Thinking of getting a collie

[Whaet]

I've tried rescue centres to adopt a rescue but as we don't have 6 foot high fencing, none of them will allow us a dog. :(

So now looking at puppies. I love collies, and was wondering what advice anyone has on the breed and what makes them happy and content?

I have 2 acres of land so plenty of space, and lots of woodland walks on my doorstep. I run and walk a lot. But when I'm not outside, I'm glued to the sofa relaxing or at my desk writing!

I'm drawn to collies because they seem very intelligent and I'd love to teach tricks/agility, they seem calm indoors, good recall, good around livestock (lots of horses, cows and sheep here).

Appreciate any advice! I grew up with greyhounds, amazing dogs but they're basically large cats! And a greyhound wouldn't be suitable with their high prey drive.

A friend us six borders. Mostly rescues. And from Ireland. Awesome dogs. I love them very much

Sounds like my dream dog!

Blimey where did you get your collies from - sleep all the time? My 12 year old collie has not been told this and the 7 year old collie is just getting to peak fitness.

If you want a dog that's easy to train, you want a dog that's biddable, not intelligent.

A biddable dog will quickly learn what you want and do it.
An intelligent dog will also quickly learn what you want - and then immediately figure out a way to do what they want instead 😉

I'm a dog walker and I have several collies on my books - they are not dogs for novice owners. They are extremely energetic and need lots of exercise, but they also need a job or they can quickly become neurotic and develop unwanted and potentially dangerous obsessions (light chasing, balls, inappropriate herding, chasing cars etc).

They're also not brilliant with other dogs in adulthood and their style of "play" and interaction can be quite off-putting to other dogs, especially if they try and herd them.

They're a wonderful breed and I love working with them but I don't think I'd have the energy or patience to ever own one myself

Im from farming stock and would say they are a lifestyle not a pet…
Amazing dogs in the right hands but nervous, reactive wrecks in the wrong hands. And yes they NEED a job.

@ToastAndBeans please tell me more about your bearded collie! (& pic too please)

@thelobsterquadrille
Thanks so much! I'd definitely class myself as a novice owner, so perhaps a collie wouldn't be the right fit.

Any recommendations for another (biddable!) breed?

Like @ToastAndBeans I also suggest looking into a bearded collie. They are clever and sociable but without the intensity of a border. In my experience anyway! I agree with a PP re training - borders can be as quick to learn what you don’t want as what you do want!

They have real personalities and are incredible companions, but they are not dogs that love everyone and every dog that they meet. Our BC adores her people; us, grandparents and her dog walkers. She has a few dog friends that she loves. Other people she either ignores or can bark at if she feels frightened. She will happily play alongside other dogs and ignore them, but HATES it when they bound up to her and get in her face. She goes all bristly and tells them in no uncertain terms to bugger off. I get very annoyed with the ‘oh don’t worry she’s friendly’ bollocks that people shout across the park when their dog has zero recall. At home her main entertainment and job is watching and protecting our chickens, she lies on her bed and will happily watch them for hours out the back door. In the mornings she wakes us up to get them out of their coop at in the evenings she won’t settle until they’ve gone to bed and we’ve shut them away 🤣

Here she is!

@Lastqueenofscotland2 agree so much about needing a job, it is sad to see a bored, unfulfilled collie.

I also agree that they are not a novice dog.

Hi!

My friend has a collie, she’s lovely BUT intense! She can be neurotic, she guards ‘stuff’ (sticks, and any body of water deemed to be hers!), she also herds if given opportunity! She is very smart though.

We have a Shih Tzu cross…. She is part collie! She has the collie brains (and love of balls/anything she can chase!). However she also has the Shih Tzu stubborn trait….. From this mix, and by knowing my friends collie, I’ve concluded that the ‘obedience’ of a collie is the best bit (clever and obedient!), a clever stubborn dog is hard work! A clever dog could easily train you!

I have a collie and I love her to bits but she isn’t exactly an easy dog in a lot of ways. When she was younger she needed to keep very busy or would be prone to obsessive behaviour (digging up shadows in the floor or running up and down the hall incessantly). We used to do a bit of obedience work and agility which she absolutely loved and it tired her out much more than walks. She’s 6 now and a much calmer dog and is happy to sleep a big chunk of the day. We run together a lot which seems to make her happy!

She has some fairly typical collie issues like slightly nervous disposition and not great with strangers although I know plenty of collies that aren’t like this. She had a bad experience when she was young and had never quite got over it (she has an extremely good memory, another collie trait, and never seems to forgets anything or anyone). She also is easily overstimulated by the kids running around and tends to be very vocal in her excitement, so she still often needs to be sent for a nap to calm down!

She conditions herself to things very easily, sometimes it’s good, like when you are teaching her new behaviours. However she also teaches herself other things, for example she automatically jumps in an open boot whenever she sees one, which has led to a couple of embarrassing moments. She has also learned to sneak behind the tennis court and steal lost balls when we are out walking nearby, I have no idea how she discovered this free source of tennis balls as I’ve never taken her there!

I’d recommend a gsd 😊 although they also need to be stimulated, carefully socialised and are very time consuming but not quite as much as a collie. Also fiercely loyal, keen to learn and love their family

Springers. I’ve got two ftch and while they are just as high energy as a collie they are a wee bit more biddable and a bit less intense. Working stock easier trained. Happy to obkidge if you fancy taking in the glenlyon four and need a companion but just as happy to smash it round the horsefield for an hour.

I would recommend poodles - they are highly intelligent and eager to please. As with collies they are also velcro and stick around you on walks - recall no problem.

I have two miniature poodles. Poodles come in two other sizes too.

Very excited about a collie thread.
My collie is now 3 years old and Ive had him since he was 10 weeks old.
People say collies are quite hard work but i cant disagree more. I live alone, and training him was just so simple. He was house trained after having him for 2 weeks. Very affectionate dog, full of beans, but also very calm and could easily spend the day cuddled up on the sofa with me. They are very smart dogs...I spent two weeks kicking myself wondering how I kept leaving my back door wide open throughout the night, eventually snuck downstairs late at night to see my collie had taught himself to open the back door with the key and kept letting himself out whenever he needed the toilet!

Will add that collies definitely have a nervous energy at times. Any loud noises he jumps straight into my lap, and can get overwhelmed by very excitable dogs or people.

@Loki64 gorgeous dog!!

@Skyellaskerry thanks so much! And doesnt he know it 😂

I had an Australian Kelpie, he was an absolutely ace dog. Beautiful, very smart, very active outside, loyal, a bit aloof/indifferent with others but at home just wanted to be near us. Loved him so much and would highly recommend, as long as he was going to get lots of exercise. Not neurotic at all, unlike quite a few collies I've known.

my collie had taught himself to open the back door with the key and kept letting himself out whenever he needed the toilet!

Wow... how did he turn the key, with his mouth?

Just don't. I have had several. They have all been very highly strung and hard work

Sorry!

We had a rough collie. He was the most gentle chilled dog I have ever met. Loved being outside but also very happy to just snooze when we weren’t out. So good with children. We lost him about a month ago now and it’s really hard not having him with us anymore.

OP: you want a Labrador. Or a golden retriever. You honestly do. They tick all your boxes without the neurotic antisocial tendencies of collies.