BCLuvr

You are probably right about them already moving when they hear "away". I have so much to learn with all the phrases and commands. I have heard most of them, just need to understand them and learn when to use them. The whistles are something I will definitely have to learn. All in due time. I hope my almost 53 year old brain can retain what I learn without "forgetting"....hahaha!

Thanks Julie. I really like the name Bree for a girl and it is good to know others have not had this problem. Old shepherds tales I guess........haha! Still thinking about a male's name at this point in time. Have quite a few picked out. Wish those babies would get here so I can choose.

I have heard over the years, it is best to name a border collie a one syllable name if you are using the dog for trials. The reason (I have heard)for this is it is easier to work with a dog with a one syllable name. I have also heard you shouldnt name your dog a name that would "rhyme" with any of the commands. What is everyone's experience with this? Any suggestions, ideas? I am awaiting a puppy at this time. I am not sure if it will be a female or a male as I will wait and see what I connect with and that is the puppy I will get. If it is a female, I am considering the name Bree, however, that rhymes with "away to me". As this dog will be my first attempt at sheep dog trials, I want to start off with at least the right name.

Both of the border collies are beautiful, but you just cannot beat the intensity in the working border collies eyes. I will stick with the ABCA border collies, not interesting in the AKC show border collies.

Sue and Amelia.......thank you so much for your advice and questions. I raised border collies years ago and most of them went to working farms/ranches. A few I felt were not "good enough" for ranch work so their owners bought them for pets and flyball. It has been many years so I am relearning a lot of what I once knew. I am new to the sheep dog trials, something I wanted to do years ago but just didnt have the time, as I had a small child. So I apologize for not being more clear with my experience with the breed. As someone said on here earlier, I pick a puppy based on my ability to "connect" with the puppy. I am waiting on a puppy right now whose parents are both working cow dogs on a ranch. I expect the litter to be black/white which is fine by me because I love the black/white dogs best and as Amelia stated the color is the least important to me. This will be my first trial dog, so my expectations are not high, as we will both be learning together. I am also working with someone in the area that has done trials for many years. As for breeding that is way down the road. Not within the next couple of years for sure. I need to learn all I can about doing trials first. And I need to see how my puppy will perform before even considering breeding. He/she may not be breeding stock and I feel that is something I wont know until the dog reaches maturity. So if I gave the impression I was rushing into it, again, I apologize. In talking about the merle color, I had just always been drawn to them for the color and this thread made me see them in a different light. Amelia, you are correct, it should be more about the dog's ability than looks. I shall heed your advice. I am sure these boards will teach me more and more as time goes by and I look forward to getting to know many of you.

This has been a very informative thread. I am just beginning to learn how to be a handler and start participating in sheep dog trials. I have had border collies for years, most of them being the traditional black/white with various amounts of white. Some split face, some blazes, one all white faced. I had a red too. I am also very drawn to the blue merles because of their coloring. I had considered getting a blue merle to breed with my female until I read this thread. Now I am not so sure. I currently have a smooth coat tri blue merle (not breeding quality) and in all honesty he has been the least intelligent border collie I have ever had. He has been very difficult to train in just simple obedience and I still have issues with him. Even though I love the merle coloring, I am still drawn to the traditional black/white. Such a sharp combination. I will, however, always look for the rough coats as I just like them best.