Vocal?

[Guest echoica]

Curious. Would you say Border Collies seem to be a bit more vocal when playing? I mean not to generalize because there are, naturally, always exceptions to any 'rule' for a breed. But I would like to hear *if* YOUR border collies are vocal when playing And when I say vocal I just mean, some barking, growling and other odd noises that cannot be named...

[HoosierMike]

My female, Maggie, will actually only bark and play growl

while playing, otherwise, she is almost silent. The little guy,

on the other hand, will alert bark to most noises, as well as,

backtalking to us on a regular basis. The kind where he

mumbles under his breath will staring at you. Now, during

their play sessions, he makes the noises that I can only

compare to that of a bear cub. I swear, it sounds EXACTLY

like that.

[scomona]

Shiloh is silent at all times except when he plays. He will respond to "reaaaaaaaadyyyyyyyyyyy" with a bark.... and when we play tug games or when he plays with other dogs he will grunt.

 

He is so quiet all of the time- that is a shock to hear him bark or grunt! I think sometimes he even scares himself!

[nicocosmos1]

Nico sounds like a wookie when he's play-wrestling. He grumbles occasionally. Almost never barks. The only other time he's very vocal is in the car. Then he makes terrible high pitched whining sounds, desperate little wookie sounds, and dramatic grumbles.

[ejano]

Brodie is an exceptionally quiet dog...he rarely barks even when company comes.

 

Ladybug and Robin both stress whine when they can't figure something out and when chasing the ball, if Ladybug misses it, she grumbles something very unladylike under her breath!

 

When Robin knows it is time to play games or train, he literally throws back his head and yodels, "Laissez les bons temps rouler" -- Let the good times roll! I've never had a dog do that...always makes me laugh.

 

Other than that, they are very quiet dogs.

 

Liz

[BustopherJones]

When Annie is playing "keepaway" with her ball, she will play-growl softly with the ball in her mouth while her tail is wagging joyously. If I play "touch the tail" or "touch the piddy toes" with her (different versions of "keepaway"), she will also play-growl, or bark in a softer and mellower tone different from when she is barking for real, again with the tail going a mile a minute.

[scomona]

if Ladybug misses it, she grumbles something very unladylike under her breath!

 

Shiloh does that too..... I find it hilarious.

 

If it is too big or he is having trouble with it..he will grumble at it.....like he is trying to tell it off.... ha!!

[Sue R]

Megan and Dan (and, previously, Megan and Bute) will make some horrendous sounds when playing tug with each other - especially Megan. With her being deaf, I wonder if the extra levels of noise are partly due to her lack of hearing. We have some video and the sounds would make you think there is a dog war going on. When she and Celt were younger, they would also make lots of noise in play battles, but Celt's outgrown that and Megan is more into tug-of-war (with Ed or with Dan).

 

Celt is a yodeler (noises kind of like a Wookie, as Nico's owner said) when he's wanting something badly. Other than that, he's the quiet one.

[Alchemist]

Duncan is normally very quiet. He never barks at other dogs on a walk or in obedience class. Even when I take him in the back yard, and the neighbor's labs start barking at him, he just looks at them. I'm grateful, because he normally comes to work with me, and it wouldn't be popular if he barked every time someone tapped on my office door. I've been working on getting him to bark at home. If I know someone is coming over, I ask him whether he wants to be "watchdog", and he usually responds with a short bark. That revs him up to the point where he'll bark at the door. (He has good door manners, and immediately goes to his bed when I let someone in). He will bark on command. But other than those situations, I rarely hear him bark.

 

As far as vocalizing while playing, he loves pretending he's "wolf cub", growling ferociously over a stick he finds on a walk or while playing a game of "tug".

 

He thinks he's musical, so when my younger son is practicing clarinet, he'll joyfully engage in a "sing along". So I try to time his walks to coincide with clarinet practices.

 

His favorite vocalization, though, is a yodel that sounds a lot like Robin's. He throws his head back and emits an exuberant "Ar-ar-ar-rooo!", with sometimes a "yeah!" thrown in at the end for good measure. This is how he tells us that all's well in his world and he thinks it's time for us to play with him. We call it "singing" and now he'll do it on command. He also does it when he meets new people and they aren't giving him as much attention as he thinks he deserves. It can be a bit off-putting to people who don't know dogs very well. I try to explain that it's his "happy noise", but to them it just sounds like a howl.

