Border-Collie

getthemax

I forgot to mention that there's a very good article in the September issue of Your Dog magazine about the work of the Border Collie trust which is quite informative.

mishkanorman

im the same position as you OP, im so in love with the bread having known a few BUT ive never had a dog, i have 2 children aged 5 and 6, 4 cats (2 super cool who would love a new plaything and 2 uber grumps who would sulk for months) and I am in several minds about it. I think if i were to go for it it would be a cross bread of some sort.

Have a look at this centre, they have tons of BC's coming and going but sadly we live too far from them to be considered,

good luck with what ever you decide !

SarahLou

Good on you for considering a rescue dog - theres lots of them about, sadly.

I agree with the person who said BC's don't always come with the sterotypical traits - each dog is an individual. We have a BC and a cocker spaniel - both from working stock, both kept as pets. Out of the two, the BC is the chilled one, shes so relaxed its unreal (and we don't work either of them, they're just pets, simple as that). The cocker is the highly strung one!!

If you were looking at rescue BC's, just be careful to choose the right one for that very reason - some will be very highly strung, others less so. Don't just go for the first one that pulls on your heart strings.

LilacLouisa

I can only add to what others on here have posted. I have only ever had collie x dogs, i.e mongrel crossed with lassie collie, springer spaniel crossed with black and white sheepdog, and now what seems to be staffy crossed with black and white sheepdog. All lovely to look at, highly intelligent and very affectionate and loyal.

They do need things to keep them occupied though, even if it is only one of those things where you put biscuits in and they have to figure out how to get the biscuits out. They do need a good amount of exercise too, although now my 14 year old boy is arthritic and is only supposed to have a 15 minute walk twice daily. He still has a very active mind though.

Proc

I recently did a 30 mile run as part of a charity fund-raising event. I took my Springer Spaniel with me. By the end, he was absolutely fu*ked. I mean like panting loads, drinking loads, and fast asleep in the car 10 minutes later. Didn't even wake up when we got out the car at home and I had to carry him in because he made it perfectly clear that he couldn't bother to move. He's a mega-fit dog, requires a lot of mine and my partner's time every single day. But this just about beat him.

However, there was another gentleman there who took his Border Collie with him. By the end, his dog looked as fresh as it did at the start. I think it went and took a couple of sips of water, then was just walking around all the people looking for attention. Absolutely unbelievable.

Do not underestimate the requirements of a Border Collie.

Jessw0

Leaving a dog at home for a few hours, a few days a week will not turn it into a psycho. If you're prepared to put time and effort in when you are at home then you'll be fine. You'll learn not to talk about it on this forum as the general rule is that you can only have a dog if you work from home all the time ;-)

bethie

i echo the comments about the self employed border collie...


my collie cross last night took it upon her self to supervise the two cats while i was trying to clean the house. and, last night, she also took it upon her self to make sure the cats and I were still alive by waking us up throughout the night for a checkup!

unfortunately, none of us were too appreciative of her effort..... especially the cats!

Now i remember why she usually gets an hour + walk every night.....
: D

However, she is a lot calmer than she used to be, and at 3, can almost be civil sometimes!

hethmar

Im with the rest vicar, sorry - but the scenario you give would probably lead to a very unhappy collie You always know what kennels a border collie is in at rescues, they are the ones circling round and round or throwing themselves round the walls. Very sad. Intelligent dogs who need working.

Wiccaweys could give you the real low down on collies.

http://www.wiccaweys.co.uk/

foreign_correspondent

Jessw0 wrote: »

Leaving a dog at home for a few hours, a few days a week will not turn it into a psycho. If you're prepared to put time and effort in when you are at home then you'll be fine. You'll learn not to talk about it on this forum as the general rule is that you can only have a dog if you work from home all the time ;-)

ah no, not at all.... but you do need to do your research and get the right dog for your lifestyle - as I and others have said, the time alone isn't necesarily the problem - but a dog like a collie is a huge commitment in terms of daily exercise and stimulation.

There are other breeds which are far lower maintainance, but it does the OP no favours to ignore the point that this is an active, working breed, and that people often find them quite hard to manage as a result.

Really, its about finding the dog that suits your lifestyle and energy levels - if the OP is an outdoorsy, energetic type, and enjoys twice daily long walks, dog training etc and is prepared to put a lot of hours in for the next 10-15 years then a collie may be fine. However, if (like many of us!) they find they are often tired after a day at work and meeting the demands of a family, and would realistically manage better with a dog that will be happy with a couple of 20 minute walks a day, a collie may well not be the right dog.

elfen

Used to have a collie x sheltie, and she could be highly strung. She also used to have mad five minutes where she'd run round the house panting all over the furniture, then lay down again. She used to get walked everyday and 2-3 hour walks on Sunday, until she got too old to manage it. She HATED loud noises, but there was a funny moment when one of the kids next door opened the bolt on the gate, she got out and chased them (thinking it was a game, tail wagging all the way) and ending up with one of them stood at the top of a slide whilst she ran round it, barking, tail going and trying to get up to him (definite instinct there for herding) But then again, most of the time she was loving and affectionate, just slightly mad. I think all BC's have the mad gene but no idea how it comes out in all of them