Anyone own a Border Collie

[Cazadores]

They are the supposed smartest dogs in the world. I'm interested in getting one and some info from an owner would be cool.

 

[Real_Magi]

I have a BC. They're amazing animals, but they require a TON of work. They're bred to be working dogs and they will go crazy if they don't get exercise and lots of attention. If you don't have the ability to let them run every day then don't get one because they will literally go crazy and become destructive. They also have the potential to get depressed and lethargic if they don't feel like they have a purpose in life.

It's almost shocking how intelligent they are. It usually only takes one experience for them to learn from it. My BC knew how to sit after I only showed him one time. He only pissed on the floor one time before he knew not to do that any more and never once shit in the house. I've never used physical force to discipline him either. My little brothers play with him by teaching him tricks and he's eager as hell to learn.

He's incredibly affectionate, attention hungry, and protective. It's like he thinks I'm his and no one else should be able to talk to me or anything. He will sit and stare at me constantly if we're not out doing something.

He listens flawlessly. I don't even have to discipline him any more. Actually, I haven't had to since before he was a year old. He's eager as hell to do anything I say.

In all honesty he's the best dog I've ever had.

But you have to be positive that you can give a BC tons of attention and exercise. They can also be problematic in the sense that they love to chase anything. They will chase animals, bikes, people, etc. if they have the opportunity. They also love to hunt and will go after any small animal they can. They're not particularly violent though, my BC will catch mice and actually let them go when he gets bored with them. When my brother's wolf hybrid and him get together though they kill any smaller animal they can find.

Like I said, he's the best dog I've ever had and I love the breed after owning one, but it really is imperative that they have heaps of attention as well as exercise. They will tear your house to pieces if they get bored.

 

[Horus]

They are very smart, its a believable quote. They also get bored easily and are very active. They also like to control movement (including bikes, cars etc). Be aware of this and get dog suitable to your lifestyle and living conditions, not just one you think is cool or admirable.

The post above me is very accurate.

 

[Cazadores]

I have a BC. They're amazing animals, but they require a TON of work. They're bred to be working dogs and they will go crazy if they don't get exercise and lots of attention. If you don't have the ability to let them run every day then don't get one because they will literally go crazy and become destructive. They also have the potential to get depressed and lethargic if they don't feel like they have a purpose in life.

It's almost shocking how intelligent they are. It usually only takes one experience for them to learn from it. My BC knew how to sit after I only showed him one time. He only pissed on the floor one time before he knew not to do that any more and never once shit in the house. I've never used physical force to discipline him either. My little brothers play with him by teaching him tricks and he's eager as hell to learn.

He's incredibly affectionate, attention hungry, and protective. It's like he thinks I'm his and no one else should be able to talk to me or anything. He will sit and stare at me constantly if we're not out doing something.

He listens flawlessly. I don't even have to discipline him any more. Actually, I haven't had to since before he was a year old. He's eager as hell to do anything I say.

In all honesty he's the best dog I've ever had.

But you have to be positive that you can give a BC tons of attention and exercise. They can also be problematic in the sense that they love to chase anything. They will chase animals, bikes, people, etc. if they have the opportunity. They also love to hunt and will go after any small animal they can. They're not particularly violent though, my BC will catch mice and actually let them go when he gets bored with them. When my brother's wolf hybrid and him get together though they kill any smaller animal they can find.

Like I said, he's the best dog I've ever had and I love the breed after owning one, but it really is imperative that they have heaps of attention as well as exercise. They will tear your house to pieces if they get bored.

Awesome, that makes me want one even more.

I'm a country guy born and raised, and will keep it that way, so that's not a problem for space and stuff. I go on bike rides often. Can they follow while I go on say...6-12 mile bike rides?

Ive always wanted to teach a dog something that would be useful to me. It sounds stupid but one thing I had in mind is grabbing would for the fireplace when I need it. Do you think they could such a thing?

 

[AncientEnemy]

You can teach them to count cards

 

[Vincent86]

they really are cool dogs but hyperactive, ours literally sank through its paws once after running too much, had to carry her home

 

[BoogerDawson]

I have a BC, Australian Shepherd mix. They are very active and need a lot of exercise. BC's are probably the most intelligent breed. If you watch agility competitions, the BC's are often among the best.

