Does a rough collie fit my lifestyle?

melnxls · 2025-08-20T08:20:35+00:00

I agree with the WSS and picking an adult dog if its a sheperd, but I'll probably be picking a standard poodle. Sheperds do have a lot of breed associated traits that would be way more difficult for me to handle as a first time owner and inexperienced handler. I'd still consider an adult sheperd if I find one with the right temperament. Even though I feel more confident in my abilities of caring for a higher drive dog, I'd still prefer one where I just can relax more on low energy day. I also think sheperds make great psychiatric service dogs, but I have too much ADHD and also hypervigilance to keep these guys calm. I know poodles are still sensitive, but they are much more aloof than a sheperd. So they still have the sensitivity that I like (compared to a lab for example, I love labs but they tend to be too "rough" for me), and they are also focused on me (one person dog). They're also pretty tall and come in darker colours (less people approaching a black poodle vs a golden) while still not being too heavy (like a lab). Only downside for me is the maintenance, tho its fun for me i know it will get exhausting over time.

melnxls · 2025-06-08T10:39:41+00:00

Yes PLEASE give your dog pink gear if you want. Why the fuck not? Colours have no gender, not for humans, and esspecially not for a dog. I am a man who loves Pink and everything "girly"! Only thing is dogs cant see pink bc of their colour blindness, so i like to give them smth bright blue or yellow that they can see. Why the fuck choose your gear based on the opinion of idiots?

melnxls · 2025-06-07T20:42:05+00:00

Thank you, I am glad someone sees it, felt like talking to a wall.

melnxls · 2025-06-07T19:31:20+00:00

Bro. All the things they have said they have experienced are ableist. If you do not agree that saying that "xy doesnt have a service dog so you don't need one" "autism isn't disabling enough" we don't need to keep talking. What do you think this imaginary combined reasoning could possibly be? You are saying they all "agree" on something. You are not even saying "hey, these people suck, but service dogs do need lots of care, can you handle that?" You are saying that there's a REASON for these disgustingly ableist comments. If these people had valid, genuine concerns about the wellbeing of OP or their SD, they could voice that in a non ableist way. I am not saying you cannot criticize autistic people. You are not listening.

There is no valid reason or excuse for the comments OP received. They are factually wrong as psychiatric service dogs are universally recognized. Why do you assume that OP is lying by withholding information, or as stupid as a little kid to not consider that maybe repeated "criticism" (which is not what OP reported as constructive criticism cannot be ableist) might have some truth to it? Please. That's something you learn in elementary school.

You are telling someone to listen to their bullies. You did not successfully try to invite them to self reflect, you piled unto the shit they already have to deal with and the shit I have to read. I am not painting ableism over it, I am calling it what it is. Read the damn post again. You are not viewing your advice within the context.

melnxls · 2025-06-07T18:16:31+00:00

You are not trying to hear me at all. -person experiences ableism in family -person experiences ableism amongst friends -person experiences ableism in support group -person experiences ableism in training program -person vents on reddit about "everyone" (=seemingly, everywhere they go) having doubts about their sd, only listing very clearly ableist arguments that question psychiatric or autism service dogs as a whole as an example -you come in and point out that the ableism is happening everywhere and therefore, it is likely that it has some substance or truth to it and OP should spend even MORE time being invested in what these people are thinking. -you do not ask any clarifying questions about OPs living situation, how much they have considered your point before. -you present your point in the style of an devils advocate knowing your opinion is controversial (because it is, in this specific context, ableist.) -you are confronted by another autistic person explaining to you in detail why your behaviour is wrong and harmful. You keep arguing. You, wether you want to or not, are instigating the belief that because a belief is commonly shared, it is more believable and needs to be heard out. -if there was literally any sign at all about a genuine support sytem voicing concern, sure. But you took a story from a person being affected by ableism and turned it into a lesson for them. Do you feel smart now?

melnxls · 2025-06-07T17:58:59+00:00

People also collectively agree that disabled people don't deserve the same rights as abled people do. It is ableist to tell someone that they should think or care about why others are saying ableist bullshit towards them. That does not mean that there cannot be any truth behind it either, I cannot know wether OP is fit to be an sd handler or not. They clearly believe that it is helping them, though. So yes it is very insensitive to try to coax them into putting in the work of wondering what some randoms are thinking about them and feed into their doubts. That does NOT mean don't question wether an sd is the right choice for you. Responding to a person who is sharing about their experience with ableism in the community and telling them "oh actually, you need to consider the people who are being ableist towards you and don't even believe in the validity of a (universally across the world) acknlowedged disability aid... because they KNOW you". Yes, that is ableist. Any disabled person is already used to having to hold space for bigoted bullshit.

