Anyone with a border collie would you mind answering a question for me?

[Turquoisesol]

So our collie is now a year old and what we tend to do is walks without a ball. I like this cos she sniffs and chills when it is just us alone in the forest she just potters along happily. I do play at throwing ball in the garden but not particularly far - we haven’t got a big garden really it’s just to teach her how “fetch” works and to teach drop etc.
we have never used ball on walks as I feel once we start she will expect it all the time. We did on a beach holiday throw a ball for her and she became obsessed quite quickly. But she was a lot younger at the time. I have noticed a few other collie owners out and about who seem to be forever throwing balls and I wondered if I am missing a trick here. She likes to say hello to other dogs which is ok but sometimes I would prefer she ignored them a bit more. She is quite timid and likes to say hello but also kind of doesn’t and tiptoes over ever to nervous to say hello. And I think maybe if she had something else to concentrate on it would make this all a bit easier.

What are collie owners thoughts? Balls on walks, yay or nay? Also any other breeds can answer too, but I just ask collie cos they have such a tendency to become obsessed quickly

I don't own collies but I walk several of them - if I don't take a ball, they will generally obsess over a stick or branch or bit of wood instead They become obsessed very easily but as you say, it can be really good as it helps distract them very easily too.

If you do start taking a ball, don't get into the habit of just throwing it constantly as it's bad for their joints - try getting the dog to wait and then hide it in some grass, behind a tree etc. instead.

I am a collie owner. I do not throw balls for collies as yes they can and do get obessed. Also running and chasing a ball increases a dog adrenalin and they can get pretty over aroused and manic.

I do use balls for them to scent. So will hide balls out of sight and let them scent for them which they love and it tires them out and relaxes them.

We also play a sheep ball game which is having the dog at 12.00 to me, and me at 6.00 with the ball in the middle and the ball is gently kicked to them and they stop the ball. If I step to the left the dog will move to be opposite me and then the ball is kicked to them to stop. Allows them to get a bit of herding fun without getting over threshold

Ddog is ball obsessed and ignores other dogs. I swear he's autistic

Thanks I might try the scent game. I do some scent training in the garden already. I have resorted to ball throwing more recently as I have had covid and struggling to exercise her in the garden. I know what you mean about them getting hyped. Often after I have done fetch for a while once we stop she gets all excited trying the chase birds in the sky 🙄 prob not too good for her.

I do tend to throw ball towards her for her to stop though rather than throwing away for her to chase.
As I did read collies find chasing stressful.

I have a terrier with ball brain. I also threw it too much when she was younger. She's also worn her teeth down chewing it. I would do things differently now, knowing what I know now. Collies we meet never really mix, I always think of them as people dogs.

I fostered a collie who arrived with balls and a note on his file saying they were his favourite toy. I hid them all after a week.

He was not having fun playing with a ball, he was obsessive, stressed and over aroused with a ball.

Did you manage to destress him without the balls tabulahrasa? Did it take long?

I ask cos if we go away on holiday I think my parents would be likely to throw ball for her a fair bit and I would need to wean her back off it !

@Turquoisesol

Did you manage to destress him without the balls tabulahrasa? Did it take long?

Well he was a very stressy and anxious dog in general, but as soon as he didn’t know where the balls were he started to do more general dog things...

I’m afraid I do take and throw a ball for her and, yes, she is obsessed!! I would like to wean her off it, or not do it every time, but we have had issues with her running after joggers/cyclists and at least this way she does it less as she’s bringing the ball back to me (mostly, it doesn’t work every time, for instance today she got the ball then chased a poor cyclist!! 😬 arghh, she’s back on the long line again now) She’s just turned one too.

I have two collies,both come from farm and are not Kennel Club Collies.the Kennel Club is trying to breed a "different kind" of collie to the typicsl working collie.My collies need the brain stimulation and on my first early morning walk I go to a big field and we "work" with the ball.they absolutely love it.If I would ask them,it would be their most preferred outing.On my second walk it is much more walking/sniffing and only little ball game.I think a collie needs brain work every day and they are happy,calm,settled dogs at home.You need clear boundaries when the ball game is finished(like the get when they are working sheep,they have to learn to stop).This has to be a clear command and they will stop hassling.Most people dont do this and you will have a persistent pestering,hyper collie.

I have a spaniel and he’s not into balls but can become DESPERATE for me to thrown stones for him on the beach after my friend did it once. It’s a disaster - he goes absolutely crazy eyed manic - so I never do it now. It means he has less exciting walks but honestly it actually became distressing watching how crazy he went and I don’t think he actually enjoys it he just gets so fixated….

For the last couple of days I’ve seen a collie on the beach and his person and it was amazing - I think they must have been doing the scent ball thing - it was definitely something the owner had to really focus on but the collie was clearly really thriving on it but not going crazy.

