Border Collies owners/lovers

[Orkneys]

Tell me about your Borders or Welsh Collies please.
I've had a collie a while ago now and I've looked through posts about Collies and 90% of the time they are getting a rough deal. My collie was as good as gold so I thought perhaps it was a fluke but I've seen a couple of posters complimenting them so I'm looking for more of that.

All of the collies I know are mostly as good as gold.
All the ones I know are working line so they do have working instinct to varying degrees and the challenges that can come with that, but generally, they are sweet, lovely dogs and not at all like most people (almost always non collie owners!) would have you believe.

My aunt has a collie who is and always has been the sweetest, loveliest dog. In the house she's always been so calm and such a delight. She's had some issues when out, she was a rescue at under a year old but believe something happened that made her fearful of a few things. She improved so much with a lot of work. Temperament wise she is an absolute sweetheart.

Ours is fab. Rescue who was abandoned. Trained herself. So obedient and well behaved. Love her to bits. 💓💓💓

I've had a few over the years. One was a total sweetheart and a very good indoor family dog. Another was an indoor family dog but a bit trickier. Would only tolerate a couple of people and aggressive to anyone else and would bite but 100% reliable off the lead as he would never ever want to go up to other people or dogs. Had to be pts at 10 and shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. Another was an outside working dog who had the most loving and easy character. Another was a rescue that was damaged beyond all measure. She was divine in every way but couldn't cope with life and my god did we try. Will never, ever get over her. They are fabulous dogs but I wouldn't recommend them typically as a general family dog unless you really know what you're doing. They do indeed train themselves though! That's a great way of putting it!!

Mine is Brilliant, I don't think I could have any other breed now. He was super easy to house train, he was never bitey or mouthey as a puppy, he is very calm at home and very chilled. He gets on with all other dogs and people and he is fantastic with the children. He is best mates with the family cat. His recall is spot on, the dog walker always tells me he has the best recall out of the group. He is so intelligent and emotionally in tune. He gets a long walk in the morning which often includes playing fetch (his all time favourite game) and a shorter on lead walk at night. We do scentwork and training throughout the week too which he enjoys, and he is always tired afterwards! I look after a cocker spaniel for a friend once a week who is much harder work 😂 my dog is certainly not the kind of dog who would want to be running all day every day, the same can't be said for the spaniel.

Here he is

My absolutely beautiful girl died nearly two years ago and I miss her so much. She was the most gentle, loving and intelligent companion you could wish for. We got her as a young rescue and I could never figure out how anyone could abandon her, she was a stray.
She taught me to play games in the way she wanted them played and her total joy in running and lying in muddy puddles always brightened my day.

Here’s mine! 11 weeks old. Sadly she is definitely in the bitey stage. It’s too early to say how she’ll turn out, but I got her from a farm near my hometown, and her father was a working sheep dog (mother was a pet but from the same stock). I grew up in an area where lots of people had collies and we had a collie cross when I was little. She’s adapted to the cats very well and is learning about children.

We have a 7 year old collie who is also a joy to watch running through muddy puddles. He is gentle with the kids although not a cuddler (we have a cat for that). DD and I did agility with him in the past. We mainly like to walk with him now.

I meant to say that the collie cross I had as a kid was the gentlest, softest dog you would ever meet. He would wander off sometimes on expeditions of his own, and he was a master of selective deafness, but he was so gentle and loved children.

We got a rescue collie because we lived in the countryside by the beach, it was great. Then we moved to a city for work and he has had to cope with a whole new world and you know what... he has been great. You have to explain new things like trains are not the enemy and give him lots praise then he is fine and likes trains. I think the trick is to be a calm person and give them a job, even if it is coming to wake the children up in the morning, if it is their mission they feel happy because they can anticipate it and achieve it.

Here’s my boy. An absolute sweetheart who is extremely cuddly, friendly- never been bitey. He loves people and dogs. Great recall. I have pre-teens and he is brilliant with them. We very purposely got him from show line and not working line. Got list of breeders from BC society. Breeder very experienced and though we though we wanted a girl we ended up with a boy as she said - generally - males were calmer. We met both parents and granny - all wonderfully friendly.

I don’t think I could have any other breed now.

but he was so gentle and loved children
Ours loves children too.
Always loved getting involved with the kids, playing dress up with them, always wanted to sleep next to them as babies.
She lives with a cat and doesn’t chase cats outside unless they run right past her, she does very excited if she hears a cat in the garden though - because our own little cat is often picked on by neighbouring cats I have actively encouraged her over the years to chase any intruder cats out of the garden which she thoroughly enjoys
She’s not one for mud and muck either!
She hates water and won’t go for anything other than a tentative paddle around the edge to retrieve her ball!

My collies are amazing. One is incredibly damaged from an abusive past but is still the most gentle, loving dog in the world. The other needed a lot of confidence building but is also an absolute joy.
You can teach them anything, they have perfect recall and when they're not outside are usually to be found paws in the air on the sofa.

Definitely considers himself to be chief security guard and fences are no obstacle to exploration (6ft scaled no issue) but otherwise he's a lazy easy going creature. Ignores everyone in the park including dogs. Great around livestock and deer despite being a pet

Had two collies growing up both so soft and affectionate the second one was from a farm so clever but loved all the kids he died on my son's 2nd birthday ,my dm has now got a collie cross who is barmy she has so much energy and loves family but is wary round other people

We have 2. A 2 year old and a 6mth old. They are genuinely such loving dogs. Great with our children yet also fabulous watch dogs. Very protective. My husband has them as trained sheep dogs. They are excellent at rounding up sheep. They do love work and have endless energy. But they do spend a lot of time with my children so they have the best of both worlds.

