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Border Collie questions
Crosspost from criagslist:
just wondering what the personality traits of this breed has. i am thinking of getting one, but i like to know what im getting into first.i also need to know if they usually like cats.are they difficult to train and house break. if your familiar with this breed please let me know..also if they can be trusted left in the house alone for short periods of time and not destroy furniture or anything.i really dont want to crate the dog if i dont have to. i am an active person with plenty of land. also are there any specific health problems this breed is prone to? i know that some breeds have certian issues. thanks for any information you can give me. you can e mail me at [email protected]
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I love Border collies. They are my favorite breed so I know a little bit about them. They know they need a lot of room to run around and play. Since they are herding dogs they may try to 'herd' your feet somewhere. :) Funny, isn't it! Also Border Collies are very hyper! They like to run, play and all that stuff. So if you don't have the time for one, I would recommend another breed. Hope this helps!
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Border collies are very very active dogs that need a great deal of mental and physical stimulation. A job is a must if you want your dog to be happy. They are primarily bred to work and they will find their own job to do if you don't give them one (much to your dismay when your furniture is ripped apart). My mom's BC tore their wall apart one night because she was bored. It is not just their speed, agility, and trainability that gets people to put them into sports -- it's the owners' realisation that this is a breed that needs something to do or it will become bored and destructive.
As far as cats and small animals..herding is a modified prey drive. In a perfect world this modified prey drive gives the dog the drive to attack but the will to stop itself and use this drive to make the animal move a certain direction. However in alot of dogs this can be a learned behaviour. For instance my dog is a herding breed and when first put on sheep it was her first instinct to attack. She needed to be trained otherwise. Therefore it is recommended that for a high drive breed such as the border collie it should be raised with other animals and trained to behave properly. They can be wonderful with other pets. My mom's border collie often plays with her cat.
Honestly I would recommend crating any breed, as there are few breeds out there that will not entertain themselves when alone, especially as youngsters.
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my border collie ice is great, she was quick to housetrain when a pup , very active , we had to keep her busy doing something, she does occasionally herd people up by trotting along behind them & keeping them in her sights , but i have been lucky as shes pretty laid back for a collie really. we never left her unattended in the house for long periods as sahe was outside with my sibes but now shes older 12 yrs she stays in the house & sleeps until i return . she always has to go for a walk with her ball though for a run around , quite active for a 12 yr old.
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I've always had Borders too and it is true they need a lot of mental and physical exercise.
Because ours always lived outdoors, they never got used to the cats but, as long as I was around, they'd tolerate the cats as they walked by and ignore them and the cats learned to ignore them too. They didn't like the cats staring at them though.
Jess spends a lot more time in the porch which is connected to the kitchen now and is more used to the cats passing her but we still have to be careful. If a cat walks by and she ignores it as she usually does, I praise her.
If brought up with cats and other pets, they are usually just fine but that doesn't mean they'll be great with strange cats but this applies to many breeds not just BCs.
Jess is 13 years old now and she still likes to chase a ball and still goes for walks in vile weather like what we have today. Not stopped raining for about 36 hours and it's heavy.
You need to be sure you can handle taking them out in all weathers too because they don't care what it's doing. I bought waterproof trousers and coat and wellies and alsorts for walking the dogs in rubbish weather.
Another thing about Borders is that they are obsessive compulsive and will develop an obsession with something in their lives. Mine were always obsessed with balls and having stuff thrown for them and would mither you with a ball or whatever 24/7 if they had the opportunity to. This can drive some people mad. If there was no ball around, they'd find something else...anything....If they are out and come across other people, they'd have a quick fuss and then find something to mither those people with...haha.
They also have an obsession with lawn mowers and attack them as soon as you turn them on or even if you just move them back and forth whilst turned off.
Our Jess's father was obsessed with childrens roundabouts. You could set one off going round and he'd chase the handles...forever!!!!
He was also obsessed with water and used to wade in and bat it with his front paw and catch the splashes in his mouth and make silly noises. He'd start swimming and doing the same thing and he'd do this....forever!!!! He never seemed to get tired...ever!!!! If you shouted him out of the water, you had to keep your eyes on him ALL the time otherwise he'd sneak back in and the first you'd know is when you heard him bashing the water and making those stupid noises again.
BCs are often sound sensitive which can be a problem where thunder and fireworks etc..are involved.
They are also prone to allergies, especially flea allergies as they age and I've known a few who can't eat meat...like our Jess although she can now she's older, when she was younger, even chicken made her stools come out as water.
They are also sensitive in mind and harsh punishments do NOT work on this breed. They tend to be a one person dog and make a bond with that one person above everyone else. You'll not get a border collie to bond with the whole family equally. They'll pick one person who spends the most time with them and thats it. Obviously, they'll get along with everyone else but they'll always have a preference for that one person.
Border collies are also very sensitive to how you are feeling and very in tune with their owners. You can't hide how you are feeling from them. You can use small hardly noticeable hand gestures and head cocks as commands. I can cock my head slightly in one direction and the dogs know it means for them to go in that direction and they go.
They are intelligent and trainable in the right hands. If you don't understand dogs well enough, they'll take advantage of you for certain. They are too smart for many people, not just too active.
The pups tend to house train really fast and pick things up really well and fit into routines really quick too.
As the others said, if you don't have a job for them, they'll find their own job...and it won't be to your liking as it usually involves destroying things, excess barking, nervous aggression etc.....
It's funny but all our dogs have been working strain but we haven't had any that herded us or even tried to although they did try to herd other creatures like horses and our Mist even tried to herd a family of ducks on a pond once and she wouldn't normally swim but did in order to herd these ducks. :D
