I am a collie owner and I am jealous of other different breed owning friends

[Owllady]

That is it
Mine is gorgeous but very excitable, cleverer and stubborn and I'm fed up of people's well meaning advice
Maybe you can't live in the home counties with a rescue dog

She's three :o
She's been delightful today but has been giving me dirty looks because she's taught herself how to read and already knows how to use the computer

Thanks all :) I've got over myself :o

I have a basset.

Now THAT is stubborn. And stinky.

Ooh I've promised my self a pair of bassets for when I'm retired cos they don't need 2 hours of exercise a day. And when I'm old im going to be stubborn too! Their names will be boris and Doris.
And what is it with dads and collies? Mine was kidnapped earlier this year, I got him back after about 3 weeks but only because parents were going on a cruise!

I have a collie too. She's 1. She is far too bloody clever and never lets us outwit her. She is racist against lorries, motorbikes and tractors. She thinks anything with small wheels is in need of herding and she adores her agility class.

I love her to bits but bugger, she's hard bloody work.

I'm glad you are feeling better. Collies are the best. This is a true fact. Other dogs are also fab. Cept mine. Who, as I type, is startling some poor passerby. She has recently appointed herself as boss of the garden. She is an ongoing project and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Owlady I have a beautiful Beardie Collie. He is a rescue and at the start it was very hard. We never went to classes but have made incredible strides with him.

A few of the simple things we did (i) throw a tennis ball a bit if you can before you go out for a walk. Just enough to dampen the excitability. If you can throw it down a hill so he has to run up the hill as this tires them out quicker.
(ii) lots of brushing really helps with bonding and one on one time.
(iii) tiny bits of cheese - it's amazing what he will do for cheese.
(iv) when someone makes a comment put on a really sad face and say " he was a rescue, it's very sad what people will do to a dog!" works a treat every time and sadly it's not even a lie.
(v) find a sympathetic vet and groomer.

We still have issues with social anxiety but we don't look at what we haven't achieved just at the loads we have.

Rescues are generally a project. They may never get to the stage the cute Bischon down the road does but you will have made a major difference in your dogs life.
Almost three years on and mine still hides from the brush everytime I go to brush the floor. It still makes me so sad!

I have a Bernese and people always ask me what kind of dog I have. It does wear a bit thin after a while I will admit.

She's soppy and disinterested in passers by off lead but gets all defensive when on it. People who tell me to put her on the lead so they can walk past even though I've got her to stop and lie down are my biggest public advice annoyances.

A lady on our street has 2 collies and they are both lovely but mad for anything that resembles a toy. One is 2 and just beginning to calm down but the other is 8 months and is a lunatic.

We go walking together sometimes as their dog runs after a ball and mine will chase after the dog. They do a fab job of tiring her out.

"I'm sure some of these little dogs are actually wigs, not dogs at all "

This made me laugh - my neighbour has one like that. I'm not sure what kind of dog it actually is, but it looks like Andy Warhol's hair.

we had rotties before, people would cross into the path of traffic to avoid us But they were both such lovely, lazy, friendly dogs. Walking them was relaxing and we could let them off the lead where appropriate with no worries. The second, rescue one had issues when we got him but he soon settled down.

We now have jack russels - bastards, bastards i tell you! DP says he would never get another one but i love them like children.

I have a collie, she is 9. Luckily she is very well trained I haven't bothered as much with my other dogs! because she does not like other dogs at all. However she always comes back and I can put her on the lead. However it does mean I always have to be on high alert. She is hard work but is always so enthusiastic about everything I've asked her to do.
I also have a springer. He pulls like a train on his lead as I've put no effort into teaching him not too but he is the easiest dog ever. He shows no interest in other dogs or people (unless they throw his ball) even if he is attacked he doesn't retalite yet he hasn't received anywhere her as much training as my collie.
I think some of it is just luck and a lot of the dogs you see just walking to heel and behaving perfectly are not necessarily highly trained, they are just like that. Althouh some of them are highly trained
im not explaining it very well, Some people always need to make comments and if you are already a bit sensitive about your dog, as I am, I think it just gets your back up straight away

:o at Staffordshire bull terrorists

We have a collie x rescue. In fact Owllady you were on my "shall we get a collie" thread I posted when we got her. It was about a year ago. I remember you posted a photo of your collie, she is beautiful. Sorry to hear that you are having a tough time at the moment.

Our collie x is sweet and lovely with the children. She is still very submissive, even a year on, and is nervous of men (including poor DH). She is very obedient unless she sees a cat or a squirrel and then she usually embarrasses me. She is also rubbish at walking on the lead as she circles round me and it is very annoying. Poor thing doesn't know how to play and will run after a ball barking but doesn't pick it up or bring it back. In fact as soon as she sees a ball she gets barky and overexcited, we have to bring her in if the DC want to play with a ball or any other object you throw.

She sheds everywhere and makes me feel guilty whenever I don't manage to get her out enough plus I have to come home from work every lunch time to walk her. Love her though and wouldn't be without her. I hate to think what happened to her before she came to us - she has obviously been badly treated. I'm glad we get to give her a second chance. They are often needy and hard work dogs though.