astrokath

Whisky knows the names of all her toys and can fetch them individually - not really that clever for a BC, but it seems to amaze any guests we have. I think the cleverest thing she does is the fact that she ignores a ringing phone if we are in the room or somewhere near, but will howl quite pathetically if we are in the bathroom. I've been alerted to the phone several times by this, because it is the only time I have heard her howl.

I got Whisky from a breeder. She is an Australian dog bred for showing, so she is one of the 'Barbie collies' so many of you speak of, but she is a lovely dog. The breeder was very responsible - saw our family, asked about our circumstances, insisted on Whisky being spayed, kept in contact via email and so on. I went to the pound to try to rescue a dog, but the majority were Rottie or Staffie crosses, and I was told that they rarely had Border Collies.

Thanks for the info. I have never heard them called that here, only Blue Heeler or Red Heeler, and of course lots of Kelpies and Cattle Dogs. I had never heard of an Australian Shepherd either until I came here. Not a common dog in Australia, although I have seen a couple since being aware of them.

Nancy, what is a Queensland mix? I've never heard that before and as an Aussie I'm interested. Kath

Whisky doesn't seem to mind the rain, but she hates having a bath and isn't interested in the sprinkler or the hose. She went swimming once at the beach, but only because she was chasing seagulls and they flew out to sea. She chased them into the water until she was swimming, then suddenly stopped with a shocked look on her face, and got out as soon as she could.

Whisky has two recalls - the 'obedience' one, which has always been great, and the 'playing in the park' one, which is usually non-existant. However, she is extremely driven when playing with her soccer ball, so it is quite safe for my sons to take her to the park opposite, take the lead off, and play with her,then put the lead back on to cross the road. She doesn't look at anything but us and the ball when playing