What's it like to own a Border Collie? Questions

I'm not interested in getting one - I'm just curious! How intelligent are they really? What sort of work can they do? And are they more demanding than other breeds?

I think when they are mature IF you've done the work they are fantastic. Lottie was a real handful until she was about two ish. Now she's fab. You get out what you put in, if you know what I mean.

They love a lot of exercise and mental stimulation ... they hate being bored ... but they are loyal , playful, fun, agile, extremely intelligent and gorgeous too

absolutely agree with both other posters. and my bc dylan has got to be the most eager to please dog i have ever known. their loyalty knows no bounds and if treated right, you have a best friend for life!

How intelligent are they?

The BC is extremely quick to learn and is often three steps ahead of you all the time This means they pick up bad habits just as quickly as good - so you have to be prepared in order to keep your dog happy and stimulated.

What sort of work can they do?

Well BCs are bred to work sheep and will do so all day, every day if you get a very driven dog from working lines. As we live on a sheep farm in Scotland with 2600 Scottish Blackface ewes and lambs (at this time of year), as well as a handful of Herdwicks and Wensleydales, that is just the sort of dog we need. However, this type of dog would probably go nuts in a pet home.

Another type of work that BCs excel at is Search & Rescue. Some police forces also use the occasional collie for drug and bomb detection search dogs.

BCs also enjoy and usually excel at the sports of obedience, agility and flyball.

Are they more demanding than other breeds

I believe if you get a very worky, driven BC then yes they are extremely demanding in a pet home. However, if they are doing the work they are bred for then the more demanding, the better

To be honest - I have found my Gundog cross far harder work than the BC's.
That is not to say that the BCs are easy - it is just that they seem more....willing is not the word....maybe 'with you' is better way of describing it - its hard to explain really.

They (for the most part) will learn things ver quick - but are then not always great at changing that behaviour - so you will get it over and over - can be very frustrating when trying to teach new things in a similar situation.

Exercise wise - again - they are a high exercise breed, but no more so than some other breeds (springers/working cockers come to mind!)

To live with - for the main part affectionate and I would never be without one....

I love the fact that my Collies say 'Yes!' and hate the fact my Gundog asks 'Why?'!!

i love that quote!

A fascinating insight, thanks. I wonder if anyone has heard of a 'breed' created by a professional trainer in the 1990s called 'Rodinglea Scruffy' - a cross between springers, border collies and bearded collies. There are probably only a few about, but apparently the most intensively trained ones could say simple sentences such as "I want water"!!!

They are fantastic!!!! I see a few in ob!

They are Brilliant to own!

They are beautiful, Clever, Quirky & eagar to please, they are very 1-1 & generally more interested in their owner than other dogs.

They are clever & will learn Good Things as quick as bad.

Howver they are sensitive & can be noise reactive & movement reactive.

They can be obsessive , so its up to the owner to make this work for them & not Against

They love to play, love to walk & run & our a brilliant Companion.

They can be trained to do anything!!!!!

I dont find them demanding & if "happy" (mind & body stimalated correctly) are couch potaos

The better question is what are you like and what do you want from a dog??

They can be pretty much anything, but I would prepair yourself for a neurotic noise sensitive, reactive dog that is on 24 7 and learns things so fast that bed habits are leanrt before you even know they were learning it.
A lovely pup who learns and is so keen to please that suddnly turns into the teenager who has you crying tears of frustration

Then hopefully you will have a nice surprise with a great dog

I would say they can be like just about anything but roughly

Often a one person v bonded dog - like your shadow - a quote I saw on a BC forum is when you get one give up going to the loo alone (dosnt have to be the case - of course you can train that)

VVVV focused and can turn into OCD, like for car chasing, light chasing, nipping children and runners and bikes

So intune to you and your mood, they know what you are doing and where you are going before you do

If you put the work in IMHO they are amazing animals, ready to do whatever you want

Many people are lucky and get 'easy' dogs who fit in to any life you chuck at them

but
They can be nightmares if not stimulated correctly, the good news is from what I have seen, the most difficult dogs are the smartest ones who if you put the time in can be fantastic but lots of people give up and there are lots of teenage collies in rescue

Ahh i love loo times!!!!!! Time for a nice stroke & quality 1-1 time with whoever got in first

Agree with everything said esp. about loo time at the momwent its either Ruby or Corrie who manage to get in

Ha, I'm so glad its just not me That is Hoki's special time for attention.

Love that quote too! excellent!

I love that
That means my xbreed will say yes if she's been given the reason why!!

whats it like to own a border collie......

in one word...... brilliant

(expanding on that..) they are quick learners, always eager to please, loyal. i could go on

we have had 3 in my life, 1 being mine.

we now have 1 bc and a springerx collie... they are fab dogs and woludnt want to be without 1 (or at least a x off them )

well up until 2 months ago i was a collie virgin!

I now have a 19week old bitch and she is absolutely fantastic(apart from one little blip bu that was her mums fault) she has been perfect. but she is demanding but so easy to learn new things..she learnt how to play dead within 5 minutes!

I am so looking forward to her as she gets older and being able to do more with her!

Very interesting what Ben says about lots of collies being in rescue. They certainly sound like hard work - more like children than dogs!

BC's are addictive, but they are hard work, they need a job to do (sheep work, obedience, agility, working trials, HTM, etc) when I got Skye I lost about a stone in weight! Bertie I nearly rehomed as a puppy as he kept me awake at night for about 5 months, but it was all worth it, I love my dogs!!! My life is taken over by them, at 1 point I was going to agility classes Monday and Tuesday evenings with Skye and Teagan, HTM classes on Wednesday evenings with Bertie and Skye, Obedience classes with Boomer and Skye on Thursday evenings and Bertie went to therapy visits on Monday and Friday afternoons and most weekends in the summer I'm at agility competitions.