I know the feeling with the bikes mediumred. We tend to walk quieter areas in forest, tracks which aren’t very suitable for bikes. I do need to be on the case and get her to sit at the side if I see a bike coming. I wonder though if throwing the ball could make them more inclined to chase a bike? Because they are already in chase mode perhaps?

Hmm, @turquoisesol, I wonder. I think with our cheeky girl she just wasn’t that focused on us, and the ball seems to help with that, but who knows?? Feeling slightly like I’m failing at collie owning at the mo. Will try to follow Polly’s advice a bit with the scent work and sheep ball.

Well like I say the ball throwing must work for a lot of collies. I met a really lovely one just the other day and the owner was saying she just focuses on ball/stick throughout the walk. She seemed quite a chilled dog though so maybe it all settles a bit as they get older.

If a collie brain is not stimulated enough,the collie will look for stimulation eg.chasing joggers,bikes,cars,anything that moves.you need to nip this behaviour in the bud right from the beginning.Collies love to learn( and are therefore much easier than other breeds) but you need to put work into that training.whenever you see a hyper,obsessed collie that doesnt listen to commands,it is always the owners mistake and never the collies.Collies need a lot of your time on walks.it is much better to do 20 minutes of ballwork in the park and you are fully focused on your collie,then one hour of walk where you have zero interaction with your collie.Once a collie knows a command,it will stick in its brain and the same happens when neurotic patterns are formed in its brain.it is hard to correct.Collies are often described as being a bit autistic:high ability to concentrate on a task(far above any other breed) and not that interested in other dogs.

We’ve got a collie and we mix it up. She goes to a daycare who do agility and games twice a week which is the best thing ever for her brain. She adores it and has such a wonderful time. She also gets walked by a dog Walker who specialises in collies and goes to another doggy daycare as well, depending on our work patterns. At the weekends then generally DH or I will take her for a ball throwing session at the park in the morning for her to run about and burn off some energy and then put the ball away and go for a sniffy/muddy/exploring walk in the afternoon. She is not remotely interested in other dogs unless she knows them, and will never approach a dog she doesn’t know. Her recall is excellent (she’s 9 months old and I know this could all change!) and if there’s no ball she is completely focussed on us. She loves playing hide and seek with DS, in the sand dunes or in the woods. At home she’s normally pretty chilled tbh, after she was spayed she had two weeks of no daycare and limited walks. She was a nightmare, barking at every noise outside, prowling and pacing. She’s been back a week and her behaviour has completely changed back to normal. Collies really do require a different mindset to lots of other dogs I think. However in my opinion she’s worth all the effort and thought, she’s such a joy.

@Turquoisesol

Well like I say the ball throwing must work for a lot of collies. I met a really lovely one just the other day and the owner was saying she just focuses on ball/stick throughout the walk. She seemed quite a chilled dog though so maybe it all settles a bit as they get older.

They can focus on a ball or stick without you throwing it for them constantly, though.

The collies I walk LOVE balls but they are equally happy swimming to get them in the lake as they are chasing it or finding it in long grass. When I do throw it, I keep it low and make sure they've warmed up for a good five minutes or so first.

The thing with ball-throwing is a) they end up obsessed b) it really builds up adrenaline and doesn't necessarily tire them out or calm them down and c) it's bad for their joints to constantly be stopping, starting, leaping, swerving etc.

I have a collie. Ball obsessed. I use them if I am trying to tire quickly but for most walks I don’t use them and we can’t leave them lying around the house. It isn’t healthy, the level of obsession that is. I think she’d stop at nothing to get to her ball.

I rarely took a ball on walks with my border collie. Not for any deep reason, it simply wasn't something I thought about. I guess I viewed walking and playing with a ball as separate activities.

But he absolutely loved playing fetch. I wouldn't say he was obsessed, he simply adored playing with a ball of any size. It would have been cruel to deny him the obvious joy he experienced. Of course, I can understand wanting to avoid obsessions, but for my dog playing with a ball was pure pleasure and not remotely unhealthy. He lived a very happy and healthy life for almost 15 years.

@Whattodo121.totally agree with you,Collies need a different mindset to other breeds.

Omg whattodo121 you sounds like you have everything totally sorted. Your day are set up sounds great. I am jealous

Aw thanks! It’s costing a bloody fortune though 🤣 probably about £300/400 a month. It’s worth it though because she’s so responsive and engaged with it all. Im a teacher so in the holidays she’s with me pretty much all the time and that’s harder as it’s like having another child to look after 🤣 she’s getting better at being left for a couple of hours at a time though, and she still goes to her fancy agility nursery in the holidays. Dh is better at walks than me, he’s more imaginative and loves his ordinance survey maps and finds exciting routes to explore. With me there are about 5 set routes we do (all involving a cafe at the end of it!)

Collie owner here. No to balls 99% if the time and definitely never on a walk.

Never heard of agility daycare before. Don’t think we have any local to us.