Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, All Herding breeds, Tell Me About Yours

[Sheltiepawz]

I keep going back and looking at your gorgeous dogs. Do you brush them daily? My Aussies I generally brush every month, more when it's shedding season, which is half the year.

On grooming day it is a process, but no I don’t brush them every day or even every week. They need lined brush about every 2-3 weeks and I use a forced air dryer on bath day which gets rid of the loose undercoat. Their ears need trimmed and their paws and nails about every two weeks.
Mine really only bark in the yard at the squirrels as they tree them. They hate the squirrels! I think they know they ripped into our house and got in the attic. Squirrels are Destructive little things! They tend to bark when they are excited.

If you have aussies then I don’t think you will be bothered by anything in the Shelties personality lol! I find in aussies everything is magnified lol! Barking shedding. I have friends with aussies. I’m not sure I could have an Aussie .

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Shelties do bark, especially if bored. I find they bark more than border collies, but less than aussies. My high drive one barks more than my laid back one. They can be taught to be quiet also. When I had just one Sheltie he only barked when playing chase with kids. Multiple ones do tend to feed off each other with the barking. Just know that they are a more vocal breed.
Yes they can be taught to fetch and do love it. They love any game with their humans. The only thing I have found that most Shelties do not like is swimming. But some do.

If they bark less or the equivalent of an Aussie I can deal with that.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

On grooming day it is a process, but no I don’t brush them every day or even every week. They need lined brush about every 2-3 weeks and I use a forced air dryer on bath day which gets rid of the loose undercoat. Their ears need trimmed and their paws and nails about every two weeks.
Mine really only bark in the yard at the squirrels as they tree them. They hate the squirrels! I think they know they ripped into our house and got in the attic. Squirrels are Destructive little things! They tend to bark when they are excited.

If you have aussies then I don’t think you will be bothered by anything in the Shelties personality lol! I find in aussies everything is magnified lol! Barking shedding. I have friends with aussies. I’m not sure I could have an Aussie .

You definitely know when there's an Aussie about. They won't let you forget it. They like to be the center of attention, and everything belongs to them. Mine tries to police the toy usage here by the other dogs.

It is a neck to neck race now between the breeds. I still love Aussies , but I'm not sure if I want to deal with two again or not. Mine were always butting heads. Plus the house breaking, , Aussies take forever, and they are a smart breed. They all seem to have tiny bladders as pups too.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I vote get a sheltie then!!

 

[lulubell15]

We have plans to get a border collie sometimes next year. It's been quite a few years since I've owned one. I need a refresher course of what I'm in for, so please share your dogs and experiences with the breed.

I remember mine loving to run the goat fence while carrying her tennis ball. She'd than take a quick dip in the kiddie pool to cool off before getting back to work. She was wicked smart, and darn good looking. We took her everywhere. She was always busy outside, but easy going in the house.

So please share your border collies, and hopefully no one talks me out of one.

I'm editing this thread to add all herding breeds, especially Australian shepherds.

I had a Male Boarder Collie years ago & loved the bones of him, he was so smart. Back in September my other half brought home Molly just 3 months old (pics are 4 months & now coming up to 6 months). She's still using me as a teething toy, but so adorable. OH takes her with him when he goes fishing/walking the canals.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I had a Male Boarder Collie years ago & loved the bones of him, he was so smart. Back in September my other half brought home Molly just 3 months old (pics are 4 months & now coming up to 6 months). She's still using me as a teething toy, but so adorable. OH takes her with him when he goes fishing/walking the canals.
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She is a cutie.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I have not read all the replies in this thread, but here's my .02.

I have shared my life with at least 1 and often several Border Collies since 1994. They are not like other dogs.

Many generations of breeding for what the dog can do instead of what the dog looks like, and a very high standard of working ability has resulted in a unique dog who is a combination of bright independence and also biddable and cooperative. They love rules and boundaries and clarity.

They need structure, and an opportunity to use their impressive brains regularly. While exercise is good, brain work is better. If you try to tire out an obnoxious Border Collie with exercise you will end up with a very fit obnoxious dog. Teach your dog to work stock if you have it, even if its just helping round up chickens towards their coop. Teach him tricks, how to track a scent or find a hidden scent. Teach him to gather dog bowls after dinner and fetch the paper. Take him on long outings where he can run some and explore with his nose. Spend a lot of 1-1 time getting to know your dog and his personality and learning each other.