[ejano]

Duncan is normally very quiet. He never barks at other dogs on a walk or in obedience class. Even when I take him in the back yard, and the neighbor's labs start barking at him, he just looks at them. I'm grateful, because he normally comes to work with me, and it wouldn't be popular if he barked every time someone tapped on my office door. I've been working on getting him to bark at home. If I know someone is coming over, I ask him whether he wants to be "watchdog", and he usually responds with a short bark. That revs him up to the point where he'll bark at the door. (He has good door manners, and immediately goes to his bed when I let someone in). He will bark on command. But other than those situations, I rarely hear him bark.

 

As far as vocalizing while playing, he loves pretending he's "wolf cub", growling ferociously over a stick he finds on a walk or while playing a game of "tug".

 

He thinks he's musical, so when my younger son is practicing clarinet, he'll joyfully engage in a "sing along". So I try to time his walks to coincide with clarinet practices.

 

His favorite vocalization, though, is a yodel that sounds a lot like Robin's. He throws his head back and emits an exuberant "Ar-ar-ar-rooo!", with sometimes a "yeah!" thrown in at the end for good measure. This is how he tells us that all's well in his world and he thinks it's time for us to play with him. We call it "singing" and now he'll do it on command. He also does it when he meets new people and they aren't giving him as much attention as he thinks he deserves. It can be a bit off-putting to people who don't know dogs very well. I try to explain that it's his "happy noise", but to them it just sounds like a howl.

 

That's it exactly! How did you teach it on command? With a clicker? It is so darned funny and he's so happy, it would make a good response to a question as a parlor trick.

 

I do have one little trick for him....I say, "Raise your paw if you.....(did something, either good or bad) and of course, he cues on "raise your paw" so he admits all kinds of things .

 

Liz

[ejano]

Shiloh does that too..... I find it hilarious.

 

If it is too big or he is having trouble with it..he will grumble at it.....like he is trying to tell it off.... ha!!

 

Sounds kind of like one of the cartoon characters -- was it Wiley Coyote?

[Star]

Sounds kind of like one of the cartoon characters -- was it Wiley Coyote?

 

When we first got Star, she only barked when she wanted something (like the ball she just rolled under the couch, or when she wanted to jump on the couch and I wouldn't let her). I guess that's frustration. Our hound, Seven, barks at strangers, so whenever Seven would raise the warning bark, Star would run for cover! Star will now bark when running for cover! No guard dog in her background! Star will also roll around in her dog bed and make little groaning, whining noises (bear cub style, that's it). She also barks at unfamiliar noises. Seven is a real talker-not a lot of barking, but often will woo, woo, woo at me to tell me about her day. She'll go on and on. So, I imagine that Star will learn from this and get louder as she gets older.

[Mariji]

Mine are just regular huskys. It makes everyone laugh to hear them go at it. They howl and screech and make all sorts of weird noises you'd swear collies couldn't make. They backchat too like a husky if I tell them they can't do something.

[Alchemist]

That's it exactly! How did you teach it on command? With a clicker? It is so darned funny and he's so happy, it would make a good response to a question as a parlor trick.

 

We haven't used a clicker (though I'm thinking of getting one as soon as we can get dug out beneath all the snow). We just used "yes!!!" as a marker and gave him a treat to encourage him to do it. Later we added the command "sing!" and a hand signal that we made up. He's happy to do it without treats these days, though, as he enjoys doing it and he knows we enjoy hearing it. He gets this "aren't I a GOOD DOG" glint in his eye that makes it all the funnier when other people (non-dog people) are nonplussed.

 

It is a good parlor trick - that and "take a bow!". I use them both when he's meeting small children who are a little leery of dogs as they're much less threatening than having him expect them to "shake" hands with him. In turn, he's now conditioned to think "small children = tricks = treats = WONDERFUL!" But I love your suggestion of "raising your paw" in response to a question. How could that not win over new friends? Maybe I'll get the boys to work on that this week (they're starting to bounce off the walls with school getting cancelled five days running - shoveling only blunts so much of their energy).

[Mariji]

We haven't used a clicker (though I'm thinking of getting one as soon as we can get dug out beneath all the snow). We just used "yes!!!" as a marker and gave him a treat to encourage him to do it. Later we added the command "sing!" and a hand signal that we made up. He's happy to do it without treats these days, though, as he enjoys doing it and he knows we enjoy hearing it. He gets this "aren't I a GOOD DOG" glint in his eye that makes it all the funnier when other people (non-dog people) are nonplussed.

 

It is a good parlor trick - that and "take a bow!". I use them both when he's meeting small children who are a little leery of dogs as they're much less threatening than having him expect them to "shake" hands with him. In turn, he's now conditioned to think "small children = tricks = treats = WONDERFUL!" But I love your suggestion of "raising your paw" in response to a question. How could that not win over new friends? Maybe I'll get the boys to work on that this week (they're starting to bounce off the walls with school getting cancelled five days running - shoveling only blunts so much of their energy).

