What border collie should I get?
Question by Stephanie: What border collie should I get?
We have been introduced to a Collie Cross called Zac from a local animal shelter. We have walked him three times and were going to adopt him, but then he was anxious in the car, jumped out despite my protests and lunged towards a dog just as we were approaching the walkway. I am willing to learn how to break these habits, but I don’t know how trainable he is because he is seven years old. Our last dog wasn’t very well trained as there weren’t as many resources available to us back then and she was also a shelter dog that we got at four, she was a terrior and would bark when she didn’t get attention, was an escape artist, liked stealing catfood and had sensitive spots on her body where she would snap if people stroked her heavily in those areas- basically we had trouble with her around small children because they didn’t listen when we told them to be careful with her. She was nervous with police officers for some unknown reason and liked chasing people on skateboards. I was eight years old when we got this dog and she got put down three years ago. I am 21 now.
After researching dogs in local shelters it seems like many of them have issues and I’m not sure if I can deal with them, which is making me want to get a puppy instead as I kind of seeing it as having a clean slate and puppies supposingly learn faster. I have read the Dog Whisperers guide to Puppys and plan on reading more books to get a greater understanding of what I’m getting myself into.
I need to lose a bit of weight, and want to lead an active lifestyle so I am willing to set aside two hours a day to walk my dog, and my parents will walk him/her one hour a day. We will take him/her to the park in the weekend. I want to let my dog offlead everyday for an hour or two for pure running but we won’t do that until he/she is properly socialised and has proper recall. I asked about getting a Border Collie in a previous question today and was told I didn’t deserve to get a dog, but I am willing to put the time in and learn about the breed I get to ensure it gets proper care. I want to teach my dog tricks (ie its job) and will probably start the dog in agility/flyball classes once they have reached a certain level of obediance. As well as the walking I want to spend an hour a day training the dog and playing fetch with it.
I plan on crate training my dog, as it sounds quite useful and introduce clicker training. I have some books in my Amazon wishlist I plan on buying- games to play with your dog, 101 tricks to teach your dog and a guide to Border Collies. I also watch the Dog Whisperer and Its me or the Dog on TV, but some of the techniques I’ve used from the Dog Whisperer didn’t work on Zac.
Here are some things I want in my dog.
Appearance: Soft and fluffy. Doesn’t look like my original dog (you’d be surprised how many I’ve come across that could have played her stunt double!), photogenic and happy to be photographed and dressed up occassionally, a dog I find attractive (I don’t really think that is the right word to use… opps)
Health: A dog that is reasonably young (4 or under hopefully), a dog with good hearing
Personality: Playful and likes fetching things, will respect and listen to me even though I have a soft voice, accepts that I am the master, will not bark more than neccessary,
Behaviour/training: Easy to teach, good on a lead, non aggresive, will not snap at people, happy to put its head on my lap when on the couch to be stroked, is okay being handled, relaxed in the car.
Other: Okay to live with cats and other dogs, will be okay when I start having kids, not jealous or poccessive
I have read some really good things about Border Collies and some really bad things. It basically sounds like a Border Collie will behave well if you give it the exercise it needs and it has a job to perform. It should not be left alone for long periods at a time otherwise it can become bored and destructive, and it has a strong instintive desire to herd and may snap at children if not trained properly. I don’t get adequate exercise now, but I would step it up if I got a dog.
What do you guys think?
This is Zac- http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa348/stephaniebeth5/IMG_9647.jpg
Best answer:
Answer by Julissa
Border Collies MUST have frequent opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored — which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing. Bored Border Collies are famous for chewing through drywall, ripping the stuffing out of sofas, and turning your yard into a moonscape of giant craters.
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I do not see any signs of border collie in Zac. He is an attractive dog but do not believe he has either Collie or border collie in his mix.
I was all excited and pro-you until you listed what you wanted. That’s a stuffed dog. It’s unrealistic expectations. You need to train your dog to get there. And dressing your dog up? A dog shouldn’t be dressed up unless it is wearing a jacket for when it’s cold or something like that. Which is not a breed characteristic. Being photogenic is not a breed characteristic. Good hearing is not a breed characteristic unless the breed is prone to deafness and you’ll want to stay away. Respect and listening to you, accepting you as ‘master’ are not breed characteristics. Good on a lead, non-aggressive, will not snap at people, likes to be pet, okay to be handled, relaxed in the car, being not jealous or possessive are NOT breed characteristics.
Seriously I was all stoked for you and was going to encourage you, but you still have a lot to learn. You’re taking the right steps, but before you get one read all the books first. Talk to dog trainers, ask questions on here, get real life experience. There’s a lot to learn, and no one learns it in a week. Even people who’ve owned dogs for 50+ years are still learning so don’t feel bad, okay? But you do need much more knowledge before you get into this. Because if you don’t, you’ll have unrealistic expectations, will get disappointed and frustrated, your dog’s well-being will be compromised, etc. You’re never going to get where you want to be with your dog.
I don’t like those TV show training shows at all, but there is a book I like. “It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet”. I own this book and it’s just a basic thing about dog body language, how to train basics, some things about diet, etc. It helps with common problems, but the answers to fix these problems will sometimes not work for your dog, so just be aware of that! Just like any solution on a show, it’s not always the right way for your dog.
My uncle loves these guys; http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ I own one of their books I think it’s the “The Art of Raising a Puppy” or something. My uncle uses this method on his hunting dogs and these dogs are the best dogs I’ve ever encountered, there might be something in it for you! I use a lot of their tips but not all.
Honestly, there’s a million ways to raise a puppy, there’s a million ways to train a dog, there’s a million ways to fix problems in the dog world, you can’t just listen to one person. You need to find out what’s best for you and your situation. That’s something everyone needs to learn.
I wouldn’t get Zac, you have a lot to learn.
I would suggest seeking out a rescue if the local shelter dogs are not suiting what you are looking for in a dog. They are usually much better about placing dogs in appropriate homes, assuming you work with an established rescue with a good reputation (there are not so great rescues out there). I know of many BC rescue people that have placed hundreds of BCs and were able to help families find a dog that was the best match for their lifestyle.