Collie owners, talk to me about your dog?

[Orcagirl]

I’m not a first time dog owner.

Thinking about a new pup, and looking at different breeds. I’ve always loved collies.

Thinking about possibly a show line collie- would be good to hear from other owners?

What they are like with children? How affectionate are they?

Before anyone asks, I’m looking for a responsible breeder that health tests, the dog won’t be left for longer than 2-3 hrs max a week, can commit to walking at least 1-2 hours a day too.

Also- I know they love a job, but do they have an off switch too?

Thankyou

I have two collies, farm rejects, both obviously strong working lines.
They've both needed a lot of confidence building as they had been very harshly treated and are very sensitive.They are the most gentle, loving and affectionate dogs. They need a good run, and one is ball obsessed and I have to limit this or he becomes a bit wired to the moon.
They are incredibly clever both in learning things we teach them but also at observing and manipulating humans .
They have an off switch as soon as they come in the house and will be found flat out on the sofa.

I think the problem is that there is a huge variation- from the neurotic to the laid back and much in between. So many end up in rescue not because there is anything wrong with them but because there is so much indiscriminate breeding and they are very undervalued.

I'm exactly one week into Collie ownership, our puppy came home last Saturday. Obviously I have nothing of value to add to the threat yet, but here's a photo.

I like @CollieDug post the best.

Mines a tri colour too.
The best ones 😉

I agree now frostedviolets! I very much wanted a black and white one but my son chose ours from the litter of five and I have to admit, I LOVE his tan eyebrows. So, now I agree of course, tri ones are best.

Some gratuitous collie photos for you

I was brought up with a collie. I loved him to bits.
I wouldn't consider getting one when my DC were young. Ours was great with family but so protective that I could only have one certain friend around to play as normal play with anyone else would set him off. Many hours off lead exercise per day plus huge amounts of mental stimulation to keep him happy. Very reactive to Male dogs. We took him at 12 weeks as his owner was going to " get rid" of him ( back in the '70's when unwanted litters were rife).

I have an 11 month show lines collie and she is the perfect pet, I have to say. Her temperament is lovely - sweet, calm, funny, friendly and clever. She’s energetic and loves to be doing whatever you are, but equally she has an off switch and happily settles (she’s fast asleep right now!) and in my experience is less intense than working line collies. Prior to this dog I previously had another show collie who was very similar in temperament but didn’t like other dogs.

I‘m heavily involved in the world of agility and have to disagree with the generalisation that it’s over stimulating for all collies. I’ve noticed that occasionally, a collie (generally strong working lines) may find the movement of other dogs and sounds such as going through the tunnel over stimulating, but that’s more of a case that agility isn’t suitable for that dog, rather than the breed as a whole. My collies, and other breeds, absolutely adore agility and are calm and focused during training and competitions (obviously this collie is only just starting her agility journey!). They’ve been socialised and trained in that environment from a young age so are used to the movement and sound. It also depends how you train them and the methods you use - an out of control dog that is overstimulated isn’t going to do well on a complicated agility course as it’s vital they listen and follow instructions. I think with collies they do thrive from having something to do and work their brains, and it can be about exploring different activities to find something that you and your dog enjoy.

I think it’s all about balance - some get a collie and feel they need to walk it hours a day which in my experience can simply increase their need for physical exercise and mean they struggle to self settle. My collie enjoys her walks, but isn’t walked much more than any other breed. She benefits from high energy activities such as a run on the beach or agility training, but also calmer activities, such as scentwork and obedience training. She is often more tired out from learning tricks with the clicker than a walk. As a pup, she found it very difficult to settle, and would often become increasingly hyperactive until essentially forced to nap, so I’d agree that down time is very important for collies and they need to learn to have an off switch.

I agree that some collies can be highly strung and can struggle with day to day pet life, but I think a show collie can be a great compromise if you want a pet that you can maybe do that bit more with. I absolutely love training my dogs and they love it too, it’s a fantastic hobby that I’ve met many friends through.

Here’s my collie dog!

We have a bearded collie, he's 3 now. Got him from a farmer in Wales as a pup, parents were both working beardies.
Pros
Incredibly friendly with everyone
Very smart and silly at the same time
Loves cuddles
Energetic

Cons
Grooming can be very difficult. We normally take him monthly which costs around £70.
Hairs everywhere in the house. No good if you're very house proud.
Loves to bark - a lot.
Greedy dog.
Correcting people constantly who think he's an old English sheepdog.

Fabulous dog, I'm trying to convince DH to get a playmate beardie for ddog 😂

Here's our beardie 😍❤️

@AtopAHighHill
Your beardie is beautiful!

