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.

I've had many collies. and collie crosses and love the breed. They are very intelligent energetic dogs bred to work. As an unemployed pet, you will need to give them a lot of excercise, activity, human interaction. If you don't keep a collie busy and occupied, a bored frustrated one will make its own entertainment/mischief (mostly,inventing new ways to outwit and defy humans) and may develop some very neurotic behaviours.

You have the wrong end of the stick about "good with livestock". Collies are a herding breed, it's hard wired into their brains to run after animals and control them. . So for their safety and survival, if they aren't working they will have to be strictly trained to ignore livestock (especially sheep). They will only be "good" around livestock , if you teach them to be. They will only be good at recall, if trained. Expect to spend a lot of time on basic training , and a lifetime refining and maintaining it.

IME, unless you run marathons the only way to give a collie the amount of hard excercise it needs, is offlead. That means A) it has to be properly obedience trained and socialised and B) you need miles of safe location to let it run within sight and earshot of you.

An obedient happy collie is a wonderful companion; but it's a lifetime commitment of time. attention and energy by the owner.

Working breeds need proper jobs. Maybe look at some kind of lurcher? My mother has 2 - that lived happily and respectfully alongside 2 cats, so prey drive wasn't an issue. They love a good run a couple of times a day but also love a good sofa too.

My bearded Collie would be just what you're looking for. He's lazy around the house, but really enjoys his walks. Great around livestock. Soppy as anything and so patient with the kids. Loves playing with other dogs. Can be happily left alone but likes to be with you when you're there. Not nervous at all, just big and hairy and friendly and sweet. Truly lovely dog. Russia could harness his farts as a weapon of war but I don't think that's breed specific.

My fluff monster

Colies have acute hearing, so a busy, noisy environment is not good for them. They often struggle in built up places.
Also, they thrive on routine and ‘sameness’ so not a dog you can take on holiday/to lots of new places with new people……..
If you live in a quiet area and don’t plan to change your routine around a lot, they could be a good pet. They need a job though.

Such great info, really glad I asked! And loving the pictures.

Lots to digest and think about :)

Just what I was thinking, I love Beardies, we had one many years ago, he was wonderful. Rarely see one these days.

I would love a collie,

but as we can realistically only walk/trainour dogs 2x1hr a day it did not seem an option

they are a working breed and need more than 2hrs input (walking/training/play)

we got lurchers instead, as after walk/training they sleep (bit like your grey)

do what you like, but I think collies need a lot of input

@MytummydontjigglejiggleItfolds Lovely beardie!

@Roselilly36 I was sad to read somewhere that beardie numbers have declined. Such a lovely breed. Coats need control but I’d take that any day over the shedding of a golden retriever!

@Whattodo121 your collie sounds very special and is very cute! I also found my border hated other dogs trying to say hello, interfered too much with his frisbee and tennis ball ‘work’!

We always had border collies growing up. I have one of my own now, she’s extremely intelligent and easy to train. She doesn’t bother livestock. Utterly devoted to her family and loves to be outdoors whatever the weather. Downsides would be she’s very sensitive, especially to things like noise so probably not best suited to noisy family households.

I’ve also had Springer Spaniels who have been 10x harder work than collies. IME collies have an off switch at home, spaniels are wired until the age of 8-10 when they slow down… a little.

I agree that an unemployed border collie is a self employed border collie though…

There are Collies and Collies ...

How about looking at a Smooth Collie - will do any training discipline you want to throw at them, but are more laid back than a working sheepdog or even show type Border Collie. Easy care coat and a great family dog.

I think it’s a little unfair to say all collies are neurotic and anti-social. My collie is the perfect dog. He LOVES people - everyone. He likes other dogs too. And he is an absolute cuddle monster.

We bought from a very experienced breeder and she gave us lots of good tips including make sure you socialise them as puppies as much as possible.

Obviously there is a nature/nurture balance but I think they are amazing dogs. And with regard to prey-drive, I have called mine back from chasing hares, deer, foxes, rabbits and squirrels. He’s also brilliant with our cat (well a bit terrified of her)

I could not ask for a better dog - but you just need to put in the effort training.

II think it’s a little unfair to say all collies are neurotic and anti-social. My collie is the perfect dog. He LOVES people - everyone. He likes other dogs too.

But even going by the breed standard, this is the exception, not the rule. I work with dogs and I've only ever met one collie that I would describe as good with other dogs. All the others have been tolerant at best and aggressive at worst.

I'm sure your dog is lovely but IMO it's only fair to prepare OP for the potential pitfalls of collie ownership. They are (as a rule) not an easy breed and unless you are prepared to give them a good 2-3 hours of your time every day, it's highly likely that they'll develop behavioural problems.

All breeds have their downsides and potential owners need to be aware of that.

We have a smooth collie and totally agree with this. Amazing family dog - like all dogs we worked hard on training as a puppy, she is now amazing. Lots of hair shedding though!

