Thinking about getting a dog

I have a dog - yes they are a lot of work but they are indeed man's best friend.

It is very hit and miss sometimes with dogs, it depends on the training, the temperament and your lifestyle.

Border collies are an extremely active breed of dog so beware, they are also worker dogs. Be wary of the breed you want.

I second msudawgs56. I have a Border and he's a crap ton of work. You have to keep them working, otherwise they'll drive you crazy. If you have kids, they'll try to herd them.

Don't get me wrong. In the right environment, Borders are great dogs.

Oh, and they shed like mad. My wife has blown through several vacuums.

If I can be so bold as to recommend a breed, I highly doubt I'll have another dog that isn't a Boxer.

Hi butters!

A lot of great advice above! Labs, if you're thinking about that still, are a lot of work also. They are a super active dog! We have a lab/shepherd mix (rescue) and he drove me crazy for 2 years! He is a wonderful dog now, but I had to continually keep him busy. We do live on a ranch, so it was easier.

Golden Retrievers are an excellent breed, super smart, sweet and great watch dogs. All dogs come with challenges, so I'm glad that you're asking before just going out and getting a cute puppy! :p

Perhaps if you said more about your lifestyle and what kind of land you have available, we could help you out more.

If you don't have a herd, don't get a herding dog. My sister has two Heelers and a small yard and wonders why she can't control them! :rolleyes:

~ Theresa

Be firm with them when they are young and when the dog gets older he will be a great companion! When I was training my yellow lab we were very strict with her even if some of the things she did was "cute". She is the best dog ever now :-P

Wow, sounds like you could really take care of a Border Collie! I had a Collie Shepherd mix and she was a wonderful dog!!! If you can put in the time for this breed, then go for it!

I know a few people that have this breed, and all of them swear by them. And, to clarify, my sister is a great doggie mom, but she and her husband are at work most of the day. The dogs have a nice area, but are left bored.

Now, if you don't mind, I'll share a funny story about my Collie..
Before we got our ranch, I lived in a house with a decent sized yard. I would leave the slider to the house open so she could come in and out when I was home.

Well, I was busy one day and NOT paying attention to her. I had a collection of stuffed animals (all sylvester the cat) and some matching slippers. When I checked on her, all of the "cats" and my slippers were outside in a collective group, under our tree. She had, herded them. She was there with them, keeping them all safe!

With any herding dog, don't be surprised if they move their "babies" around, and always make sure they have a lot of "babies". It will keep them busy when you're trying to work!

Good luck and I wish you all the best!!!

~ Theresa

As with what Who's That Guru said, any dog is a good dog!

Your story about the bone was hilarious! We have a pair of sisters (golden retriever/shepherd mix), my one girl looks like a black golden retriever, she's just gorgeous! She likes to take my things and carry them around with her. She's also the perfect mouser!

Why I'm telling you this is: Herd dogs, Retrievers, Labs and such all use their mouths. Herd dogs bite heals, Retrievers are SUPPOSED to go get things (mine don't , oh, they'll go get them, they won't bring them back!) And, Labs are known for their hunting/ability to bring back your "target".

Their mouth's are a very emotional part of their "being". Once an owner understands that, they're on their way to success!

Again, have fun, good luck and keep us posted!

~ Theresa

If you want a Border Collie, you could start small and work your way up! Get a Sheltie!

Lots of excellent advice posted. It's great that you have had experience with collies.

My beloved 'Riley' is a mixed breed with border collie being one of them. Her energizer batteries finally wore out this year. She is 16 yrs old and is now going through the 'cantankerous' stage of life as many before her have done at that age. She fully expects to be waited on, talked to and will do anything to get her tummy rubbed! She is talking to me right now and I am ignoring her....so she raises her tone and continues. If I ignore her long enough, she will bark - then she get's a firm "no bark" command from me. That's when she comes over to me and sits 'pretty' next to me smiling and staring with those big sad puppy eyes!

Energy - OMG!, for 15 yrs this ole girl was full of energy. She would swim all day from spring through till fall. She loved to chase rabbits and would do that until the rabbit could no longer move. She would then just smell and lick the rabbit - never ever harmed one. I was fortunate to have over 5-600 acres for her to run, swim and play herself out. I've seen her come home in the winter literally covered in icicles after being on a chase. It's was just a game for her.

I always remember the time I was just sitting on the dock while Riley swam. A fisherman had come by early on in the day and arrived back about six hours later. He asked "don't you give that dog a break?" to which I replied "You be my guest and try to get her out of the water!!!" It was nothing for her to swim for 2-3 hours without ever coming to shore. At a young age, she got used to swimming along side me while I was kayaking. Boaters used to ride over to us and question her ability to swim so far. I started by kayaking close to shore where Riley could walk the path - nope, she wanted to swim. I used to lift her out of the water and put her in the kayak - she wouldn't stay and would ever so gently crawl out and jump back into the water.

Yes they are highly intelligent and social dogs. Riley knows what "time to go home" means among other things. If we were someplace else and Riley was in the water, as soon as I said "time to go home", Riley would get her frisbee down under her paws and literally swim in circles all the while managing to keep the frisbee submerged and ignoring the command to 'come'. She was worse than a kid when it come to getting out of the water.

BTW, they also learn how to spell pretty darn quick She even knows phone numbers...but, she's still Ma's baby girl and she knows it I love her death.

One thing, no - actually two things I disciplined her for was the nipping and the paws up on the counter. Her Dad used to encourage the paws up while entertaining. He thought it quite cute that she would watch him prepare steaks for the BBQ and mix drinks for friends. I wouldn't tolerate that, so managed to break her of that habit. In doing so, I also had to discipline the neighbor, as he thought it was priceless every time Riley showed up while he was preparing his supper

The nipping, we had to many visitors with little ones and I didn't want Riley nipping them or anyone. If you train them at a young age not to nip, you won't have the worry about somebody reporting you dog for 'biting' them.

The first meal Riley ate when we got her as a pup included grilled t-bone steak. To this day, I still grill Riley's meat Yeah, she trained me (her Dad died when she was 3). Dad always grilled meat for her, so I didn't have the heart to quit.

Riley can no longer go for a hike nor a short walk and she only went into the water three times this year - just long enough to plop down have a drink then get up and out. She has personality galore and throughout the day she has her moments when she's right full of spunk and reverts back to those days when she was full of p*ss and vinegar so to speak.

I know her time is limited now so I will continue to spoil her and I will do what I can to keep her comfy and happy

Best of luck in choosing a breed. No matter the breed you choose, just remember - all dogs are creatures of habit. If you start something, be prepared to continue it If you plan to travel with your dog, get them used to a vehicle asap or you may end up with a dog that gets car sick.

We have a 5 month old Border Collie that I didn't want. You need to have alot of free time or money for daycare because a Border Collie will run your butt off 18 hours a day. They are high energy and they cannot eat a regular dog diet. You can kill them with that... we have to buy special (expensive) food because he can't eat a high protein diet.

My recommendation would be to not get a Border Collie and adopt a dog from the shelter. The best dog we ever had was a shelter dog.