You have to be prepared to give them a lot of attention.

 

[AncientEnemy]

(In goldies voice) "You know joe, cazadores doesn't need a dog that can count cards, because cazadores is the michael jordan of betting, you could even say that roy jones respects the gambling ability of cazadores"

 

[AnarchyCamp]

Yep.
They can be EXTREMELY hard work and please, never ever ever assume that any info we give you is an exaggeration.

Border Collies, on average, need at least 2 hours of exercise every single day. Not just walking and fetch. Because they are so intelligent, they need a lot of mental stimulation or they can literally become hyperactive and destructive if not exercised enough.

Puppy phase can last for 2,3 and sometimes 4 years. This can mean random sprints through the house, bouncing off of furniture, disobeying commands and general naughtiness.

They can become fixated with their owner. Obsessive. Border Collies usually know one true master and they literally want all of your attention. This must be corrected every time before it becomes unbearable.

They are generally quite shy with strangers and other dogs and must be socialized very regularly to make sure they can deal with any future attention. I have known many BC's to back off and become nervous when a stranger attempts to pet them. They like their space and don't generally love everyone petting them. They can adapt to tolerate it however.

All of these things are workable and trainable and managable. But you have to prepare for the worst and know what it takes. It really is a ton of hard work but you will have the most amazing dog when it finally starts paying off.



tldr; If you aren't ready for a dog that is like a part time job, don't get a BC. You want to walk a dog for 30 mins a day then just have it chill while you play xbox? That's cool.There are plenty of other breeds that would love that.

Check this out.
http://www.bcrescue.org/bcwarning.html

 

[AnarchyCamp]

Awesome, that makes me want one even more.

I'm a country guy born and raised, and will keep it that way, so that's not a problem for space and stuff. I go on bike rides often. Can they follow while I go on say...6-12 mile bike rides?

Ive always wanted to teach a dog something that would be useful to me. It sounds stupid but one thing I had in mind is grabbing would for the fireplace when I need it. Do you think they could such a thing?

The bike rides should be fine. Remember dogs can't run long distance like humans so don't go too fast haha. And the firewood thing or any other simple task can be taught without too much trouble as long as you are consistent with the training.

 

[Shot]

My brother has a Border Collie. Its silly how smart that thing is. He used to try to use a child safety gate in order to keep him from going to the top floor in the house, the dog learned how to open it by raising the latch with his nose while using his paw to push at the same time.

Also taught him to nudge a hanging Christmas Bell near the backyard door whenever he had to go out to piss or shit.

Like other people said though, boundless energy

 

[Brian10962001]

Our border collie Kita just recently passed away. Dad had her for over 13 years, smartest dog I've ever seen. One thing we always had trouble with is that it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep her from escaping when she wanted to get out. She would literally just disappear and we would catch her outside. This and despite being utterly easy to train she was very hard headed and had to learn some things on her own. She would chase cars until she got clipped by one. She would chew lamp cords despite dad scolding her until she got shocked by one. She also chased kids on bikes, motorcycles, and once a mother deer that turned the tables on her and rammed her ass.

She grew out of her hyper/acting out stage at probably 3 years old but she was still OBSESSED with playing catch with a frisbee. She would play catch until she would collapse panting, then spend hours just chewing at the frisbee. My dad would buy them 10 at a time and keep them put up. It was crazy, she never lost her youthful energy when it came to that. Dad said she played catch with him the day she died.

If you get one, be prepared. Smart means clever and clever can mean trouble. Sometimes these dogs will defy you not because they don't understand, but literally because they're seeing what they can get away with (our Corgis are the same way). I wouldn't yell at them either Kita would over react to discipline about basic things (dad never yelled but just telling her NO stuck especially later in life).

 

[Devils Cut***]

Awesome, that makes me want one even more.

I'm a country guy born and raised, and will keep it that way, so that's not a problem for space and stuff. I go on bike rides often. Can they follow while I go on say...6-12 mile bike rides?