DH grew up with working cocker spaniels and they are harder work in my opinion, but less aloof. The PILs current dog is beautiful and very friendly, but completely bonkers and has awful recall etc and just goes for birds and squirrels and stuff and would kill our chickens given even a quarter of a chance to do so. They’ve spent £££ on proper gun dog training and all sorts but she’s a liability and once she’s got something in her mouth you cannot get it back. Our BC is less people/dog friendly but a squirrel can run past her on the path and you can call her away and she comes straight back. Our dog has her jobs - chickens, ball, frisbee, cuddles and other than that she’s not fussed at all. Breed traits are massively important and I definitely underestimated how much they would matter.

I've had border collies since i was 13 (yes, my first dog was a collie!) (currently have 2), and LOVE the breed, and you've had some really good advice so far.

Essentially, they are great dogs for those who are wanting a dog to 'do' something with - as other say, they need a job! If you want to spend your spare time training for agility, sheepdog trials, tricks (or all of the above!) etc, and want to put work in to make the dog a fantastic companion, they are the absolute best, as they will give you their all. However, they are too much like hard work for the vast majority of people. They can be nervous, reactive and have a very high chase instinct (so will usually chase livestock unless trained to a high standard not to).

We also have working cocker spaniels - may be a breed to consider (although much harder to recall than a collie!) as they are really lovely and great to train.

Ours is a very easy dog. She has no prey drive - we live rurally, deer, pheasant, all sorts can be right in front of her and she has no interest. She can be anxious but that comes out in waiting all day for any postal deliveries so that she can run out and get a treat from them. She will bark from the moment she sees them though. She also barks pretty much constantly on a walk anywhere other than the one she goes near our house, from the moment you leave. It's definitely nerves/anxiety.

She doesn't seem able to play with other dogs - it's their people she runs to and wants attention from. I do think that, if I wanted an easy dog, I'd get one again - the only thing I miss is affection, she never wants to cuddle up, but I think that's fine, it's her choice, and I'm here if she ever changes her mind!

We have a Rough Collie (Lassie dog) she is absolutely beautiful and strongly bonded with all our family. She is very intelligent and responds really well to training. Although she loves to run and be outside, when she is at home she is very calm (not hyper or nervous) and just likes to find a family member to sit or sleep near. She is a great watch dog and barks if anyone she doesn't know approaches the house, but not a good guard dog because as soon as they come in she is a softie. She is great with other dogs and kids.

I did a lot of research before we got her to find a breed that would fit our family. We decided on a Rough Colle and she was the perfect choice. I definitely will stick to this breed from now on.

I was surprised to find that Rough Collie's are very clean and don't have the typical doggy smell of certain breeds. She was neutered when she was a year old and since then only sheds once a year. Otherwise she doesn't shed at all. What she does shed is "floof" which is easy to pick up and remove rather than lots of individual hairs. If a dog isn't neutered they shed twice a year.

I am trying to think of more "cons" but there really haven't been any.

She loves to sit sentry on any place that is a transition between inside the house and out, such as a porch, deck or if a garden door is open will immediately sit down right on the threshold as she loves to be able to survey the inside and outside at the same time.

She is very popular with friends and neighbors who often like to pop by to hang out with her (we are in the USA). She is always complimented on her beauty when we take her for walks anywhere and people often comment how rare it is to see her breed any more.

Rough Collies are very sensitive to emotions and when I have been upset a couple of times, she has literally clambered up onto the chair I was sitting in to give me a hug! You can't discipline collies harshly as they will be devastated. They want to please and need kind owners. They are often trained as therapy dogs for this reason.

Rough collies are the best dog ever

Agreed, and with previous poster's comments - but while the coat care is not as onerous as people think it would be, it's still not for everyone.

You're right that Rough Collied need regular grooming. Brushing once or twice a week is needed (you need to train them as puppies to sit or stand and be comfortable with being brushed). We have her groomed every couple of months but many owners care for their coat with no professional help and maybe a professional groom once a year. So yes, this is something to think about. Their coat is so beautiful I see that as something I am happy to deal with. If you like the Rough Collie temperament but don't want a long coat, the Smooth Collie is exactly the same breed with a short coat.
A groomer can also remove a lot of excess hair and give a strong shape which still gives the Rough Collie their classic looks but with less hair to deal with. You don't necessarily have the have the hair super long.

Rough Collies:

Opps

If you like the Rough Collie temperament but don't want a long coat, the Smooth Collie is exactly the same breed with a short coat.

I know you're in the US where the two can be inter-bred, but this isn't entirely true in the UK. (We cannot deliberately do Rough x Smooth matings here, although recessive Rough pups from Smooth x Smooth matings have fairly recently been passed to be registered as Roughs.)

We have more variation in Rough type here than you probably see in the US in size, coat and temperament. Although the Roughs have been my love for nearly 40 years and I have always had good temperaments, some UK Roughs can be shrinking violets and perhaps not quite so steady.

The Smooths here are tend to be a bit more 'full on' than some of the Roughs - not in a negative way, just different. Closer to the OP's original working sheepdog/Border Collie wish, I think. The Smooths are also, I'm sad to say, far more advanced in health testing than the Roughs.