Here’s our girl, the one thing I would say about her is she can be quite talkative, especially at the TV!

Love all the collies: borders and bearded alike

Just awesome dogs. If you get one OP, collie pup photos essential!

She's very friendly, sweet natured, submissive, easy to train but needs a lot of attention especially at the moment with us having been at home all the time

I'm an experienced dog owner but found our Bearded Collie a bit of a challenge! Just different way of thinking to other dogs I'd been familiar with. His parents were two pet dogs who had done the deed the day before the dad had his bollocks removed
So he came from a family home where they had fussed over him and bathed him and I can't fault his nature.
He was 9 months old when our surprise baby came along.
He is brilliant with other dogs, has adapted so well to the baby and is now very tolerant with him as a toddler, he is incredibly sweet and submissive and very friendly.
He has one big walk a day, usually with another dog so has a good run and then is happy to laze around the rest of the day and takes himself to bed but also happy to do more including endless game of fetch.
We live rurally and he's never chased sheep but we've been very careful.
He has no sense of personal space and leans against us/asks for attention/would sit on your lap if he could.
He truly loves people/other dogs/the world but he is such an independent thinker. He knows all the commands but very much decides whether to obey so he is not 100% trustworthy. His incredibly kind nature makes this less of a problem but he just does not have the devotion and interest in food and willingness to please (if he doesn't see the point) that other dogs do.
We keep his hair clipped pretty short and that makes life a lot easier.
So he's lovely and not an intense 'I must have a job I must be exercising' kind of dog, but he's no soppy Labrador either.
I'd recommend his nature, honestly I can't fault it he is so tolerant and sweet but I've personally found his trainability and independence a challenge. We didn't always get on when he was a teenager and I was wrestling him and a baby but he's gone 2 now and chilling out (slightly).
He's very different to border collies that I know though but I'd choose bearded over border every time.

@AtopAHighHill

Oh hello beardie! Very similar to ours but much better groomed

Obligatory beardie pup photo. He's pale grey now.

Ah I've got 2 bearded collies. Absolutely adore them. My family have had them my whole life so I'm used to the hair

Border collies! Absolutely the best dogs - ever! 🥰 Provided you have time and patience. They are easily trained and extremely intilligent - more intelligent than you OP 😁 You always have to be one step ahead.

They need plenty of excercise, every day, and won’t leave your side (unless sleeping).

However, if you want a cute puppy, to then leave it to its own devices whilst you work a collie is not for you.

Sadly these two are no longer with us and we have a daft mutt now. I would have another collie in a heartbeat! I have all the time in the world ❤️

My little girl as we are doing photos ❤️

So many lovely collies. They really are pretty dogs. Ours turns into a pretzel when she is sleeping.

@frostedviolets
They need calm activities that work their brain.
Please could you suggest some calm activities. I would be really interested.

I had a fantastic rescue highland collie @fassnk she'd had several owners when I got her and a reputation for aggression towards other dogs. With people she was my heart dog and would comfort anyone upset and could be trusted with even little kids.
She qualified as a PAT dog and was superb.
Other dogs-due to her sad upbringing she hadn't been socialised and would scruff and scuffle with nearly every other dog she met. Sometimes drawing blood. I worked with her with behaviourist and she learned to accept most dogs but remained uncertain.
Most dogs here are collies (semi-rural scotland) and they seem to be either people-friendly or dog-friendly but rarely both.
They can be very neurotic and destructive dogs if not physically and mentally excercised. But a happy collie is a tired collie!
I would really recommend looking at adopting a rescue collie-some are show types, some are working types. Either way they're the funniest, kindest, most intelligent dogs I've ever met. A rescue is just a dog that needs a second chance.
You need to be a step ahead of a collie at all times, but thats the fun of these dogs!

Here’s mine 😁 when he was a cute pup, he’s now a cute 18 month old. He’s great with the children, we have three kids aged 6-9 who are typically noisy and he doesn’t bat an eyelid. He loves walks and runs but equally will chill out or is happy to potter around the garden. We have separated him from our hens as I wouldn’t necessarily trust him not to chase them. He loves a ball of course.

He also takes himself off to bed, the kids will lie on the floor with him but generally around the house he’ll check you’re there and then chill out in another room. The only downside is that he’s sometimes a bit unsure of some men e.g if a stranger says hello to him in the street. It’s only a couple of them he’s not too keen on and I’m not too sure why as I found no common trait and he was really well socialised. His recall is fantastic and he gets on really well with other dogs. I’d highly recommend a collie (I also have a golden retriever pup and they adore each other.)

Here he is this time!