For the most part, I don't know very many Border Collies with noise sensitivity, but I wonder if that has to do with the type of dogs I'm around? (all working bred BCs) Blaze has about two different sounds he freaks at, and only at home, garage door and bags.
I don't think it is just a working thing. Spy often acts interested in noises but is not spooky, just curious. I wouldn't classify him or his siblings as noise sensitive (in a negative way, again, just curious). Of the other sporter collies I have met from GOOD breeders, sound sensitivity does not seem to be a big issue. I would tend to think that if a breeder is consistently producing sound sensitive dogs they are a) not responsibly addressing the issue because BCs shouldn't be overly sound sensitive and/or b) selling dogs to people who are failing to properly socialize the puppies to loud noises. Particularly for dogs being bred for sport, sound sensitivity is a big issue and not something that should be being brushed off as "oh it's just a border collie thing".
I agree that most BCs I know aren't really social butterflies who want to go love on the world. However I wouldn't say most BCs I know are one-man dogs. They are work-centric dogs. They in general don't really give a d*** who's giving the instructors so long as they know which instructions they are to follow and that the person isn't a blooming idiot. And if the handler messes up they are more than happy to yell at them (lol)
You see this a lot in agility. The dogs love the sport and quite often don't really care who is running them so long as they are running (in their mind: working) and the handler of the day understands their cue system and gives instructions several obstacles in advance. Herding, same way. Their person is their preferred human in life but most importantly the person who most often gives them a chance to work...if someone else offers work they will leave their owner in a flash without looking back til the job is done. And ensuring their isn't any chance for more work at that moment.
Now the jittery ones tend to be more handler-exclusive but that's often more because they are leaning on their person for a support system because they don't have the stability of personality to function on their own.
I agree with this for the most part. From what I have seen and my own experiences with Spy, working for other people who seem to know what they are doing is not an issue for a sound, stable dog. Key-words, "people who know what they are doing" lol. If Spy thinks the person is flaky or if he can tell they are unsure he flips them the bird and does his own thing :rofl1: Spy probably won't be that affectionate with a stranger he has never met who is working him though. Once he sees me interacting positively with the person in question he becomes cuddly and friendly but he wouldn't go running up to people looking for hugs.
When Spy gets
really frustrated he will bark once or twice but he is not a big barker when you don't know what you are doing. I am pretty sure he just rolls his eyes at said person and waits until they pull themselves together with this look on his face -->
That said though, I have noticed other BCs who bark in frustration when their owners are handling them in a confusing or sloppy way.
Oh, and I can't say I've seen any more noise sensitivity in border collies than I have in any other breed I've known. I would never have put it on a list of concerns about the breed.!
Yep, totally agree
I've known a lot that aren't really dog friendly but aren't at that level. Quite a few seem to redirect aggressively onto other dogs when they get overstimulated. But these dogs all come from the same kennel so it could be a kennel problem moreso than the breed.
I haven't noticed more redirected aggression from BCs than other breeds, but I do agree that they aren't super dog-friendly. For the most part, I see BCs that tolerate other dogs but aren't keen on playing. When other dogs (specifically ones without a good sense of personal space) get in their face, they aren't afraid to snark at them, either. Spy growls at puppies but seems to get along relatively well with other dogs... If they pester him to play he will snark or just give me a really sullen mopey look :rofl1: Basically on walks he wants to either explore and sniff around or play with me, playing with other dogs does not interest him.
However, one thing I always found funny was that at home he LOVED playing with the cat. He would follow her around the house with his talk wagging and she would play back. I think he enjoyed it because she didn't pester him or get in his space and it was all on his terms. It was pretty cute.
Anyway, I would not really be worried about DA between a BC and another dog of mine. Spy definitely likes his space but he does not go looking for fights, and I doubt I will get a breed that tends to initiate things. Plus I am not really into dogs who don't respect personal space so I am not overly concerned.
Most the issues I see in BCs are reactivity that imo is being handled poorly.
This, this, this x100. The vast majority of weird and problematic issues I see in BCs (reactivity, OCD behaviour, hypersensitivity) are because the dogs came from less than stellar breeders or had a handler who didn't know how to manage a dog with BC tendencies. Left to their own devices without proper socialization, training and management it doesn't surprise me when they develop these sorts of issues.
I had this conversation with someone else yesterday but from what I see in the agility world a lot of the issues with performance BCs is people getting severely overdogged ie. people not really suited to a rocket fuel dog prone to motion reaction etc. getting a BC because they do well in agility...then focusing entirely on sport and being focused and in drive 100% of the time so the dog never learns how to function in the world and is in a constant state of arousal when around other people/dogs because they are either stuffed in a crate or out retrieving/tugging/running for the duration of the practice...and it just spirals. Yeah a lot of BCs are more prone to heading down that path than other dogs but I think they are also more often started down that path by people who mean well but don't realize the ramifications of what they are doing.
Just my 2cents though.
Totally agree with this, too. People get very caught up in sports and activities and sometimes forget that a puppy/dog has to learn to be a house-pet with manners, too. It baffles me how many people think that BCs aren't capable of having an off-switch and need TONS of daily exercise. While I agree that a portion of this is from genetics, so much of it is in training, too. Dogs need to learn that yes, sometimes it is go time and they can rev their engines, but mostly it is down time and they need to relax. It even bothers me when dogs pace. When I am sitting on the couch and it is clear that we aren't about to go on a walk or train I expect the dog to settle and find a comfy place to lay down until it is go time.
I also notice a lot of first time BC people get dogs and are so excited about their first sport puppy that they neglect or don't consider that it is so important to spend time leaving the dog at home, having quiet hours, etc. Basically, they want to jump headfirst into training and having fun that they forget how important it is to teach the puppy that sometimes it won't get walked, trained or payed attention to and that when that happens it is not a bad thing and they need to settle and act appropriately in the house.