They are excellent at training people, and manipulating a situation to their advantage: dropping toys into places where they will be addressed, pestering for attention of playtime etc. They can be taught that no means no and learn what "not now" means.

As a puppy, its helpful to teach them to settle and that every moment is not about them. I meet so many well-meaning people who think they must provide non-stop activity to keep their active dog healthy and they create a dog who thinks he needs non-stop activity. Its not healthy for the dog to not know how to settle and relax.

With puppies I set up a routine that has scheduled play time, training time and downtime in a crate or pen with a chewie or other toy and ignore the puppy. They figure out sometimes life is fun games, sometimes its not. Spend time just hanging, being close, talking, walking together. Border Collies crave human attention and approval.

Border Collies are very sensitive. The genes that make them excellent at reading stock and taking direction make it easy for them to be easily spooked by changes or overwhelmed by things. This is especially true when they are adolescents. Pay attention to your dogs reactions towards things and if they seem afraid don't force interaction. Give them distance and let them watch the new or scary thing and approach only when ready. Socialization is important for all dogs but should be more about exposure and watching rather than forced interactions.

Generally they are horrible adolescents. They are all awkward elbows and long legs, with full size bodies and undeveloped brains and no impulse control. They push limits one minute then fall apart the next. This to shall pass. Deep breaths, lots of chewies and forced downtime along with running and playing will help develop your dog into a great adult.

My adult dogs are very mellow in the house. If nothing is going on, they nap and lay around. This is true with my dogs from working breeders and dogs from sport dog lines. They get to train in stockwork, obedience, tracking or agility and work 2 or 3 days a week for an hour or two, and get a long off lead walk at the river beach or a field usually 2x a week. There are many "no fun stuff" days in our lives and they do fine. An occasional frisbee in the yard and some practicing in 10 minute increments now and then. Thats enough for them to be relaxed (once adults).

I believe in dogs bred to a working standard. A breed is what is is and can do,not as much what it looks like or who its parents were. In recent years I have gotten involved in stockwork and its made me love the breed even more. I would only ever buy a dog from a working breeder, and temperament and personality are somewhat heritable. Some BCs are bred to work cows or other more challenging livestock and they have a different (harder) temperament than a sheep dog. If I want a relaxed and soft dog I want one from lines that work sheep and whose parents have the temperament I want.

They should be health tested for hip displasia (with OFA or PennHipp scores that you should be able to locate on the OFA or Pennhip websites) and CEA. You should be able to see/meet at least one parent at some point. A good breeder will be as interested in you as you are in them and raise them ideally with a lot of human interaction in a house. Some working breeders don't raise litters in the house, but they should at least be handled a lot.

My boy Argos for cute tax.
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This is all excellent information!!! Thank you for sharing!! Your dog is a real cutie.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had a Male Boarder Collie years ago & loved the bones of him, he was so smart. Back in September my other half brought home Molly just 3 months old (pics are 4 months & now coming up to 6 months). She's still using me as a teething toy, but so adorable. OH takes her with him when he goes fishing/walking the canals.
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What a beautiful girl. She sounds calmer than some?

 

[lulubell15]

What a beautiful girl. She sounds calmer than some?

She's very talkative, grumbling & making growling noises but not in a nasty way, I think it's just her way of communicating. She looks straight at me & barks once & I know she needs to go outside. I just can't stop her from chewing on me, it doesn't hurt, I've tried everything from giving her toys to a firm "No" but it's all a game to her. Hope she stop before her adult teeth come through.

 

[Rushdoggie]

I teach mouthy puppies to play with me with a toy only. They start biting, I get a toy and get them to play by wiggling it on the ground like a injured bunny. If they play toy, we play. If they launch at my flesh, I put them away (into a crate or behind a gate) for a few minutes. Then I offer the toy again.

You want to play? We play with toys, not flesh. If you don't want a toy, fine, I am not going to play or give you access to my skin.

Pretty quick they figure it out and start shoving toys at you instead of biting most of the time. Try it and see if it helps?