Good point. They are not afraid to let you know it's time for a walk, dinner or play.
Anyone own a Border Collie or Austarlian Shepherd?
- Thread starter isubeatle
- Start date
Good point. They are not afraid to let you know it's time for a walk, dinner or play.
Can I have one? Just kidding my wife would kill me but I would absolutely love it.
Keeping a Australian shepard and even moreso a Border Collie in town is borderline animal cruelty. To be really happy border collies need to work livestock. Some can be entertained with agility exercises etc. but they are outdoor livestock dogs. Do your family and the dog world a favor and go get a mutt from the rescue shelter.
well if you knew me you would never say anything about animal cruelty. Anyway, this is why i'm asking questions and getting information. I would be devistated if i bought a dog and then had to give it to the shelter or some other rescue club because i failed the dog and wasn't responsible enough.
Also, if i do end up getting a dog, i really want to get one from the ARL or shelter. How do these dogs respond to new owners? For example my parents own a Bernese Mt dog and they don't respond well to new owners usually. Are these guys the same way?
thanks for all the info guys!
If you want a Border and would like to rescue check out this link. Very good description of the dogs so you can decide if it is the right animal. http://www.mwbcr.org/
I agree with Geezer in a couple of respects. Only working Borders should breed to keep the lines healthy. They should not be bred for looks. The Collies you see at Dog Shows are tiny and not reflective of the what the breed should be. That said I take exception to the animal cruelty statement. If the dog sleeping in the bed, getting tummy rubs every morning, an hour walk at least one a day, hiking and dog beach trips, the best veterinary care, premium dog food, and training is animal cruelty lock me up I guess. She is a happy, social animal. A lot of websites and purists will try to discourage you from getting a Border, but many will tell you that a Border can be a wonderful family pet. Ultimately if you are responsible, and active a Border is a great, loyal dog.
I agree with Geezer in a couple of respects. Only working Borders should breed to keep the lines healthy. They should not be bred for looks. The Collies you see at Dog Shows are tiny and not reflective of the what the breed should be. That said I take exception to the animal cruelty statement. If the dog sleeping in the bed, getting tummy rubs every morning, an hour walk at least one a day, hiking and dog beach trips, the best veterinary care, premium dog food, and training is animal cruelty lock me up I guess. She is a happy, social animal. A lot of websites and purists will try to discourage you from getting a Border, but many will tell you that a Border can be a wonderful family pet. Ultimately if you are responsible, and active a Border is a great, loyal dog.
Depends on the dog. Personally, if it is your first dog, I would suggest a puppy. A mutt puppy from the shelter would be ok, possibly, if you have your name on the list, they call you, you show up the next day and take home.
The bond developed between you and a puppy, especially if just weened, will make training and everything much more smooth.
My personal recommendation is when you are ready, to start cruising craigslist for free mutt puppies, go visit them, and find one you like. If the owners are cool, they will usually let you come over a couple times a week before weening to play with it, observe, etc. Then at about 7 weeks, you can take home. Usually mutt puppies are great because they are dog lovers experimenting with making cool dogs. My dog now is 1/4 bloodhound, 1/4 springer, and 1/2 black lab. No one will have a dog like yours, and they will be healthier than purebreds anyway. I would suggest finding one with some kind of lab mix for the teamperment and loyalty.
A lot of my neighbors have Aus Sheps. Every single one of them is borderline insane. I 100% think that this is because they didnt socialize them correctly. 1 neighbor you litterally have to carry a large stick around w/ you to keep them from coming behind you and biting your legs, either that or walk backwards. They also attack parked cars, they freaking hate things that dont belong in their yards. Another guy has one and you dont even get out of the car or your toast. Once the guy brought it to my house in his truck and it leaped out and bit me in my own yard and then took off running which is lucky for him. Point is if you get one, make sure he understands that humans are in charge.
Mo-Kan Border Collie Rescue (Missouri, Kansas, Midwest)
My parents have gotten a few border collies from here. Including their current and he is a bright dog.
We have a border collie/ australian shephard mix, beautiful white merle color. Hands down the best dog we have owned. Truly is like a best friend. My wife absolutely loves her. She was easy to train. She never leaves our yard, you can let her out to go the bathroom and open the door and find her sitting on the step patiently waiting to come in. When she was less than 8 weeks old and little more than 5 lbs, having been at our house for only 2-3 wks ( we got her from a farm at 5 wks old) she somehow got out og a large pen attached to our house in back with access thru a dog door to the basement. My wife came home to find her on the front porch looking in our window. This dog, named lucy, is probably the most adept frisbee catcher i have ever seen. We have literally played frisbee with her nearly every day of her life-throughout the winter in snow and tonite in the 100 heat index since a few months old. This is at least 20 min a day every day. I run and take her running sometimes on the weekends, but she does not take heat well, so never when over 80' even though we keep her hair cut. Her color is really cool, almost like a snow leopard. Maybe we r lucky, but i would not consider any otherndog now and we've had all kinds, labs, blue heelers, dalmations, and mixed breeds. Definitely the coolest, cutest and sweetest dog i have ever seen. A joy to have her.
I wouldn't trade my Australian Shepard for the world. She is smart and obedient. Extremely easy to train (i had no experience and many people comment on her manners). The best thing you can do is socialize the pup at a young age, get them out and around people because they can easily become 'home-bodies'. I like that she's an alert dog (signals when people arrive at the house) but on command quiets down. Honestly, many on here rave about the exercise needed, but if you let them out after work for 15 minutes, they do their thing, run around, check everything out and are fine. Weekends I usually just spend time with her on the acreage. She sits and watches my every move. One tip for easy exercise is teaching them to catch frisbees, they love it (she demands it) and it's a fun activity. Can't go wrong with an Australian Shepard or a Border Collie. Best dogs ever!