Ive always wanted to teach a dog something that would be useful to me. It sounds stupid but one thing I had in mind is grabbing would for the fireplace when I need it. Do you think they could such a thing?

Dude, don't ride your bike with your dog running along. Dogs won't stop running even if they're in pain or need to piss or anything. Besides that, most dogs aren't bred to run long distances. I saw a Weimeriemer that wore the pads off his feet trying to keep up with a bike. His feet were a bloody mess. I've seen many dogs start lagging behind the rider due to fatigue and the asshole on the bike is just pedaling along without a care in the world as he practically drags his dog along behind him. They can't tell you to stop if they step on glass or need to stop for any reason.

I've seen this a lot and it gets under my skin

 

[Higus]

Not recommended for first time owners.
They are really smart, though. I saw a documentary about dogs and they showed a BC that had been trained to recognize ~500 words for objects. The owner would have a box full of toys and say "banana" or any other object in the pile and the dog would get the stuffed banana from the pile. A researcher did 2 experiments with the same dog: First, she showed the dog a smaller version of a toy and ask the dog to fetch the normal sized version. Next, she would show a picture of the toy and the dog was successfully able to find the matching toy from the pile. That level of object recognition is supposedly equivalent to a 3 year old child.

 

[EyeTrainUFC]

I agree. I've always thought people who used bikes to walk their dogs were a little selfish and lazy.

 

[Real_Magi]

Not recommended for first time owners.
They are really smart, though. I saw a documentary about dogs and they showed a BC that had been trained to recognize ~500 words for objects. The owner would have a box full of toys and say "banana" or any other object in the pile and the dog would get the stuffed banana from the pile. A researcher did 2 experiments with the same dog: First, she showed the dog a smaller version of a toy and ask the dog to fetch the normal sized version. Next, she would show a picture of the toy and the dog was successfully able to find the matching toy from the pile. That level of object recognition is supposedly equivalent to a 3 year old child.

I saw a BC that could pick out the correct toy out of thousands (yes thousands) of different toys. Then when they added an odd toy that he didn't know, they gave him a random name and told him to look for it, it took him a bit longer but he picked the new toy out of the pile despite having never been trained on the name of it. He identified it solely on the fact that the name was different than all the rest.

My BC goes with me on bike rides, but I do DH mountain bikign so I don't go on long rides, just hit big jumps and drops then hike back to the top. He races me to the bottom, but he's smart enough to move when I tell him to so I don't run him over, lol.

I think taking the dog on bike rides is fine as long as you pack some water for him and take periodic breaks. I wouldn't go any longer than a mile or two at a medium pace without taking a break. If you like to hit jumps and stuff then just sessioning a certain jump should be fine. It's the long distance stuff I would worry about.

He always goes insane over motorcycles. I don't know what it is, but he HAS to follow me if I'm on my dirt bike or sport bike, so I have to lock him in the house if I'm going for a ride. He got out one time and chased me like 8 miles before he caught up to me once I stopped and was bullshitting with a friend. I was shocked and he looked insanely tired so my friend threw him on his four wheeler and gave him a ride back.

Someone commented on how obsessive they get over their owner, I can attest to that. He will seriously stare at me constantly and if I even get up to go to the bath room he will jump up excitedly and follow me there, continuing to stare the whole time. At one point it was bad enough that he would try to bully girls that I would date. He would get in between us and if they tried to get closer he would jump up and bark in the face of the chick. I put an end to it very fast though and he's much better now.

He's also so protective that he will get really pissed off if I start to wrestle with a friend. He growls and barks, but he's not violent at all so he doesn't ever bite or even nip, he just makes alot of noise.

 

[Blitz55]

 

[Blitz55]

I saw a BC that could pick out the correct toy out of thousands (yes thousands) of different toys. Then when they added an odd toy that he didn't know, they gave him a random name and told him to look for it, it took him a bit longer but he picked the new toy out of the pile despite having never been trained on the name of it. He identified it solely on the fact that the name was different than all the rest.

I saw that too, really cool

here is the vid.