Joffshore Posted December 6, 2018 Report Share Posted December 6, 2018 Hi. I have always dreamed of having a Border Collie and it finally happened , I have a bitch that is about 1 year old and although she comes from a working line she spent her first year completely neglected, she was a sort of rescue. The reason I always wanted a Collie was the fascination with the working sheepdog and the fact that I breed sheep and have about 30, and a dog would obviously help me a lot. The thing is, I have another dog but I have no experience in sheepdog training at all, I have a friend who is very knowlegeable and has trained lots of dogs, but never sheepdogs. I don't aspire to go to trials and the dog will be loved and looked after even if she never gets to be a good sheepdog , but my question is, given her age and my lack of experience, what are my chances to get her to be useful with the sheep? All tips welcome, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted December 6, 2018 Report Share Posted December 6, 2018 Joff I've no knowledge at all, except what I've read here and heard from friends, about training working border collies. What I do know is that everyone starts out as a beginner. If you let us know whereabouts you live, someone on the Boards might be able to direct you to a resource for training. Best of luck and what a lovely girl you've gotten! Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joffshore Posted December 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2018 My location is maybe the main problem in this, I live in a small island almost bang on the middle of the North Atlantic, one of the Azores, and communications are very difficult, it's a whole day of flying with at least 3 planes just to get to the mainland, so I can only profit from online resources and advice.That's already pretty big but of course it's not the same. Anyway, I'll keep trying to learn and adapt with all the videos, articles and discussion found here. Thank you! Jorge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted December 7, 2018 Report Share Posted December 7, 2018 Welcome to the Boards, Jorge. A lot of dogs don't turn on until about a year old and many people don't start any kid of serious training until around that age, so I wou'dn't worry about that aspect of your question. Nice looking dog. Best wishes with her training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted December 7, 2018 Report Share Posted December 7, 2018 Beautiful dog you got there. Can't advise on sheep training but I want to let you know you've found a great forum for all kinds of info on border collies. I googled your location and it is true; you really are out there. Must be a very interesting place to live! Welcome to the boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denice Posted December 8, 2018 Report Share Posted December 8, 2018 I went from no sheep experience, any other large animals except horses for that matter, to a sheep flock and training my own border collies. Took me years but I am doing it. Check out a book and video by Julie Hill " the Natural Way" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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