I've got a mad one. Rescued at 2 years old. He's ten now. He's lead reactive. Afraid of other dogs. Constantly talks/roos/sings if you're talking. Is wary of people and I wouldn't trust him with a child. I took him to many classes (so well trained he is, to an inch of his life!) got a behaviourist in, did all the recommendations, he has jobs round the house, taught him hand signals, still barmy. So we work around him.

He's the dog of my heart though, he's my darling boy and I love him.

I have working collies and they are the best dogs ever. I will always have collies. Intelligent empathic dogs.

However I also rehab collies for a rescue and it must be made clear that they are not dogs for all families and situations.

At the moment I have 3 foster collies. One is here for nipping the children, he has not nipped or shown anything like this since being with us but it shows you how in the wrong situation collies can be extremely stressed.

One is a boundary chaser and if given the chance will tear up and down the fences barking all day long- again this is not happening here as they are fully stimulated but in the wrong environment they will go self employed.

The third one is noise phobic, she will bark and get stressed at any noise, birds, washing machine, bite her owner when the garmin went off etc.

My passion are collies and I feel that collie owners need to be their advocates. I do worry that by posting on here that collies are easy dogs it does give the impression they will fit into an situation. Some might but why have a collie unless you are going to use their skills.

Someone up thread said they need a job to do - this is so true a happy collie loves a job to do preferably with their human and to be allowed to do this regularly (not for hours, not over stimulate) and have a time to think they need this.

I think collie owners think what we do with our dogs is normal but for many dogs they are lucky to get a 20min walk around the block. A collie may accept this (more than likely will not )but it would not be a happy collie.

I do worry that by posting on here that collies are easy dogs it does give the impression they will fit into an situation

I agree the thread does give that impression, but then I suppose it depends on how ‘easy dog’ is defined.

I think that with adequate training most adult dogs of all breeds are relatively easy animals to live with.

All breeds have their problems.
I think that nervousness is definitely a problem within the breed and a strong, mismanaged herding instinct can definitely cause some serious issues, like stress around children and noises, as evidenced by your fosters, they aren’t a breed I would say is an ideal choice for a first time/amateur owner with rambunctious children/hectic family home, but I also think the overwhelmingly negative public perception of them is unfair.

I think that decent breeding, combined with adequate training and exercise does usually produce a relatively ‘easy’ adult border collie.
Certainly the ones I know, which are all of working breeding, have no real major issues and are very sweet dogs.

I think rescue can sometimes put breeds in an unnecessarily bad light as often, they are in rescue because the owner can’t cope so you see the worst in the breed.

I would consider a 20 minute daily walk cruel for anything other than an extremely elderly dog that couldn’t manage anything else and if that’s true, that most of the UK’s dogs are getting that, I think that is shocking.

There are days where I don’t walk mine and there are days where she might get 30 minutes but generally, she gets 2 - 3 hours a day, often full days from 8am ish to 7pm ish in summer.

I think that with adequate training most adult dogs of all breeds are relatively easy animals to live with. adequate training for some owners is impossible to achieve though believe me!

they are in rescue because the owner can’t cope exactly my point Collies are fab but they do have specific needs that not all owners can give to them.

generally, she gets 2 - 3 hours a day that for you and many dog owners is the normal but believe me for many dog owners that is a major shock and not what they expect. I think it is good to air this.

I agree the negative perception is not fair but wonder if it is too the collies advantage?

At least some people recognise their specific needs and it will put people off who are not prepared to change heir lifestyle or see if their lifestyle is correct for a collie.

When these 3 fosters move on I will have more, and more the stream of collies has not let up for over 10 years of me doing this.

I'm picking my pup up in 2 weeks, can't wait. My JRT will be thrilled!

I agree the negative perception is not fair but wonder if it is too the collies advantage?
Perhaps, I certainly think with extreme popularity comes very poor breeding choices and the accompanying poor temperaments and health, so in that respect, I think negative opinion is of benefit, if the public perception is negative they aren’t so popular as pets and continue to be bred predominantly as good solid working dogs.

And I suppose you are right too in that if everyone believes them to be a ‘difficult’ high energy breed it does largely filter out a large percentage of owners who are only willing to do a 20 minute daily trip and put no real time in

I have had 3 border collies
Our first one was a nightmare for the first 8 months as i don't think then we knew enough about the breed , we got another when he was 6 months as unhelpful people advised us that would help !!!
They hated each other for a week
Eventually they became best of pals and calmed down and were lovely dogs , great when our kids came along but still demanding a lot of time and it was hard to get balance right with 2 energetic dogs and a young family.
They lived to 14.5 and 15 and i swore we wouldn't get another but we did and another collie.
He is well behaved and quite chilled though we did a lot of training to get him there.
As a puppy we had car chasing etc all collie traits that we had to work on .
Personality wise he is great but he is wary of young children gets a little nervous of them and will go and take himself away when my nephews visit , he can tolerate them for a while but wouldn't cope living with young kids
Ours were 10 and 12 when we got him so he is used to noise and now grumpy teenagers just doesn't seem keen on 5-8 years old stage.
They are very intelligent dogs but i do think you need to be prepared for breed as they can have their issues but can also be very rewarding dogs if you can put the time and effort in