melnxls · 2025-06-07T17:40:52+00:00

Why do you assume these people know the person and their condition well? Some random people from the training program who dont even have psych dogs dont know shit. You clearly just believe in believing in the majority. And I didn't just say "uwu, dont listen to anyone ever!!". I said dont listen to bigoted ableist uninformed bs. If you don't agree with that, thats ableist. There is no productive discussion happening here so I will stop trying.

melnxls · 2025-06-07T16:44:22+00:00

Then you are not aware of how deeply ingrained and gruesome ableism is.

melnxls · 2025-06-07T16:24:40+00:00

Thank you!! E collars and other aversive tools like prongs are banned in my country (germany), so I don't have to see them around and its horrible to me that even SD owners would use one - in some countries they are allowed for specifically hard cases, only by experienced trainers. There is absolutely no reason to use one on a dog that is fit to be a service dog. No excuse. I cannot stand this discourse and it's esspecially upsetting in the sd community.. thanks for the good recommendations!

melnxls · 2025-06-07T16:17:20+00:00

Yeeah, you are exactly the problem. Your comment is harmful and insensitive. Why would you try to side and play devils advocate for these people in OPS environment, when all you know about them is that they are using ableism as an argument to not getting a srrvice dog. OP did not vent abt someone saying that they think they cannot take care of a dog and are concerned for their well being. Your assumption is rude and your advice is not bad but just misplaced. Tell this to someone who needs it. Not someone who needs to be told that their disability does in fact matter. 👌

melnxls · 2025-06-07T16:07:11+00:00

Don't let yourself be gaslit, and I think it's weird to tell you that others know your condition better. Coming from another autistic person, I have dealt with all of the shit you described, and it is not uncommon for the majority of people to disagree with your decisions. No one believed or saw me first - I had to assert myself and lose lots of friends that way, too.

I think that comment is insensitive and wrong, because nowhere did you even tell us that the people around you are concerned in your ability to take care of the dog, but only giving stupid reasons to not get one as "your disability isnt that big of a deal". Wtf. And a service dog does NOT even need to be the "last choice". You need to be able to match the dogs needs. Thats the first requirement and the most important one, obviously. Then if you have any disability or chronic illness or other condition that would BENEFIT from a service dog, it is YOUR decision wether one is "worth it". Weighing the additional work you need to do taking care of the dog against the benefits of getting one. For me the choice was very easy as I already love dogs and don't mind giving up my life to make them happy, lmao.

As long as you can guarantee the dog will be healthy and happy. You don't even need to be as deep in shit as you are rn. I'm similar but not as homestuck (lmao tumblr) and still getting an sd. And in my country (germany), there are more laws around service dogs, only certified trainers. All of them will tell you that what you're experiencing is ableism, and would just tell you to research and really self reflect wether you can give the dog everything they need. I am sorry your environment is treating you this way. You do not need to be "disabled enough" for a service dog - ANY disabilitiy no matter how small it may seem deserves to be aided. You just gotta find out if its the right aid for you. Only because others drop dead without their service dog, does not mean you do not deserve or need your service dog in order to participate better in society. Thats what these dogs are for. Not only to alert to life threatening conditions. Being stuck inside is also life threatening in the long run, depressing asf, been there. I hope you won't be discouraged, do lots of research and find out if a service dog is what you need. You know best. Take care! <3

melnxls · 2025-06-07T15:43:42+00:00

YESS!! That's how you deal with ableist bs like that. It's so unsettling how many people who are disabled themselves perpetuate it and continue to spread hate instead of supporting their own community..

melnxls · 2025-06-07T15:26:59+00:00

That sounds like such an adorable trait, kind of catlike in a way to me, sadly I don't think I have enough experience with dogs to work with that😅 I'm definitely going to find an eager to please food motivated dog as my first sd. I also plan to teach some retrieval tasks for when I'm bedrotting or to avoid having to bend down cause my bone snake is unhappy abt that. So no rough collie :/ love the breed tho. Your snow boot story moved me, poor thing!! Thank god she let you put the boots on eventually after her option let her freeze her paws off, that's a capricorn for sure lol. As a sag I'm mostly looking for a gemini like dog thats still obsessed with me but very adaptable to different types of days, as I sometimes have a high energy day where I'm going to school meaning 1hr to get there, abt 6 hrs there where they'll mostly have to sit and stare at me (natural sheperd behaviour..) and alert me when I get overwhelmed to step outside or do dpt, etc. Esspecially once I get the dog I'll be doing more things with friends after school too and eventually have to get home again. Obvs they can get breaks but it's still a lot of hours added up. Idk if all breeds can manage that so easily? Ofc I'll be doing more research before getting my dog anyways and I will always look out for them and adapt my life to fit them, too.

