Obviously I think they do, coz I have one However, I was thinking about it today. I have recently read a book by a shepherd about life with his working sheepdogs and I value his opinion. He has bred a litter and insists on only selling to working sheep farmers as he believes sheepdogs do not make good pets and that is why so many collies end up in rescue centres. He believes that working collies just can't cope with the confines of living a domestic life and they need the mental and physical stimulation of working sheep. To a large degree, I understand where he is coming from - after all, I believe border collies are the ultimate working dog. However, I also think that if you give your collie physical and mental stimulation in a pet home (whether that be sheep herding as a hobby, agility/flyball/obedience training, fell running, hill walking, or just spending loads of time chucking tennis balls ) then a collie can live a very happy life as a companion. Clearly too many people get collies without looking into what the dog needs in respect of exercise (brain and body) and there are far too many in rescue centres, but that can be said of many, many breeds :-( What are others thoughts?
I think that collies can make good pets But I do understand where he is coming from. lots of people go out and get collies without realising how much hard work they are. But working sheep is not the only way to satisfy their need to be doing something in my opinion. As long as someone puts the effort into keeping them occupied I'm sure they make great pets. I've known ones from farms that were horrible because they had not been socialised well. So even though they were active and working sheep it still didn't make them the perfect dog. there is more to it than that ;-) There are a lot in rescue centres and many of them seem to be looking for "experienced owners" but I'm sure even then most of them go on to make lovely pets people just need to take the time to make sure this is the right breed for them. But that can be said about all breeds really.
Agree with both of you, they can make excellent loving pets but you need to be aware of how much stimulation they need. Too many people jump into buying a puppy without realising what committment it takes. Just take a look at Wiccaweys web-site and you'll see how many are in rescue. We went into getting Cassie with eyes wide open as I grew up around Collies and my mum had one as a child in Scotland.
One of the reasons that so many BCs ended up in rescue is that a lot of them became "redundant" after the F&M outbreak. Farmers were having an extremely bad time income-wise, and couldn't keep on an animal that just ate and didn't do anything useful (not the dogs' fault, of course!). They stayed there, because most of these redundant farm dogs were totally unused to living in houses with nothing to do - a new owner really had to be well-up on the breed to be able to cope. IMO, they do make excellent pets, if I didn't think so, I wouldn't have two of them! Mine are both farm-born boys, not separated from their working tradition by very much. They don't display much of the hyperactivity of the BC reputation - perhaps mine are just lazy! A farmer friend of mine (who runs rare-breed sheep) thinks that dogs are naturally lazy! I take on board the point about stimulation - as another friend of mine (an ex-vet) says, "There's nothing worse than a bored Border Collie!". Well, I've never yet had to peel mine off the ceiling, but when they were young, no electric cable or small item was safe! I have a strong and painful memory of having to recall my rugby-playing days and tackling Kali just as he prepared to make a meal of the power feed to my stereo system! Fortunately, he was smaller than the average rugby ball and I managed to do a one-hand pass with him before the sparks flew! As he slid down the wall, I told him how lucky he was............ They make excellent friends for children, too: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/Snorri_the_Priest/The Dogs/Boy_meets_dog1.jpg But then, this pic demonstrates the killing of two birds with one stone, in that both participants are burning off excess energy - exercise the kid and the dog at the same time (in the sure knowledge that both will be safe!). Snorri
I think its like any breed of dog - you need to know if your lifestyle fits in with that dogs characteristics. Not every BC is bred to work. If a farmer had got Jack they would have been very disappointed with him - he does not have the stamina or will to do any work - he was bred to be pampered. Barney on the other hand would have made a farmer very proud - although I think Barney likes his home comforts too much to give it up to chase sheep all day. I have to agree BCs and kids are a great mix - they both have so much energy to burn - my dogs love it when my nieces and nephews come to visit them
i wouldnt have any other breed now BC's are amazing, but they are working dogs and they should be worked in my opinion
Agreed! Snorri-dog might well have met a sticky end if he'd gone to live on a farm, and work. He is terrified of sheep, for a start! His being epileptic could have been a death sentence under farming conditions I have a theory that when mine first opened their eyes, they looked round their barn birthplace, and decided that farm life was not for them - they were born to get free food, all necessary vet treatment, and a life of ease, with toys, treats and comfy warm beds in a warm, dry house. Then, they embarked on a campaign to find two humans who would supply the lot, FOC. I think, now, that Border Collies are born con experts - well, they are supposed to be very intelligent, and, I think (sometimes) even more intelligent than we poor humans think they are! Snorri
