Help - Which breed of dog?

marshallka

ailuro2 wrote: »

The Dog Whisperer guy, Ceaser Millan (sp?) recommends getting a dog with the same eenergy levels or less than the family it will be living with,

That was my problem then :eek:. I like to chill and we had a border collie:eek:

Got a Lhasa Apso as well and he is a chilling dog. Hes done too much when he gets down from the settee to the floor. He has to lie for a min after.

ellies_angel

I have to say, I wouldn't recoment a Border Collie as a family pet. They are a working dog! My parents had one, it was my sister inlaws and she couldn't give it the exercise it needed when my nephew came along. She wasn't good with children, could be quite nippy and even when my nephew was a teenager would have a go.
Two of my friends got border collie pups. 1 is an experinced border collie owner, the other not, both take their dogs out for long walks twice a day. Both spend lots of time training them, teaching them tricks with lots of positive re-enforcement. Both work so dog is left alone (no longer than 4 hours) and both have had their house chewed to pieces, dogs bed destroyed, skirtings and door facings, kitchen table and chairs eaten. They are bored, they want to be out their herding sheep, working, its what they were bred to do and you can see when they play and they start "herding" their toys.
Lovely lovely dogs, but unless you live in the country, i don't think they are the best choice for a pet

I have a border terrier, soft,, gentle, well trained when she wants to be (selective hearing) loves people of all ages from the very young to the very old, adored my cat and would be dragged around the laminate flooring by her. She now lives with a Ridgeback. She is a lovely friendly dog, but definately teritorial. She doesn't like people coming to the house she doesn't know but as long as you give them a warm welcome shes ok, whereas my Ellie loves people visiting her, She would lick a burglar to death.

I grew up with an Irish Wolfhound, huge and stupid and soft and gentle! She would sit next to you on the sofa, her bottom on the sofa with the legs on the floor watching TV. Unlike my border she didn't like a huge amount of exercise and would often lie down a short way into a walk because she had enough!

Mums border Collie and the Irish Wolfhound both died from womb cancer. They weren't spayed, for that reason I had Ellie spayed at 6 months. You do need to consider the cost. Ellie is 8, insured and apart from being spayed and annual injections has never had a days illness in he life, Nala, the ridgeback is 10 now, an old lady and she was also spayed which has caused incontinence in the past couple of years which requires medication on a daily basis. You have to be prepared for the financial implication of owning a pet.

hethmar

No border collies arent the ideal family pet. They are too intelligent to sit around all day and need a very high level of exercise.

jamsandwhich

Labrador retriever - but I am biased!!!

Our old boy is 15 in June, he is a retired gundog retriever and have had him since he was eight - I am lucky enough to be able to take him to work with me (he was my boss's father's dog after all!!!) and they look after him when we go abroad although he loves camping. He rarely barks and is highly trained so is good as gold, would now just like hom to stop bringing me roadkill - bless:rolleyes: He is fab with the girls even though I think he would secretly like them to stop using him as a seat.

I would definately have another lab - have a look around and you will probably find after a bit of research that you sort of 'click' with a breed. Good luck.

marshallka

hethmar wrote: »

No border collies arent the ideal family pet. They are too intelligent to sit around all day and need a very high level of exercise.

Mine has a funny fetish for anything to do with hair. Bobbles, brushes, alice bands etc etc. I had my boiler done a few months back and at the same time the washer was being repaired too and I had to have all doors open in he house. I managed to keep my border confined to one spot by putting a hair brush on the floor and he just stares at it and will not take his eyes off it. I don't know why this is but if anything is left out to do with hair he stays in that spot just staring. If I say I am going to brush my hair he is by the dressing table before me crying and staring. Tonight at the vets when we were trying to get the drops in his eyes and the muzzle on I had to get out my hairbrush and start brushing my hair for the vet to shine the light in his eyes. He is completey loopy really and we did have him seen by a dog psychologist some years ago. She could not work him out either and ended up advising us to use a herbal form of tranquilizer.We love him all the same though but yes, he is a real handful.

When we walk him he sounds like he has been run over by a car by the noise he makes. Very excitable. He knows every move i am going to make too. If I say I am going to the garage, hes there before me, the recyling bin, hes there, everywhere he knows. He can also open doors too. I let him out and he opens the door for back in too. (forgets to close it though). He opens the food cupboard for his dinner. They are great but certainly a handful. They do round everything up too. I will say though they are VERY faithful.

hethmar

Some friends of ours took on a border collie rescue but he was seriously psychologically damaged, he would run round and round in circles. It was distressing to see. These dogs are meant to be out and about and working all day.

marshallka

hethmar wrote: »

Some friends of ours took on a border collie rescue but he was seriously psychologically damaged, he would run round and round in circles. It was distressing to see. These dogs are meant to be out and about and working all day.

I understand what you are saying here but given the choice of being with me or going with "anyone" on a long walk he would still choose me. Even my OH cannot hold him when we take both dogs as he goes beserk if I am holding our lhasa. When we walk the hills he has to keep rounding us all up making sure he has not lost one. It has been hard work with him and we have had him over 8 years and I would advise against a border unless you are in for playing with a soggy tennis ball at 11pm etc. They never get tired and drop dead working. Mine is having to be kept in now from the strong daylight cause of the corneal ulcers. Looking at him now hes sleeping peacefully. :cool: (until I make a slight move and then hes by my side like a shot). Everywhere I go in our house he is right next to me. Sometimes can be a little annoying and I shout at him but then look at his little eyes and say no more.

We do have a large garden and he does we do open the door lots but yes, they need fields.

hethmar

Oh, there must be exceptions marshall, wasnt having a go at you. But when you see some unsuitable people out with this breed, your heart sinks because they need a very active lifestyle.

foreign_correspondent

My window cleaner, who is a single middle aged chap, has a lovely border collie, Tige (after an old Jin Reeves song apparently) - he is devoted to him, and takes him out three times a day, every day, rain or shine, for a minimum of an hour each time, (often much longer).

Their first walk is at about 6am, every day, winter and summer, and all their walks are mostly off lead through the fields... then when they get home, because the dog is still raring to go, he plays football with him on the back garden!! As a result, the dog is a happy and steady and a pleasure to be around.

However, a lady up the road has a young border collie, which is waked on decent weather days for about half an hour or so, all on-lead (understandable, as she has several children too, who she takes out at the same time) and the dog is hard work, scared of everything, barks, is hard to walk on the lead and anxious. It is no fun trying to manage a nervous dog and keep en eye on your little ones. Her owner finds walking her a chore as she is so hard work. I suspect sooner or later, they will feel she is too much work, and let her go.

I have no doubt that if the window cleaner and tha lady swapped dogs, the nervous dog would become much steadier, and Tige would be climbing the walls...

Collies can be super in the right homes, but not everyone has the time and energy to devote to the amount of exercise and stimulation they need, and an under exercised collie will be a problematic dog, in most cases.

Penny35_2

I have a lancashire heeler, he is great loves going for walks but does not care if he does not go out and is not at all yappy. He only ever barks for a reason, i.e someone at the door.

I can highly recommend a lancashire heeler.

I have inherited a yorkshire terrier and whilst I love him dearly he is so yappy he drives you up the wall and he does need his walks, he gets very frustated if he does not get 2 walks a day..