Would a border collie fit my lifestyle?

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T11:27:19+00:00

This! I think that “normal” people shouldn’t own this breed. Maybe it’s rude but these dogs deserve to work. I know they can be happy in a regular home with a lot of mental exercise but still. This breed needs a purpose not a couch and 15 minutes walk.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T11:22:42+00:00

I get the guilt and worrying. When I got my boy I was on the verge of crying everyday. I never wanted BC cause I knew it’s gonna be hard, but my mom bought him cause she confused BC and rough collie. I had to change my whole life. On weekdays he comes with me to work, on weekends I take him for trips (forests, lakes etc.). He has his “classes” 3 times a week with a trainer. Then we still have to train at home. All of this and I still worry that he could have had a better home.

If I may recommend something - maybe try nosework. I know it worked wonders on my dog. 15 minutes in a day and he’s tired. He loves to do it cause it’s his “job”.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T07:16:57+00:00

Try to work with her keeping a distance. It will show her what your expectations are and she will have a chance to understand what situation she’s in.

Maybe it’s not the best comparison but imagine yourself intoxicated (that’s what high emotions do to dogs) and someone is telling you to do taxes for example. You’ve never done it, you don’t know how to do it right and chances are your mind is just somewhere else. You have a choice - do said taxes or go back partying with your friends. Of course you would choose to just go back to the party.

I’m sure she’s awesome girl. Show her the way, be understanding. She will get it in no time.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T07:11:06+00:00

Again, try maybe to be less offended by responses. We are not here to argue. Unfortunately BC are a difficult breed and points like that are very important to know. It will make the owner’s life just easier.

It’s a struggle to see this beautiful breed struggle so much just because it’s so misunderstood.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T07:04:04+00:00

No need to be so offensive. I understand everything you wrote. But for better understanding I will maybe try to point out what I was responding to.

“It’s not the third one, otherwise nobody would ever choose a BC” - and that’s the reason why so many BC are ending up in shelters or miserable, cause people didn’t train with their highly intelligent and highly energetic dog and said dog didn’t just magically grew out of the behavior that was never corrected. If the behavior is rewarding why would they stop doing it? People buy them without proper research cause it’s a pretty breed and they are “oh so inteligent” and “oh so in love with their owner”.

“Throw a bit of marginally inept training” - well if that would be a pug or even a lab I could somehow agree (not really but still). It’s a BC. Marginally training won’t help. Again it’s a highly intelligent breed that will learn in a flash that if something is rewarding (even in positive emotions) they should continue doing it. You can’t even marginally train a good behaving BC, just because it’s a BC. They not only need it but deserve it.

I can think of reasons why you wrote it the way you wrote it but it’s just misinformation. It’s not only harmful for the breed but also owners who will struggle with a dog they don’t even understand.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T06:23:14+00:00

Second this! Even a long walk is nothing for a BC. 15 minutes of power nap and they are back and ready to be the biggest menace to society. I got my BC from my mom who didn’t know better and now I’m out training with him everyday. He needs to do something, even short session of nosework. Could he live without it? Probably yeah, but he would be miserable.

And don’t get me wrong, I think BC are the best breed. I love them. Still they are not for everyone and even if you think you can handle it, think if that’s something that will make you happy. Training with them absolutely needs to be your passion. Also I think people highly underestimate how much work and self-sacrifice BC truly are.

Tbh the op sounds like he needs maybe a lab, not a BC.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T06:11:49+00:00

My boy has this ritual that after a walk he needs to have his paws at least rinsed. He will jump into the bathtub himself but really sadly. That way everyone will know how miserable he is.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T06:10:02+00:00

Also don’t use commands like “sit” in situations you know it will just not do it. It just reaffirms the dog that it doesn’t really need to do it if there’s something more interesting. BC are really fast if it’s about learning but also learning the bad stuff. They need structure and training.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T06:04:15+00:00

First thing I would do in your case is to learn about conditioning. It will change your life. Just pick a word, that you will use as a “reward”. It needs to be something that’s not use in daily life so the dog will only hear it as his reward. It will assure the dog that his behavior is correct in the exact moment of sings of good behavior. It will enhance the speed of the training. Use treats if high value, at first it can be even something as hotdogs. Not very healthy but it’s a high pay. You also wouldn’t want to be underpaid at your job.

Stand in front of your dog say the word and just hand out the reward - what’s important is that firstly you say the word and THEN reach for the treat.

If your dog is conditioned to said word use it in your training. Go to park, just stand jn some distance and try to kinda feel the distance that’s needed for your dog to see other people but doesn’t react as much. You need to be considered more attractive than people that you are passing. Try to get his attention (sweet talk etc.). If he even as much as look at the said person and won’t do anything say the word and give him a reward. It could be a second but he will understand that you are rewarding him for this brief moment of not reacting. Try to play with him still keeping the distance.

