Just for fun: What one thing do you wish you had known when you got your first BC?

[hkwm]

I'm curious: what do you know now that you wish you knew then?

[mbc1963]

As far as dogs go?

 

Pull back. Go gently. When he trusts you, he'll start trusting the world.

 

As far as life goes?

 

I could write a book!

 

Mary

[juliepoudrier]

I wish I had known that I'd embark on a whole new adventure as a sheep farmer. Actually that's not something I needed to know ahead of time. I guess I never would have thought that border collies would change my life as much as they did.

 

J.

[Oko]

Oh, I'll be taking notes, haha.

[urge to herd]

What not to teach them. Cute tricks like getting something out of a box became checking out the bathroom garbage can at every opportunity. Won't ever do that again, ever.

 

How freakin' fast they learn. And how freaking careful I need to be to set their expectations. Gibbs has gotten used to 'most days we go for a long walk in the morning, but some days we don't'. That works nicely for us. The first 3, whom we had all at the same time, I trained to go to the dog park and play fetch every single morning and evening. That's my #2 never again.

 

To take tiny, tiny steps with the scaredy cat ones. Took me way too long to get that one. Works a treat, though.

 

Enjoy them! Laugh more than you think you ever needed to, hold them close as long as you can, let go when it's the best thing for the dog.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

[AerBear26]

Avoiding toy OCD. My first BC was so ball obsessed she couldn't even take a leisurely stroll with us without laying down and staring at us to throw something even few feet.... I now alternate toys OFTEN, and dont make our relationship solely about playing with toys. In fact if I had my own sheep id NEVER play toys with my BCs... but they gotta exercise!

 

Also do more desensitizing. First one ended up skittish and I could have done more to build her confidence as a puppy.

 

aaaaand would have done herding BEFORE agility rather than visa versa. She was so dependent on my directions after agility she couldnt think for herself when introduced to sheep. I no longer do agility with my herding dogs! NOT saying it cant be done but I would definitely recommend doing agility AFTER a strong herding foundation.

[Alchemist]

Learned this the hard way, with a Border collie I raised ~35 years ago: how rapidly a quirky "trick" can become an obsession. I've heard of many more since, from biting at a hose turning into an obsession with water (and taps - staring at them all day) to playing with rocks (and becoming obsessed by them, ruining teeth in the process), playing with laser pointers and becoming obsessed over reflections, or....

 

Don't ever think "ha, ha, that's cute" - try to anticipate what it could become if taken to extreme. Border collies don't tend to do things by halves.

[Sue R]

These answers make me remember someone who posted (here, perhaps) how she had taught her Border Collie to fetch her things out of the fridge. One day, sleeping in (sick, maybe?), she awoke to find her bed full of the contents of her fridge. Her dog had brought everything in an effort to entice her to get up and spend some time with him.

 

Smart. Fast-learning. Clever.

[alligande]

How sensitive they are, and even though we knew they were smart living and learning with one was a very different experience than a "regular" but far from dumb dog.

[AerBear26]

These answers make me remember someone who posted (here, perhaps) how she had taught her Border Collie to fetch her things out of the fridge. One day, sleeping in (sick, maybe?), she awoke to find her bed full of the contents of her fridge. Her dog had brought everything in an effort to entice her to get up and spend some time with him.

 

Smart. Fast-learning. Clever.

LOL!! hilarious!

[urge to herd]

These answers make me remember someone who posted (here, perhaps) how she had taught her Border Collie to fetch her things out of the fridge. One day, sleeping in (sick, maybe?), she awoke to find her bed full of the contents of her fridge. Her dog had brought everything in an effort to entice her to get up and spend some time with him.

 

Smart. Fast-learning. Clever.

 

I remember that! Can't think of her name, but she woke up surrounded by by whole pies and several cans of soda. Still laugh when I think of that.

[ChantalB]

Impulse control. Impulse control. Impulse control.

[ChantalB]

Oh! And like I knew I was getting a super athletic, smart awesome dog... But you just don't realize it until you live with and love one that they are so unique, so amazing, just so awe inspiring how you attach to them.

 

My 4 year old who've I've had since he was 8 weeks, got him at 20 years old, he's just my world. I never expected that. I don't mean it in a stupid he is my "furbaby/furkid", he's not my surrogate child or anything. He's just my most epic best friend, a constant companion that I don't tire of (okay sometimes he's a brat). You don't realize the bond with them till you have your own. Indescribable.

 

I never expected such a life changing series of feelings and awesomeness.

