Border Collies... who has one?

BCs are high energy working dogs, and if they are not working they can go nuts. I would not suggest one as a casual pet.

I've got a JRT that is very smart, energetic and an awesome dog with tons of heart. Sort of like a BC-lite. And she has climbed trees to go after squirrels, so I suspect that your possum problem would be solved with a JRT.

We have Chihuahuas too, and they are just wierd.

When the time comes, I'd get another JRT or a Sheltie.

 

Possums?

 

I see a small country gentleman's farm in the offing here.

 

My wife and I have two border collies and we love them dearly. They are as smart as advertised and understand a startling amount of language. We were concerned with the first one "needing something to do" so we got a second one and that worked perfectly. They keep each other busy .

Loaded with personality. awesome with the ball and frisbee. love the ocean.

one male and one female. six years old each.

 

Here's Lexi making sure the hose is just right.

[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

Loki helping me not catch any fish

[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

 

I have a border collie/lab mix. She is great. She is super friendly and loves all people. She gets along great with most dogs, but we made a point to get her out a lot when she was young. She is small - 32 pounds, but her brother (adopted by my sister in law) is bigger, like 60 lbs. Our dog runs like a deer, she is super fast and loves to run any time, although she never runs away, she runs in circles. She wants us to chase her. Her brother is lazier and not as fast.

They are medium energy, they need 2-3 walks per day and a few frisbee/tennis ball sessions, but not too much. They are just as happy to lie on the floor and watch the kids. She gets mischeivious when she feels that she is not being given enough attention, but after a year she stopped being destructive.

I think the lab/collie mix is great - a friendlier dumber lazier bigger collie, or a slightly smaller, smarter lab. With short hair.

 

I had a JRT and he was one of the best dogs EVER! He was a short legged JRT but he was incredibly fast, and could jump up on to the kitchen counter from a standstill. The nice thing about him was that he was small enough that throwing a tennis ball down the hall would entertain him for hours. And when you got tired of throwing the ball, he'd take it to the top of the stairs, push it down them, then run down and catch the ball, run back to the top of the stairs, and repeat. I miss that little guy.

We also had a Border Collie that my wife brought home one day. He's kind of a sore subject for me and I don't like to talk about it. He was a great dog but we had no way to give him the attention he needed so I wanted to take him back to the breeder/rancher that she got him from (he was a very well bred dog). She refused and took him to her parents farm instead. They've got something like 50+ dogs so he got virtually no one-on-one attention. It wasn't long before he started chasing their livestock to keep himself entertained. They tied him up to a pole, gave him a doghouse, and left him there. I think it drove him insane, being around all those animals but being alone at the same time (not able to interact). So long story short, if you can't give the dog tons of attention, don't get one.

 

our border collie mix is on the whole incredible. she's 12 and apart from completely freaking out during storms i can't imagine a better dog. she is finally starting to slow down, which isn't a bad thing. she still loves to run/fetch and i get tired of throwing it before she gets tired of chasing. she has always been moderately content to sleep on the sofa while i'm gone but when she was younger it was not a matter of if but what she would have gotten into while i was away. if you have the time and space they can be wonderful pets.

 

And you didn't go take the dog back and at least offer it a home to live in?

 

Like I said, sore subject; family politics, other bullshit that factored in. I regret the whole situation.

 

My grandpa used to farm wheat and cattle. We got him a Border pup that ran everywhere with him. By ran I mean she would literally run circles around the whatever vehicle he was operating - trucks, tractors, combines. Down dirt roads, through fields, pastures, whatever. He had to load her up at least half the time or else she would exhaust herself.

I’ve yet to meet another dog with half the personality she had. I want one of my own but I don’t have the time or acreage to devote to one.

 

I see a lot of them running flyball with my Sheltie. Great dogs BUT you need to give them things to do or they will invent them. Very smart dogs and if you keep them busy great dogs. Neglect one and they will become neurotic messes.

 

LOL Yup. I have a small circular bamboo grove (~25ft across) and there is a 1' wide dirt path around it with a burm!

+1 to whoever said you cant just throw them outside. Occasionally you can, but for the most part they will end up getting bored. In fact just yesterday I was push mowing my lawn while kicking her half deflated basketball to her.... for an hour.

Also, they need to be mentally stimulated as well. Lots of games and training.

 

Have to disagree with the destruction

Maybe ours is a freak of nature - he comes to all the rounds we attend, keeps an eye on our pit but mostly likes to hang out in the AC. He is extremely smart but he doesn't get into trouble. I've had him since he was six weeks old and don't think he would have learned any good habits from me.

He is an Aussie / Border mix and has helped me return some of our wayward livestock back to their pasture but never trained him to be a working dog.

YMMV (as with many things) but I wouldn't hesitate to have another.

Enjoy your search and give him / her a pet for me. :up:


...just rembered you mentioned the cats - our feline loves to wrestle with the dog and they have spent every workday home together for years.

 

I'd say that what you have a "boarder" collie.

 

My Neighbor has 7 of them,She adopts them trains them and puts them in homes..
Shes out there every morning ..she has the whole yard set up with ramps, tunnels, a pool and all of that agility shit.Annoying lil mofo's all they do is consistently bark bark bark..Then attack eachother..Crazy dogs!

 

Grew up with a border/sheltie mix. Wonderful dog. Medium energy. 2nd smartest dog Ive ever seen next to my current Boston/Fox. He's just creepy-smart.

 

talk to Max McAllister about herding dogs. He doesn't post here anymore, but he has plenty of knowledge on the subject.

 

Does yours bark annoyingly all day long over every and anything, more so when guests arrive?