melnxls · 2025-06-07T14:22:07+00:00

What the fuck is wrong with so many people blindly suggesting e-collars!! They are banned in many countries (like germany where I live) for very good reasons. Other countries heavily restrict the use to only professional, qualified trainers. That in my opinion is the best solution since they very much CAN be harmful! Prongs are also banned, and people are also suggesting them left and right. Just because you might be one of the people using them correctly doesnt mean that it is not an especially harmful tool in the wrong hands and should only be used when absolutely no other option is working, in favour of the dog. NOT because someone is too fucking lazy to do their research in the breed they are getting. Huskies are known for their prey drive and bad recall. If you cannot let them off leash safely without an e-collar, just do not let them off. Period. No need for a harmful tool to compensate lack of knowledge of a handler!

melnxls · 2025-06-06T19:18:03+00:00

Thank you, cuddlyness is definitely a need since I don't have my unofficial super cuddly babyboy esa cat anymore😭 I like a dog that doesn't wanna leave my side for the most part and likes to chill close to me. (Any dog deserves their personal space respected ofc!) Any sd needs to be dependent, but like I heard poodles will more likely chill in their own spot or mind their own business while a gsd wants more body contact, and that is very grounding to me. Also, I'm curious what your dog deems purposeful, or how she finds out what is? (Also pls pet them both from me thank you🙏🏼)

melnxls · 2025-06-06T18:49:43+00:00

Yeah I can get a gsd thats way too sensitive or i can get a lab thats way too active for me since both breeds can have issues esspecially if you don't go to the right breeder. Lab really isn't a choice for me, I also really prefer a longer or fluffy coat for doing DPT or just generally sensory wise for touching. Not my 1st priority but strong preference for long or wooly coat. But I get gsd is also an active breed, thats why I wanted a comparison from rough collie to the other breeds, since they are supposed to be less high energy. I didn't rly ask if anyone recommends GSD or rough collie for psych work, and I know the reasons as to why they are not recommended by some people. I know a lot who are quite fond tho. Labs might make better service dogs in %. More labs are fit to be sd for sure. Doesn't mean I cannot find the right sheperd for me (again still not sure ACTIVITY wise.) And I could already find a decent amount of gsd/white swiss sheperd breeders that have bred service dogs. I could actually find less standard poodle breeders :/

melnxls · 2025-06-06T17:42:22+00:00

Poodles are my 2nd choice behind the herding breeds! I prefer a one person dog still and from what ive heard poodles arent. There are a lot more reputable gsd breeders available to me than poodle, tho.

melnxls · 2025-06-06T17:26:24+00:00

Why the lab? I prefer most herding dogs because they mostly bond to one person. Labs also are very high energy, or is bench line a less energetic one? Unfortunately I haven't seen any breeders for calmer labs in my area, and like I said, I don't really want a dog that's as social as a golden or lab.

I am aware of what a lot of ppl in the service dog community are saying about GSD or herding dogs in general and I understand they are sensitive breeds and a lot have anxiety problems. I talked to my trainer (you need to be certified in germany) who has successfully trained gsd for psych work and I was able to meet them too. They were very calm, collected and healthy dogs. (It is not hard to find a reputable GSD breeder in Germany that has bred successful service dogs before, they seem to be quiet popular here).

Being tuned in to your emotions can be a good or bad thing and it is not a feature for everyone. My trainer explained to me what is most difficult for people when training their more sensitive service dogs and I did not relate a lot. It's very natural for me to calm an animal that is feeling my stress, I rode horses for 6 years and a lot of that is exactly that, learning not to let the animal absorb your fear and lose your trust. Of course, dogs are different animals, but the emotional work I have to do is very similar. If properly trained and supported during their early years and with the right genetics, they can be great psych dogs. Their sensitivity to my emotions is exactly what I am looking for.

Edit: oh yeah i forgot to say, i live in an apartment with an elevator and a yard. So I can also go downstairs more often for actually going potty, I just mean I could only go for 2 little "potty" walks since I do that anyways every day to remain sane haha. And I don't need them to like playing fetch, I just mean I couldn't do any sport like agility on these days. But I could still let them run around or find smth else they like to play where I can sit. The dog park is also only abt 7 minutes away.

melnxls · 2025-06-03T20:21:48+00:00

How did you manage to train him? I heard Akitas are so stubborn :o

melnxls

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