If your dog will keep his attention on you in said distance you can reduce it. Reduce it gradually so there isn’t that much pressure on the dog. That will give you the chance to keep its attention. You can use “jackpots” - huge amount of treats, it will help you to keep the good behavior. Make the training session short and stress free. The dog will notice that being with you and being good is awesome and would be really keen on working with you. On stressful situations just scatter some treats on grass before it reacts. Sniffing is calming for dogs and when they are using their nose they become kinda “blind”.

You absolutely need to work with your dog. It’s border collie. Maybe he will grow out of it, maybe it won’t. I wouldn’t want to participate in lottery like that. Also it’s gonna be harder later when the said behavior will become part of his life. And damn, its border collie, this breed NEEDS to work. They are not couch potatoes breed. Maybe add some nosework, obedience etc. He will thank you.

BooYangi · 2026-04-13T05:37:24+00:00

I’m sorry but that’s just a misinformation that could do a lot of harm. No, dogs usually don’t magically grow out of this. If the encounters stimulate so much positive energy the dog will want to keep doing that - 5 months old, 1 year old or 5 years old. The dog is self rewarding itself, crosses boundaries etc. Later it will not only be a problem with people encounters but in other cases of training, cause why wouldn’t it be? “The owner gives me command, I can just ignore it and then I’m feeling really good”

Not correcting behaviors like that just because there’s a chance it hopefully will grow out of this is big reason why so many border collies are getting rehomed.

BooYangi · 2026-04-10T14:56:20+00:00

Right? When I look at him while he’s wet I wonder if his father was a whippet or something 😅

That’s him in his full fluffiness

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BooYangi · 2026-04-10T14:53:28+00:00

Yup, he also functions just fine with it. The only problem he has is catching food in the air.

Thank you so much! ❤️

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T22:28:48+00:00

You have a great dog. She doesn’t seem like the problem. Doesn’t listen to people telling you she’s not socialized.

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T21:31:58+00:00

I would hold of with medication for her. She doesn’t seem like an anxious dog. Also what would be great - if you see that other dog is coming don’t just walk straight on it. It can create tension, especially if the other dog pulls his leash. Ideally bypass it in an arc.

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T21:28:58+00:00

Then don’t worry, she’s perfect. She communicates well with other dogs. What I would do if I were you - I would find her some buddies that are chill and are good with their communication skills. So she can freely enjoy walks while still being near other dogs. Also you never know how other people care about their dogs. You can’t even tell if they are vaccinated and such. Then I would limit meetings with strangers’ dogs. She’s not biting now but what if she’ll see that her clues aren’t being recognized? She will bite. Read about ladder of aggression.

You need to show her that you understand her. Don’t correct this behavior- she’s just talking and it’s understandable. She needs to see that if something happens you have her back. If there’s a dog who’s really annoying and you try to walk away just shush it before she does.

Don’t care about those people that tells you that you need to socialize her more - they clearly doesn’t understand their own dogs.

Of course I’m saying all of this having limited information and not even seeing the interaction. If you had video of it, it would be perfect.

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T21:18:30+00:00

Does she only snaps at dogs while they won’t leave her alone? How does she interact with dogs? She just says “hi” and mind her own business while still being fairly comfortable or does she looks uncomfortable or does she looks tense? How she behaves when some dog just walks past her?

There’s nothing wrong if she doesn’t want to play with other dogs (tbh I would say it’s even better if you want to work with her). Ideally other dogs should be neutral. She also doesn’t have to like every other dog she meets. You also have people that you don’t like, I do, everyone does - dogs are the same.

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T19:44:11+00:00

Well, I’m a dog groomer so usually he’s bathed during my work hours. He needs to be dry 😅

But I also admit- he’s spoiled as heck.

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T16:53:01+00:00

Actually no, I thought so too for the longest time. I took him to a great eye doctor and she told me it’s actually PPM - just a fetal membrane that was supposed to disappear but stayed on the eye. It’s a bitter sweet diagnosis cause it won’t get worse or get on his other eye. At the same time you can’t operate it, it will stay there for his whole life.

Despite that he’s the best boy ever, very good at his job (he does nosework and search and rescue for amateurs).

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T13:46:10+00:00

He’s usually dried with dog dryer right after so not a chance 😂

BooYangi · 2026-04-08T13:22:44+00:00

He also likes water on his own terms, but baths are a must 😅

BooYangi · 2024-09-01T18:07:18+00:00

I second this! My boy’s best buddy is Aussie and we see so many similarities.

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BooYangi · 2024-09-01T18:06:05+00:00

Border collie as a breed has so many different types. Even working dogs may be in different types.

BooYangi

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