 

Both my dogs can speak on command but my pup took it to a new level. She "sings" for me instead. That or she makes the movement like a bark but nothing comes out only the sound of her mouth shutting.

 

That's great that you do that. I've seen kids do the same with my dogs because they wear haltis and they think they are muzzles. So I just ask Myla if she is shy and she will get down and cover her face with her paws. That always makes anyone laugh.

[MicheleS.]

Chase is in silent stealth mode when he plays. The aussie is snarling and growling when they play tug, sounds like she's killing something. Chase is silent. He even seems like he tip-toes around waiting for me to throw his ball or toy.

He has learned to speak on command though, I like to hear him bark every once in a while

[AmandaMJL]

My boys are all vocal (one pure BC, one BC/kelpie mix, one BC/aussie mix) but my pure female BC is quiet. I wondered if my labs had something to do with their mouths!

[lyndzbrown]

All three of ours are very vocal while playing.... making all sorts of sounds from growls to barking to uknown unearthly sounds

[sweet_ceana]

When mine wrestle with each other they sound like they are in a knock down drag out fight. They aren't trying to hurt anyone, but they make the audio sound vicious. Tug is always noisy with a person or another dog. When they play other games with us they are quiet, or a quick "hurry up will ya" bark.

 

I wouldn't consider it playing, but I would consider it fun: Poke, for lack of a better term, bitched me out while at a herding lesson. He wanted the sheep, and I wouldn't let him have them until I got a down (first down for me ever.) He got frustrated, expressed his opinion, tried to give me the evil eye, and then downed. He hasn't had issues downing sense, nor has he been that vocal since.

[ejano]

We haven't used a clicker (though I'm thinking of getting one as soon as we can get dug out beneath all the snow). We just used "yes!!!" as a marker and gave him a treat to encourage him to do it. Later we added the command "sing!" and a hand signal that we made up. He's happy to do it without treats these days, though, as he enjoys doing it and he knows we enjoy hearing it. He gets this "aren't I a GOOD DOG" glint in his eye that makes it all the funnier when other people (non-dog people) are nonplussed.

 

It is a good parlor trick - that and "take a bow!". I use them both when he's meeting small children who are a little leery of dogs as they're much less threatening than having him expect them to "shake" hands with him. In turn, he's now conditioned to think "small children = tricks = treats = WONDERFUL!" But I love your suggestion of "raising your paw" in response to a question. How could that not win over new friends? Maybe I'll get the boys to work on that this week (they're starting to bounce off the walls with school getting cancelled five days running - shoveling only blunts so much of their energy).

 

 

Sorry to hear that you're in the snow belt...we're just north of it, thank goodness. One of my cousins said that not one but two of the area's WalMart's had roof collapses but the funniest was another cousin hooking up the generator to her stove to make Brownies...one apparently can't have a blizzard without chocolate!

 

I"ll remember the "sing" when Robin does it next time....

[BCjetta]

My BC doesn't really play with other dogs willingly...about all she will do is a modified herding type behaviour of rushing the aussie when he's running in her direction and heading him off or making a grab at his side as he runs by (mind you I don't really think she's playing when she does this). She's always silent when/if she plays - she air snaps and makes no noise. There's only been about 5 dogs she's ever played with in her life and she's 11.5 now. She's also silent when she attacks the cats or whatever she's decided to lunge at. The only time she barks is if she's alarmed. She will make growly groaning noises if she needs to go outside, or wants to play with me and I'm ignoring her. She won't growl at other animals or make any noises to alert them she's not happy...its all silent until the lunge which is also silent.

The aussie is VERY vocal when playing. He will not shut up! He barks non stop, he makes growling noises, snarling noises etc. I find he seems to intimidate some other dogs with his barking in their face. When he plays with his aussie friend, they sound like they're all out attacking each other.

[Jacks_Mom]

My Jack is very vocal when playing, or anytime. Vocal in making the little noises he makes he very rarely barks unless there are birds in the yard. He what I call talks to me with his little howling thing that he does. He tells on the kids when they don't play the way he wants, he will run to what ever room I am in and do is little howling thing and wait for me to follow him to what ever it is he is telling me. We even sit and have conversations, yes converstaions, he answers me with all the litlle noises he makes, shoot he listens better than the kids and the other half lol... I have figured out the different noises that he makes when he is hungry, wants to go out, wants his cats in, etc.... I love it!!!