Border Collies

[Anitsisqua]

So, I don't really know anything about Border Collies, but my sister is in the market for one.

She's always been of the "see a puppy and buy it" mentality, so I'm trying to guide her to the right place...and finding responsible breeders has been very difficult.

Does anyone have any knowledge about Border Collies that they are willing to share?

Some basic research has turned up that I should be looking for CEA and HD testing (That's familiar at least!) But aside from that, I'm clueless.

[FG167]

What does she want it for? There are show BCs, working BCs, and "Sporter" collies.

[Anitsisqua]

She just wants a companion dog, but all of them we've encountered in the past were working dogs, so I'd lean in that direction.

[Zeeva]

I'm not at all familiar with the breed. I did have one in Smokey's training class. Smokey and him didn't get along at all :c. But he was beautiful. His owner said he required a lot of coat maintenance. She actually went in every other week and had his underside shaved so that peepee wouldn't smear in that area. That to me sounded like a lot of money to spending for maintenance.

[angelas]

If she wants a Border Collie she has to be very frank about her own abilities and lifestyle.

1. She MUST be smarter than the dog. And they are wickedly smart problem solvers. They need to be trained. Not just sit, stay, come. They would be bored to tears and find something to do (like a certain 6 month old puppy who figured out how to get to the top of the refrigerator and had a taste for school library books). Advanced obedience training, every trick she can find on the internet, a job to do that mind must be stimulated.

2. She must be AT LEAST as active as the dog. A bored and under exercised Border is a terror that will destroy the house and the peace in the neighborhood. If she is not prepared to spend several HOURS each DAY to exercise then a Border Collie is not the dog for her.

I had a mix from farm stock for almost 11 years. In her prime she would walk in the morning, accompany me on my paper route after school (4 km) either running beside the bike or pulling the sled, play ball/frisbee for a good hour and later she would "roller-jor" with me in her pink and purple harness. This is each week day. Weekends we had a lot more time for ball/frisbee and "roller-joring". Even in her old age with arthritic hips she would still do 1 km at a time on the tread mill twice a day up until the week she passed.

Border Collies are NOT a dog that can live with a walk around the block whenever their owners feel like it or even just once or twice a day.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Originally Posted by angelas

If she wants a Border Collie she has to be very frank about her own abilities and lifestyle.

1. She MUST be smarter than the dog. And they are wickedly smart problem solvers. They need to be trained. Not just sit, stay, come. They would be bored to tears and find something to do (like a certain 6 month old puppy who figured out how to get to the top of the refrigerator and had a taste for school library books). Advanced obedience training, every trick she can find on the internet, a job to do that mind must be stimulated.

2. She must be AT LEAST as active as the dog. A bored and under exercised Border is a terror that will destroy the house and the peace in the neighborhood. If she is not prepared to spend several HOURS each DAY to exercise then a Border Collie is not the dog for her.

I had a mix from farm stock for almost 11 years. In her prime she would walk in the morning, accompany me on my paper route after school (4 km) either running beside the bike or pulling the sled, play ball/frisbee for a good hour and later she would "roller-jor" with me in her pink and purple harness. This is each week day. Weekends we had a lot more time for ball/frisbee and "roller-joring". Even in her old age with arthritic hips she would still do 1 km at a time on the tread mill twice a day up until the week she passed.

Border Collies are NOT a dog that can live with a walk around the block whenever their owners feel like it or even just once or twice a day.

Totally agree. I've fostered a BC before and have babysat for my friend's three border collies. We would go on a long walk, let the dogs off leash for play time, get home and Mikko would be ready for a nap and the BC grabs a ball and wants to play more! I've found that they need to be told when to rest (ie putting them up in a crate)-they are always wanting to do more.

I would ask her to seriously consider an adult BC that can be matched with her lifestyle.

[wildo]

This is a really good forum for BCs: BC Boards

In fact, it's pretty much identical in ideology as this forum when it comes to dogs. Heavily working line biased.

[Franksmom]

I love my BC's but they are a dog that has to have a job. Mine have all been working line. I've heard some people say the show line is more biddable and not as intense but I've never owned one so don't know if it's true.
They can be very OCD if not trained and given a job.
They are rated as one of the smartest dogs and that can actually make them more of a pain to train then if they were missing a few of those brains LOL
In some ways they are like GSD's in that they really need to be a part of the family, if you intend to leave one outside or by itself very much dont' get one.

I have to cover Frank's ears for what I'm going to say next.
They are my favorite breed and I will probably always have one. If you make the commitment to them, with training and truly making them a part of your family, they are the best IMO.
Your sister really needs to read up on all the herding behaviors that come with the border collie breed and have a plan for training before bringing the pup home.
Border Collies are a pretty healthy breed but I would question the breeder about eyes and hips.

[Anitsisqua]

I actually joined that board, too, but it won't let me post there...

And she's single, smart, and active, so I think that's a good start. I will encourage her to reconsider whether the breed will fit well into her life, but I suppose that is ultimately up to her.

Also, she's pretty set on getting a puppy...

...And she has had a sheltie in the past. I know it's not the same, but there are similar herding instincts and such. And grooming requirements, I would imagine.

[wildo]

Originally Posted by Anitsisqua

I actually joined that board, too, but it won't let me post there...

It takes them a while to approve you, that's for sure. I tried sending the admin emails and that didn't really work either. I think it ended up taking about 1.5 to 2 weeks to get approved.

Originally Posted by Anitsisqua

And she's single, smart, and active

Ohhhh! Is she hot?