^^ I agree so much, OwnedbyBCs!!! OMFG, Border Collies can go so wrong when they're in the wrong home. Like, chasing their tail 24/7 wrong.
Working with BC rescue, I have seen some of the most deeply disturbed dogs who came from well-meaning, average homes who wanted a "smart dog". They ended up completely screwing up their dog and blaming it on the dog. My friend's family got a BC because they loved my BC, who I put years of work into to get him sane. They are an average family. They had owned Goldens before. They took her to the puppy classes that I demanded they take her to, and didn't practice at home or continue with any other classes. By one year old, she was uncontrollable, would dig out of the yard and run away and was nearly impossible to catch, would run away from them at the dog park to the point that it'd take an hour to get a leash on her & attack other dogs, became neurotically obsessive about balls (as that was the only form of mental or physical exercise she got) and would spend all of her time throwing balls at you, threw a bone at her Mom and broke her nose, would jump all over/on counters, chase her tail, bark at everything, just a dog that no one would want to live with! They immediately went to a shock collar trainer, shocked her for doing ANYTHING, and now they have a creepy fear aggressive biter who barely functions. And they're trying to rehome her.
I've seen this situation replayed 1000x and I feel so sad that I thought this family was ready & willing to take on a Border Collie. They aren't lazy... they go on walks and play with her on the weekends, which most Goldens would be perfectly happy with. They just don't understand that this dog needs daily mental & physical exercise, training and guidance, and wants to work and be with her family. Not sit in the backyard fixating and barking all day.
My other friend's BC is human & dog aggressive, obese, and has severe pancreatitis because she began obsessively chewing on bark as a puppy and continued doing it for years. She also chases her tail all the time (probably the only exercise she gets) and bites it to the point of bleeding. Very sad.
Those were my only two friends with Border Collies. They aren't my friends anymore, their neglectful, selfish ways along with their personalities have driven me away. I just feel so bad that my dog convinced them to get a Border Collie. They know what I've been through with Gonzo, that I took him to a behaviorist and Obedience classes for 3 years and to the tune of $1000's, and for much of his life was taking him to Obedience/Agility/Flyball/Rally classes every week. They knew I took him to the park every day for hours to exercise him. They still underestimated the breed and thought that they were up to it, when in reality, they aren't dog people and weren't willing to change their lives for their dog.