 

I've had dogs my whole life, great amazing dogs I love and have loved with my whole heart. Ones that I just had an amazing friendship with. But the relationship between person and border collie is just unreal.

 

And my rescue I got 3 months ago, he's fast becoming my everything #2. He's so different than Jude, but so uniquely border collie.

 

Uniquely border collie. Yup.

 

I wouldn't call them dogs honestly. They are a species of their own.

[ArtTalKat]

Talon is my first BC and he's still young, but I think the biggest thing I wasn't truly prepared for was all the fear periods. He just finished up what I hope to be his last (or second to last) fear period, but I wish I would not of pushed him to say hi to people/dogs he was scared of when he was younger and scared. Take it slow and easy and go at the dogs pace would be mine.

[Lewie'sMom]

How sensitive they are, and even though we knew they were smart living and learning with one was a very different experience than a "regular" but far from dumb dog.

 

+1

[G. Festerling]

How addictive they are and how they can put a very different spin on your life.

[WildFlower]

How addictive they are and how they can put a very different spin on your life.

 

 

I second that!

[Tuxedodog]

That no matter the low points you may encounter, the rest makes up for it. After sayng never again, 8 months later, we are looking for another one.

[AerBear26]

How addictive they are and how they can put a very different spin on your life.

 

i third that!!

[MollieMae]

1. How sensitive they are

2. That a little mental stimulation can take the place of a lot of physical activity, but a lot of physical activity WON'T take the place of mental stimulation

3. How strong that bond is, how much they NEED to be involved in every aspect of your life.

I have some wonderful, intelligent dogs in the past- German Shepherds, Labs, Goldens- but they were dogs. BCs really AREN'T dogs. They are a species all their own.

[Smalahundur]

I think my wife would like to have known what would happen after she send me to a stockwork clinic a couple of years ago....

[terrecar]

My dog is an Aussie/Border Collie cross, but from the descriptions of behavior on this forum I can certainly see Border Collie characteristics. So, I wish I had known that they did not need loads and loads of excercise. However, no irreparable damage was done thanks to this board. I came here to learn about my dog, and the insight from people who have experience with the breed has been an invaluable resource.

[Sue R]

One other thing I just realized, maybe the most important thing, would have been to have known about this board when I got Skye, my first (after the crossbred, dumped dogs, and Aussies that preceded him) Border Collie. I made a bunch of mistakes with him that, had I had the advice of experienced people here, I might have avoided to his betterment and mine. As it was, when I got him into a puppy training class offered in Morgantown, we made great strides - but the advice I could have found here from the stockworking people would have been a wonderful help. That pup was a lot smarter and faster-learning than any pup of any breed I'd ever had, and was out-thinking me and picking up bad habits because of my ignorance.

 

Things began to gel and come along nicely when I got him into class. I sure wish I'd had the help I could have gotten here, though. Many of those folks no longer frequent here but a few of the "oldies", like Julie Poudrier, and the newbies, like Gloria Atwater, are now here to give sound advice to pet owners and stockdog owners alike. I thank them!

[bcnewe2]

The issues and ignorance of akc vs. A well bred border collie. I had no idea....

 

That and how my life would turn into a giant border collie journey!

[gcv-border]

I wish I had known how 'easily' they can hurt themselves (particularly when young) because they are so agile, intense, and try soooo hard - that they don't even think about themselves.

 

My boy has had several injuries. One only requiring a rest period and rehab exercises, but the more serious injury (from fetching balls in the backyard) required shoulder surgery for a torn biceps tendon. Luckily, they have both healed wonderfully and he in in great physical health (according to my rehab vet).

 

I did not join this board until after I had Torque for about a year so was not clued into the need for lower impact exercises as a pup, growth plate closure, etc. This knowledge may have saved him from his first injury (ileopsoas strain), but not his second - which happened at 3 years of age.

 

So I would also have to say that owning a BC may also entail being ready to foot the bill for physical injuries for these athletes.

 

And specific to my situation, I will make sure that my next BC does not jump the last few steps on the stairway. Torque loved/loves to do this. As a new BC owner, I loved the fact that my BC pup was agile enough to jump those last few steps - and he really loved it as shown by the 'smile' on his face. By allowing him to jump like this, the stress was building up on his shoulders. Nowadays, if he jumps the last few steps (habit/laziness), I make him come back up the stairs and repeat his downward trip, but this time he must put a paw on the last step. [This early jumping habit has proven very difficult to overcome when training running contacts for agility, because his default behavior is to jump the last few feet, i.e. the contact zone.)

 

Jovi