry..I couldn't help it...lol

[RD]

lol it's ok... I'd be outta there quicker than you could imagine if she was breeding a female every season.

[pitbulliest]

Ohh I know you would...I should've known better *blushes*
lol

[bogolove]

I used to work with a lady that had three because she loved them so much. They are highly intelligent animals, one of hers even knows how to open her front door when the other two are getting on her (the dog's) nerves to let them out! They live out in the country so the dogs have plenty of space to run and play together. They are energetic and need something to keep them stimulated, but they are extremely loyal and loving. I was considering this type of dog before, but then Brady found me.

[RD]

I go to visit Mr. Borderboy tomorrow, to evaluate his temperament and potential and possibly bring him home!!! :D

[Renee750il]

Well, Grace, have you picked out a name yet, or are you waiting for him to earn his name?

Personally, from what you''ve told us about little Ripley, I can't think of a better buddy for him than a Border Collie.

[RD]

:D Well, I can easily say that after only 2 hours of having Dakota home, that I'll never be without another Border Collie.. I absolutely LOVE this dog, he's so smart and you can really tell that he just wants to be with people. Such a major love bug... **Happy sigh**

[Renee750il]

So, it's Dakota instead of Bruiser as originally planned?

You sound ecstatic, Grace, and I know I'm just tickled for you. Maybe someday you'll be able to add a Fila to your pack as well. :p

[RD]

Yep, Dad decided at the last minute that he didn't like Bruiser and handed the naming responsibility over to me..

Haahahaha! A Fila would certainly complete the pack... 4 more years, and I'll be able to have any dog I want.. I'd LOVE to add a Fila to the family.. I just love them to pieces.
Hey, maybe Shiva or Kharma will be the dam of the Fila I get! I certainly am planning on getting one once I move out, since I'll be living alone.. You never know, hmm? :)

[Renee750il]

Maybe . . . A pup out of Shiva or one of her pups would have a real probability of being an excellent, social family dog. She's a year old now, and she's still a big sweetie. I'm going to give her a few more months to mature and then see about getting her certified as a therapy dog at the University of Tennessee. It's impossible to pass by her without a pet or, more often, a big hug. She's just the most demonstrably affectionate dog I've ever seen, but she's still a great guardian.

Something out of Kharma would definitely give Ripley - and especially Dakota - plenty of work! I can just imagine Kharma and a Border Collie competing to see who would herd who!

Oh, you'd have laughed at me Tuesday night! We had to haul some calves to the stock barn Wednesday morning, so we went over to Charley's cousin, Bob's farm to borrow his cattle trailer. He had a half dozen new heifers in the field where the trailer is stored, and he'd warned us that they would try to follow the trailer out. So . . . my job was to keep the heifers inside. We took Shiva, thinking she'd be calmer and easier to handle than Kharma (since Kharma's a herding fiend - she doesn't want to stop until she's got everyone into one group exactly where she wants them to be), and I just kept her on the leash with me to intimidate the heifers. We got them down the hill from the barn, in a group, and then had to figure out how to keep them there when Charley started pulling the trailer out. Shiva stood beside me, and I just stood there, slightly crouched, and stared at them. They didn't even flinch! I didn't look away, so when Charley got the trailer out and the gate pulled close, he had to yell to tell me he was done. He commented on what a good job we'd done keeping the heifers in one place, and I got the giggles; it suddenly occured to me that I made a very good Border Collie - using 'The Stare' to keep them from moving! (rofl)

[RD]

LOL, I had to stare our calves down a couple of times when I was 10, and our gate broke.. It works pretty well, they really don't know that you won't nip at their heels if they move.
This border collie has that 'stare' already.. He'll stare directly at a toy, and he's already starting to run in circles around me, staring..

From the way Shiva sounds, she'd be a good therapy dog. I'm hoping Dakota will continue this puppy friendliness, so I can get him into therapy. Ripley... hahaha. He's such a little snot, he'd probably growl at everyone and do all he could to make sure they didn't touch him. :p

[RD]

Whoah MAN...

I looked a little deeper into this site www.bordercollies.org and they completely bash anyone who has a Border Collie registered in the AKC.. They also bash AKC conformation champions who have MULTIPLE HERDING TITLES.
Ok, I just don't get it. What's so wrong with having a dog who is not only good in temperament and working drive but good in another field as well? I agree that showing in conformation is a shallow thing to do, but if the dog has beauty AND brains, why wouldn't you want to have both proven? :confused:

[Renee750il]

It probably has more to do with the AKC's propensity for twiddling with breed standards and putting so much emphasis on show lines that working bloodlines are falling by the wayside.

Just look at so many of the great working breeds that are now in jeopardy of losing their working abilities and heritage due to the emphasis on breeding show lines.

That said, it reflects very poorly on an organization to make the bashing personal. It's also much more effective to state your case in a calm, rational manner, giving your audience some credit for being intelligent enough to accept a thoughtful, well presented position.

There's nothing wrong at all with having a great physical specimen that's also intelligent and retains a strong work ethic. That should be the ideal.

[RD]

I wanna join those boards because I want to talk to more people with BC's, but I'm scared to. LOL.

I do see what they're getting at.. So many breeds are incapable of serving their originally desired purpose now, thanks to show breeders (I won't even get into BYB. I think everyone knows my opinion on them by now.) who don't respect the fact that this is supposed to be working dog...

**shrug** I don't think there will ever be peace with AKC ethics vs. breed enthusiasts..

[Renee750il]

Some of the Fila boards are like that. You get some real strange ones sometimes, and I think some of the people have more ojeriza than their dogs! (lol) Just keep cruising around until you find people you're comfortable with.