Border Collie

[greyfields]

Quote:

And I have been checking out that link you sent yesterday and may put my toe into the water today for some guidance.

 

[greyfields]

I have been getting lots of PM's on the subject!!!

One thing I read last night was that shepards in England consider collies with white faces unlucky. I was naturally drawn to one of the female puppies who was white faced. Any truth to the legend?

 

[raindrop]

Quote:
I have heard that, also have heard that white faces are not taken as "seriously" by the sheep. Who knows.
People are passionate about their borders!

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

LOL We have a BC. Connor. He is 7 now. We did agility, fly ball and some "practice" herding with him when he was younger. Then he landed wrong jumping a gate and hurt his hip. Amazing how they adapt to being house dogs when they ache. He now sleeps next to the radiator and his herding is done on the cats.

He is a GREAT watchdog. Nothing gets by him. NOTHING. He notices everything and I feel so safe in the house. He knows to sit on a certain step so he can see out the front door and living room windows to the street. He knows the neighbors cars and doesnt bark at them. But a car on the street or someone walking that isnt from our neighborhood and he lets ya know he is watching. He is more aggressive with people than my moms AmStaff at times though. But he protects us and loves us. He is very sensitive. A harsh word just breaks him. Praise is the only way to go with him.

I wouldnt get another. But I really wouldnt trade Connor for anything

 

[legacyln]

We have an almost 4 yr old BC. You obviously don't need the warnings people like to give about BCs since yours will be a working dog.

Our dog Maverick is that quintessential best dog ever, but almost a different SPECIES than any other dog I've been around. He plays "fetch" with anything-- literally... We have lots of balls we kick or throw for him but he will pick up soda bottles, tubes of caulk, etc-- whatever has your scent on it, and bring it over to be thrown. Has a few weird obsessions that are a BC hallmark. He picked a tree near the driveway entrance at our old house and every time we let him out he might spend 5-15 minutes jumping at the tree and occassionally barking. We moved a year ago and he picked another tree here and does the same thing. He has a fetish about bubbles, the lawnmower, the sprinkler or kids splashing water -- bites at the bubble/grass/water as he jumps and acts generally nuts. (I have to put him up to mow grass b/c it is ROCKY here in Missouri!) Also, obsessed with sticks (thumb- sized up to tree limbs)- carries them all over the place. He is very friendly to anyone who comes on the place, people comment on what a happy and polite greeter he is (doesn't jump etc). Though his herd drive seems high, interestingly, he pays little attenion to the chickens we got this spring once I moved them out of the brooder. I intend to get a few goats this summer but I don't have high hopes for him to work them at his age, but you never know. If he shows an interest I'll have to read up on training!

He spends a lot of time outside but is inside a lot too. Great inside dog-- very calm, just lays around or plays fetch down the hall with a stuffed squirrel. Would spend all day in his crate if we let him (I've heard BCs tend to get very attached to their crates: crate potatoes). He's not a love all over ya dog like a lab, he's more reserved although he does really enjoy our company and if my DH has been out of town he's really excited about his return.

Everyone has an opinion on the pup vs. started dog thing, but rescue is another option you might consider. Its hard to know what pups are going to turn out like. Long established BC rescues will want to help you pick the one that is really best for your situation and the dog you get is a known quantity. There is a great BC rescue in the midwest called MO-KAN Border Collie Recue ( http://www.mokanbcrescue.org/ ) and they have a lot of great dogs in foster care, I'm sure there are similar groups near you. You can meet the dog beforehand, get an assessment from knowledgeable BC people about dogs that might fit, and if it doesn't work out they take the dog back. Just an idea.

Do you have livestock guardian dogs? Just curious, as I am interested in them for us in the future for our goats.

 

[greyfields]

We have llamas for guardian animals. So far, so good, as we haven't lost anything duck, goose, chicken, lamb, goat or cow related since the camelids arrived. I have heard there can be tension between guard dogs and herding dogs.

So... anyway, we ignored a lot of red flags by not getting a registered dog. But, we came home tonight with a border collie puppy girl. We've named her Piper and we're just getting her settled down in her crate for the night. I'd post photos, but all of them have Caroline and I making goofy smiles.

We chose a middle of the road dog, not too hyper not too shy. She's brown and white with balanced markings on her head. Tomorrow, the livestock exposure begins! And of course, exposure to collars, leashes, and her own name.

 

[Iceblink]

At the doggie daycare I worked at we had many Border Collies. As everyone else said, they were all mindblowingly intelligent, and very, very sweet. They all ended up getting kicked out though, as they would constantly try to herd the other dogs, and would glancingly slice gashes in other dogs sides. It wasn't intentional, but it happened over and over, with every single one.

I suppose on a sheep, the wool would protect the skin, but on dogs it was a different story.

Another thing I noticed was that the BCs wore down their nails so much faster than other breeds. Their nails never needed to be clipped, and would often wear down to the quick and bleed all over.

We used to run them around by letting them chase the hose spray in huge arcs and circles. They loved it.

 

[P-F]

I didn't read all the posts but If you have never trained a border collie or are like me and think you have the time to do it, I was wrong there, If you really want to use the dog for herding you may want to consider buying an already trained dog, it may save you alot of aggrivation. Their is no doubt BC are great dogs and very loyal, but like everyone said they have a lot of desire to herd and you have to be on top of that from day one because once they form a bad habit it is really hard to break.

My next BC will be already trained. I just don't have the time or patients to do it. but a trained cow dog would be a very valuable asset around here.

 

[greyfields]

I agree. I had been looking for trained/started dogs since last Fall. Nothing materialized for under $1k, so decided we'd give it a whirl ourselves.

For now, she's just being trained to be a puppy... where to pee, when to pee, when to crate, when to follow, learning her name (Piper), etc.

 

[legacyln]

Even if you paid the $1K, you might end up w/a dog that wasn't a successful farm helper for a variety of reasons, at least this way you'll have a great pet regardless of how the training goes. And you know a lot of farmeers do train tthem themselves and while they're not necessarily pretty to watch, they get the job done. We bbought ours as a pup out of nonregistered working cattle BCs.

Good luck w/Piper; you'll soon not be abke to imagine living without a BC!